OpenRaster ORA vs PNG: Layered Open Canvas Archive vs Universal Flattened Raster
Should you save your artwork as OpenRaster (.ora) or PNG? Compare layered digital painting archives, layer blend modes, file sizes, and universal image compatibility.
OpenRaster (.ora) is an open-standard layered raster graphics format created by Freedesktop.org, Krita, MyPaint, and GIMP as a vendor-neutral alternative to PSD. PNG is the universal, lossless single-raster bitmap standard supported natively by every browser, operating system, and image viewer on Earth.
| FEATURE | ORA | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Layer Architecture | Full multi-layer stack with composite operations | Single flattened 2D raster bitmap |
| Software Ecosystem | Krita, MyPaint, GIMP, Paint.NET (via plugin) | Universal support across all digital devices |
| Browser Display | Not natively supported by any web browser | Native instant rendering on all web clients |
| Format Type | ZIP archive (stack.xml + PNG layer tiles) | Chunk-based single-file binary stream |
| Alpha Transparency | Per-layer 8-bit alpha channels | Lossless 8-bit alpha channel transparency |
- Preserves complete multi-layer painting workflows, layer names, opacities, and blend modes
- Open, vendor-neutral specification without proprietary Adobe Photoshop lock-in
- Standard ZIP container containing transparent raster tiles and human-readable stack.xml
- Mandatory embedded mergedimage.png ensures future-proof composite rendering
- 100% universal display across all web browsers, operating systems, and messaging apps
- Lossless 32-bit RGBA color representation with crisp 8-bit alpha channel transparency
- Directly embeddable in websites, digital publications, and social media posts
- Significantly smaller file size than layered project archives
Use OpenRaster (.ora) as your primary working file format when painting in Krita or MyPaint to preserve non-destructive layers, opacity adjustments, and sketch tiers without Adobe lock-in. Convert your finished ORA artwork into standard 32-bit RGBA PNG for instant web publishing, client proofs, and universal portfolio display.
Converting files between ORA and PNG frequently? The convrtr Chrome Extension lets you right-click any image on any webpage or open the Side Panel to convert assets instantly using local WebAssembly with zero server uploads.