1. A system for rendering image files containing depth maps, the system comprising: a display; a processor; and a memory containing a rendering application and an image file comprising: a reference encoded image from a reference viewpoint; and metadata describing at least one supplementary encoded image taken from a supplementary viewpoint using at least one supplementary camera stored as metadata within the image file; and metadata describing a depth map based on the parallax variation between the encoded reference image and the at least one encoded supplementary image that specifies depths from the reference viewpoint for pixels in the encoded reference image; wherein the rendering application directs the processor to: locate the reference image within the image file; synthesize an image based on the reference image and the depth map; render the synthesized image; and display the synthesized image using the display.