diff --git a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/openexr_api.cpp b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/openexr_api.cpp
index 3d2f3fb6869..0a3924e00b5 100644
--- a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/openexr_api.cpp
+++ b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/openexr_api.cpp
@@ -1516,8 +1516,6 @@ static int imb_exr_split_channel_name(ExrChannel *echan, char *layname, char *pa
     echan->chan_id = BLI_toupper_ascii(channelname[0]);
   }
   else if (len > 1) {
-    bool ok = false;
-
     if (len == 2) {
       /* Some multi-layers are using two-letter channels name,
        * like, MX or NZ, which is basically has structure of
@@ -1530,33 +1528,28 @@ static int imb_exr_split_channel_name(ExrChannel *echan, char *layname, char *pa
       const char chan_id = BLI_toupper_ascii(channelname[1]);
       if (ELEM(chan_id, 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'R', 'G', 'B', 'U', 'V', 'A')) {
         echan->chan_id = chan_id;
-        ok = true;
+      }
+      else {
+        echan->chan_id = 'X'; /* Default to X if unknown. */
       }
     }
     else if (BLI_strcaseeq(channelname, "red")) {
       echan->chan_id = 'R';
-      ok = true;
     }
     else if (BLI_strcaseeq(channelname, "green")) {
       echan->chan_id = 'G';
-      ok = true;
     }
     else if (BLI_strcaseeq(channelname, "blue")) {
       echan->chan_id = 'B';
-      ok = true;
     }
     else if (BLI_strcaseeq(channelname, "alpha")) {
       echan->chan_id = 'A';
-      ok = true;
     }
     else if (BLI_strcaseeq(channelname, "depth")) {
       echan->chan_id = 'Z';
-      ok = true;
     }
-
-    if (ok == false) {
-      printf("multilayer read: unknown channel token: %s\n", channelname);
-      return 0;
+    else {
+      echan->chan_id = 'X'; /* Default to X if unknown. */
     }
   }
   end -= len + 1; /* +1 to skip '.' separator */