Convert Raw to DNG? You might be making a mistake

You can convert your raw pictures into Adobe's DNG format to improve performance & save space... but it can break everything if you use a non-Adobe app to edit the raw files later. I discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

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[feroxcious]

I LOVE sidecar files. Backing up changes in small xml files is better than re-uploading the whole file everytime you touch a dial.

[RandomviewerNr]

This was very informative, thank you! You're a great teacher and very good at explaining things. Keep up the good work! Love your books, I have a bunch of them.

[ninamphotog]

Adobe has to catch up. Was forced to convert newest Canon raw files because they wouldn’t import

[rp.aguilera]

@Tony&Chelsea I can't believe you haven't hit the 1M subscribers mark yet... You are the best photography educators out there!

[maigonis.elleris]

One thing to keep in mind. If You apply to contests then some contest require that You have original RAW file. Converted file to DNG doesn't count as original RAW.

[DougPardee]

It's not 100% true that DNG contains "the exact same thing as your Raw file." For cameras with unusual sensor configurations -- notably Sigma and Fujifilm -- the DNG can be a "linear DNG, " which means it contains demosaiced RGB data, not Raw data. (I've heard that the most recent DNG version can store raw Fuji X-Trans data without demosaicing, but I don't know for sure.)

Also, Adobe's DNG conversions replace the white balance and lens correction instructions with Adobe versions. If you're only using Adobe, you won't notice the difference. But if you take the DNG into non-Adobe software, you might see some variation.

[viveksawhney]

Question: I just bought a Sony A7 III and I'd like to use uncompressed RAW to shoot. Sony doesn't offer lossless compression, and some people have apparently been unsatisfied with the quality of the compressed file. The DNG format kind of solves the compression issue, but it does create all the issues you have mentioned as well as some others. One of those being that the focus point data and other metadata may be lost or become essentially inaccessible. I'm pretty confused about this RAW/DNG issue in general. What would you recommend in my situation?

[twotonea]

Since at least the K-5, Pentax cameras give you the option to shoot in Pentax's proprietary raw format or in DNG which is great, no conversion required. For all the +ve reasons Tony mentions, DNG probably comes out as the best option - unless your using Pentax pixelshift (and hence probably using Pentax's version of Silkypix to process the images).

[arthurhughes]

Thanks for tip. I converted my RW2 files and saved a lot of space. Windows 10 also supports thumbnails for DNG files and when they are opened (file association is photoshop), Adobe Camera Raw is activated prior to opening in photoshop.

[stevenjohnson]

Great tutorial. I follow exactly the same flow with Canon RAW files when I import. Thanks

[Lofote]

I actually am a big fan of sidecars. The knowledge that not a single bit is touched in my RAW file - as it should be (so even when the file save command crashes in my RAW editor my RAW file will be ok), the knowledge that I can reset it with no image software whatsoever but just deleting the XMP file, to know that I can review and edit parameters inside the XMP easily using a text editor... all things that make me love XMP files.

[sturmn]

I've found areas where Adobe's "more compatible" messaging is actually true. For example: the Snapseed app on my smartphone takes DNGs but not RW2s. DxO Photolab's roundtrip workflow relies on DNG. There's also the *backwards compatibility* aspect of DNG: using newer cameras' raw files on older version of Lightroom/Photoshop for those who don't/won't pay for Creative Cloud. Adobe's recommended workflow is to convert the camera's newer proprietary format to DNG using Adobe Camera Raw, and then the older versions of Lightroom/Photoshop will be able to open that DNG.

[sekhar]

Tony, how can you be a computer nerd and a photographer at the same time!! Awesome

[andrecgurgel]

After 30+ years dealing with uncountable file formats, related and unrelated to image files, I can confidently add to this conversation that proprietary file formats become incompatible and eventually forgotten by the its manufacturers. Remember world famous WordPerfect, Lotus and dBase? Where are these companies now?
Can anyone promptly open these program-specific files or even a first-version of Microsoft Word or Excel file? Same with .PCX? Even .PSD already has compatibility problems with very old versions.
What about PDF? No. Anyone can read a 1993 PDF.
DNG bears the same design philosophy and principles as PDF.
My point regarding to camera files is that every RAW file is a numeric sub-pixel dump of the sensor. So, every new sensor dumps images to a different RAW content, although it's still a .CR2 or .NEF file.
That's the reason new cameras requires proper support from each software (PS, LR, ON1 and so on) before it's raw files can be processed.
The big question is: who can guarantee that a 2002 Nikon D100 .NEF file will be faithfully opened 15 years from now?
With DNG you don't even need to know in which camera the photo was taken.
At the end of the day, all things considered, when the final destiny of your photos is fulfilled, do convert them to DNG.
A freaky advice if you really prefer to keep proprietary raw files: keep the original copies of the versions of the softwares that can read the files. Later in life you can later install them in a virtual machine - with the proper OS.
But... in the Adobe CC scheme of things, just hope that your Camera Raw in 2034 be able to read today's raw files.

[SteveMartinUSA]

Great video! Thanks for helping me pass the Part 107 certification.

[ColinRobertson_LLAP]

I was just revisiting this topic myself, so this video was very timely and helpful. Is there a difference in the files created from a DNG HDR merge compared to using say CR2? I thought I had heard there was more headroom... Thanks Tony!

[chotzz]

Low iso, shooting raw.

Hi Guys,

When DNG & ARW retain the same lighting,

Can both be tweeked the same or is there a difference?

[jennifermedia]

i have to convert to DNG as I dont like paying for adobe cc ask already own lR 6 but cc wont access my new images

[MichaelWTurner]

Very interesting. I hate to admit it, but even though I shoot raw+jpeg i rarely mess with raw images, but this info is still good to know. Thank you for your insights and advice.

[hmdayrit]

But what about Pentax cameras which can save natively in DNG format in-camera. Are there any advantages/disadvantages vs. saving as PEF files?