Today we have hundreds of digital cameras available in the market to choose from. However, a lot of these digital cameras use different and, at times, difficult to open raw image file formats, instead of using a universal DNG (Digital Negative) format. Thankfully, there are a number of RAW to DNG converter software available online, that can help us in converting our photos to DNG format for viewing, editing and preserving them for future generations. We will discuss some of them here.
The Adobe DNG Converter, a free utility that converts files from more than 600 cameras to DNG, enables you to easily convert camera-specific raw files to a more universal DNG raw file. Download the Adobe DNG Coverter from the Adobe Developer Console. Digital Negative. This format contains uncompressed RAW images, and it is used to create photos for archival storage. It has a TIFF structure and is distributed with open source. DNG is also used for the intermediate storage of digital images. It is supported by most camera manufacturers. It was developed by Adobe.
Related:
Adobe DNG Converter
Adobe RAW file converter software was the very first that allowed users to convert RAW images to DNG. Unlike most camera software, it allows you complete control and greater flexibility over conversion settings and compresses. While offering additional editing features like white balance, even after the image is captured.
Raw.Pics.io
Raw.Pic.io is a very useful and unique RAW to DNG converter, online viewer and image editor that also allow users to resize the images with in the browser. It supports formats like PDF and CR2 etc. But, the option of using your Google drive for your digital asset management is unique to this site, as you don't need to download anything.
DNG Converter
DNG converter is much simpler but just as useful, freeware to convert DNG images to most used a format like JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP. Its most attractive feature is its simplicity, all you have to do is start the DNG converter download, then add your image, choose from the five most popular formats and you can convert the image.
digiKam
DigiKam is one of more advanced DNG converter. You can not only convert, enhance and view your file, but you can also add tags, rating, comments etc. It works on the principle of metadata, which allows you to view all the images under one album at one place, irrespective of their actual location.
Other Platforms
With an increase in the use of other platforms like Android and Linux, demand for DNG converters for their users also increased. In most cases, the user is not even allowed by the OS to download DNG converter windows version, as it is not compatible with the device. It posed an issue for the users, as most smart phones are based on Android and armed with a camera.
RAW to DNG for Android
RAW2DNG is an app for android based device that can be downloaded from the Google app store. It works on the cloud principle, where the image stays RAW, but can be imported into the Adobe's Lightroom, allowing the image to sync with Adobes creative cloud. You can edit your images and still keep the RAW intact.
Raw-in-DNG-Out Mode – Most Popular Software
Adobe Camera Raw plug-in was introduced for the MAC users, as most other DNG converter software are not supported by the Apple device. This software offers most of the same features that are available for the window users. Though, Mac being a different platform, a window user may take some time to identify and orient with the software. You can also see NEF to JPG Converter
What is RAW to DNG Converter?
Many camera brands offer their personalized software with their products for image viewing and editing. This creates an issue of too many image formats, with most not recognizable by one and other. When the production of a particular model or brand ends, normally image software support ends with it. You can also see Duplicate Image Finder
To counter this problem, Adobe launched an image converter that was created with a mission statement: to be able to decode any raw image, from any digital camera, on any computer, running any operating system. Software based on this principle are called RAW to DNG converters.
DNG provides a reliable way of preserving images for future generations, in their original form, without damaging or altering them. In the time, when technology is changing and evolving at a rapid pace, a standardized system is a necessity. Since its launch in 2004, it has gained the universal standard status for storing images.
Related Posts
Digital photography cameras can most often save your images in the JPEG format, as well as dump the raw values from each of the millions of photosites which make up a sensor and store them, along with some metadata, in a proprietary raw format. Some cameras also let you choose DNG (Digital Negative) as the raw format, which is an open, lossless format developed by Adobe. Unlike JPEG images, which are already 'developed', these raw files (both proprietary and DNG) contain raw data (ergo the name 'raw file' - do not capitalize it, it is not an acronym!) which must first be processed before an image is obtained.
There are numerous benefits in converting your raw files to the DNG format:
- It has universal support. You may be able to use your DNG images in programs which do not have support for your non-DNG raw format.
- It is not a dead format - it is constantly maintained.
- Adobe's DNG Converter includes color matrices and white levels in the converted DNG files - these are usually not present in non-DNG files, and Adobe's ones are often more accurate than those from dcraw. This leads to more accurate color and lowers the chance of color casts in clipped areas.
- DNG files are often smaller than your original raw files due to better lossless compression. The camera software is limited by its hardware - it must write the raw file as quickly as possible and not draw too much current, so compression is optimized for speed, not for file size. Computer software does not have this limitation.
- Even if your camera supports shooting straight to DNG, your camera's implementation of DNG is likely outdated. In some cases it may be warranted to re-convert your old DNGs to a newer DNG specification using the newest version of Adobe's DNG Converter. Possible reasons could be that the newer color matrices might be more accurate, lossless compression might be improved, improved support for defective pixel marking, inclusion of new opcodes, injection of new useful metadata tags, etc.
If you do convert your raw files to DNG, you should first test a few sample DNG files to make sure everything in your workflow still functions correctly before deleting the source files. Having said that, issues with DNG are very rare, unlike the FUD surrounding it which is in no hurry of dying down.
Adobe's DNG Converter is not the only program that converts raw files to DNG. There is, for example, the kipi-plugins DNG Image Converter which uses LibRaw and libkdcraw, however it is unclear what matrices this converter uses or where it gets them from, therefore it is safer if you stick to using the official Adobe DNG Converter.
Get the latest version of Adobe DNG Converter here:
- Download Adobe DNG Converter (get the build for Windows if you're using Linux - installation is explained below).
Run it and you're done.
1 Unsupported sensors
The DNG format can contain real raw data, but it can also contain demosaiced images. These demosaiced images are no longer really raw - they have been pre-cooked. While this is generally undesirable, there are situations where we can take advantage of this possibility. Some cameras have sensors with color filter array layouts and sensor pixel layouts unsupported by RawTherapee. Though you cannot directly process these raw files in RawTherapee, you can convert them to demosaiced DNG files using the Adobe DNG Converter. As these demosaiced DNG files are no longer truly raw, do not delete your original raw files! This procedure is merely a workaround.
To convert raw files not currently supported by RawTherapee to demosaiced DNG files, use the following settings:
Dng Converter For Mac
- 'Custom' compatibility mode using 'DNG 1.4'
- 'Linear (demosaiced)' must be ticked.
The resulting DNG files may end up being larger than the input files - as an example, an input RAF file resulted in a DNG file 142% larger in size.
These demosaiced DNG files can now be used in RawTherapee (or any other DNG-supporting program), though as they are already demosaiced the tools in the 'Raw' tab will be disabled.
2 Installing Adobe DNG Converter in Linux
When you run Wine it will create a basic Windows system by default in $HOME/.wine
. That is called a 'Wine prefix'. While it's fine to leave it like that, you can run each Windows program in its own Wine prefix, so that you can easily and cleanly remove all traces of one program without affecting the others. For example you might keep Adobe DNG Converter in its own Wine prefix in $HOME/wine-dng
and decide to try out some proprietary Windows HDR program. You might find out that you don't like this program, or that the trial period has expired, or that it simply doesn't work. Uninstalling it, if the uninstaller even works, is known to leave things behind. If, on the other hand, you installed this program to its own Wine prefix, say $HOME/wine-hdr
, you could simply delete that folder and that program would be gone without a trace, without affecting Adobe DNG Converter. Creating a new Wine prefix is very simple. All you have to do is to prepend WINEPREFIX=$HOME/some-folder
before the 'wine
' command. If that folder does not exist, Wine will create it for you.
Cr3 Converter
We will be using $HOME/wine-dng
as the Wine prefix.
Adobe DNG Converter
Adobe RAW file converter software was the very first that allowed users to convert RAW images to DNG. Unlike most camera software, it allows you complete control and greater flexibility over conversion settings and compresses. While offering additional editing features like white balance, even after the image is captured.
Raw.Pics.io
Raw.Pic.io is a very useful and unique RAW to DNG converter, online viewer and image editor that also allow users to resize the images with in the browser. It supports formats like PDF and CR2 etc. But, the option of using your Google drive for your digital asset management is unique to this site, as you don't need to download anything.
DNG Converter
DNG converter is much simpler but just as useful, freeware to convert DNG images to most used a format like JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP. Its most attractive feature is its simplicity, all you have to do is start the DNG converter download, then add your image, choose from the five most popular formats and you can convert the image.
digiKam
DigiKam is one of more advanced DNG converter. You can not only convert, enhance and view your file, but you can also add tags, rating, comments etc. It works on the principle of metadata, which allows you to view all the images under one album at one place, irrespective of their actual location.
Other Platforms
With an increase in the use of other platforms like Android and Linux, demand for DNG converters for their users also increased. In most cases, the user is not even allowed by the OS to download DNG converter windows version, as it is not compatible with the device. It posed an issue for the users, as most smart phones are based on Android and armed with a camera.
RAW to DNG for Android
RAW2DNG is an app for android based device that can be downloaded from the Google app store. It works on the cloud principle, where the image stays RAW, but can be imported into the Adobe's Lightroom, allowing the image to sync with Adobes creative cloud. You can edit your images and still keep the RAW intact.
Raw-in-DNG-Out Mode – Most Popular Software
Adobe Camera Raw plug-in was introduced for the MAC users, as most other DNG converter software are not supported by the Apple device. This software offers most of the same features that are available for the window users. Though, Mac being a different platform, a window user may take some time to identify and orient with the software. You can also see NEF to JPG Converter
What is RAW to DNG Converter?
Many camera brands offer their personalized software with their products for image viewing and editing. This creates an issue of too many image formats, with most not recognizable by one and other. When the production of a particular model or brand ends, normally image software support ends with it. You can also see Duplicate Image Finder
To counter this problem, Adobe launched an image converter that was created with a mission statement: to be able to decode any raw image, from any digital camera, on any computer, running any operating system. Software based on this principle are called RAW to DNG converters.
DNG provides a reliable way of preserving images for future generations, in their original form, without damaging or altering them. In the time, when technology is changing and evolving at a rapid pace, a standardized system is a necessity. Since its launch in 2004, it has gained the universal standard status for storing images.
Related Posts
Digital photography cameras can most often save your images in the JPEG format, as well as dump the raw values from each of the millions of photosites which make up a sensor and store them, along with some metadata, in a proprietary raw format. Some cameras also let you choose DNG (Digital Negative) as the raw format, which is an open, lossless format developed by Adobe. Unlike JPEG images, which are already 'developed', these raw files (both proprietary and DNG) contain raw data (ergo the name 'raw file' - do not capitalize it, it is not an acronym!) which must first be processed before an image is obtained.
There are numerous benefits in converting your raw files to the DNG format:
- It has universal support. You may be able to use your DNG images in programs which do not have support for your non-DNG raw format.
- It is not a dead format - it is constantly maintained.
- Adobe's DNG Converter includes color matrices and white levels in the converted DNG files - these are usually not present in non-DNG files, and Adobe's ones are often more accurate than those from dcraw. This leads to more accurate color and lowers the chance of color casts in clipped areas.
- DNG files are often smaller than your original raw files due to better lossless compression. The camera software is limited by its hardware - it must write the raw file as quickly as possible and not draw too much current, so compression is optimized for speed, not for file size. Computer software does not have this limitation.
- Even if your camera supports shooting straight to DNG, your camera's implementation of DNG is likely outdated. In some cases it may be warranted to re-convert your old DNGs to a newer DNG specification using the newest version of Adobe's DNG Converter. Possible reasons could be that the newer color matrices might be more accurate, lossless compression might be improved, improved support for defective pixel marking, inclusion of new opcodes, injection of new useful metadata tags, etc.
If you do convert your raw files to DNG, you should first test a few sample DNG files to make sure everything in your workflow still functions correctly before deleting the source files. Having said that, issues with DNG are very rare, unlike the FUD surrounding it which is in no hurry of dying down.
Adobe's DNG Converter is not the only program that converts raw files to DNG. There is, for example, the kipi-plugins DNG Image Converter which uses LibRaw and libkdcraw, however it is unclear what matrices this converter uses or where it gets them from, therefore it is safer if you stick to using the official Adobe DNG Converter.
Get the latest version of Adobe DNG Converter here:
- Download Adobe DNG Converter (get the build for Windows if you're using Linux - installation is explained below).
Run it and you're done.
1 Unsupported sensors
The DNG format can contain real raw data, but it can also contain demosaiced images. These demosaiced images are no longer really raw - they have been pre-cooked. While this is generally undesirable, there are situations where we can take advantage of this possibility. Some cameras have sensors with color filter array layouts and sensor pixel layouts unsupported by RawTherapee. Though you cannot directly process these raw files in RawTherapee, you can convert them to demosaiced DNG files using the Adobe DNG Converter. As these demosaiced DNG files are no longer truly raw, do not delete your original raw files! This procedure is merely a workaround.
To convert raw files not currently supported by RawTherapee to demosaiced DNG files, use the following settings:
Dng Converter For Mac
- 'Custom' compatibility mode using 'DNG 1.4'
- 'Linear (demosaiced)' must be ticked.
The resulting DNG files may end up being larger than the input files - as an example, an input RAF file resulted in a DNG file 142% larger in size.
These demosaiced DNG files can now be used in RawTherapee (or any other DNG-supporting program), though as they are already demosaiced the tools in the 'Raw' tab will be disabled.
2 Installing Adobe DNG Converter in Linux
When you run Wine it will create a basic Windows system by default in $HOME/.wine
. That is called a 'Wine prefix'. While it's fine to leave it like that, you can run each Windows program in its own Wine prefix, so that you can easily and cleanly remove all traces of one program without affecting the others. For example you might keep Adobe DNG Converter in its own Wine prefix in $HOME/wine-dng
and decide to try out some proprietary Windows HDR program. You might find out that you don't like this program, or that the trial period has expired, or that it simply doesn't work. Uninstalling it, if the uninstaller even works, is known to leave things behind. If, on the other hand, you installed this program to its own Wine prefix, say $HOME/wine-hdr
, you could simply delete that folder and that program would be gone without a trace, without affecting Adobe DNG Converter. Creating a new Wine prefix is very simple. All you have to do is to prepend WINEPREFIX=$HOME/some-folder
before the 'wine
' command. If that folder does not exist, Wine will create it for you.
Cr3 Converter
We will be using $HOME/wine-dng
as the Wine prefix.
- Install Wine, preferably using your package manager.
- Download Adobe DNG Converter for Windows.
- Install Adobe DNG Converter:
- It will install to
$HOME/wine-dng/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Adobe/Adobe DNG Converter.exe
- It will install to
- There is an issue affecting all versions of Wine older than 5.0-rc5 when using Adobe DNG Converter version 11.2 or newer. The issue results in Wine crashing on startup. The issue was fixed in Wine 5.0-rc5, see Wine bug #46972. If you use any version of Wine lower than 5.0-rc5, you can easily circumvent the issue.
- Run Wine configuration:
- Go to the 'Libraries' tab, add a new override for
api-ms-win-core-winrt-error-l1-1-0
, then edit it and select 'Disable'. Done.
- Run Adobe DNG Converter:
- Add an alias so that you can run Adobe DNG Converter from a console with ease:
- To run Adobe DNG Converter, just type
dng
in a console.