DNG a.k.a. Digital Negative

[Aperture Nine]

So, what do you prefer; that we ALL keep a copy of Linux, a copy of software from that time and all kinds of software hardware, or a single file format that will probably be readable in the future and that will be documented so someone can code (or modify) an existing importer.

I am not sure I can keep all that stuff alive! Keeping your digital images alive on hard drives or DVD's is not easy. I lost some data even on expensive CD's/DVD's and stuff tends to break, get stolen or even lost. And why all this complexity? Who wants to remember how to use and configure Linux, software from your youth and what not.

Keep it simple. That is what people expect from good software and products.

[sybren]

Of course it would be better to have one standard that'll last forever. But since we're not there yet, I've got other ways of ensuring compatibility. All I wanted to say is that DNG isn't the only way to ensure safety for the future. And what you said is very true: keeping the files themselves alive is difficult as well, and that's completely irregardless of the format used.

[AgBeard]

Canon provide a facility to 'map' dust spots on the sensor & then apply this info to the raw file within their software - not having used this I can only assume that this facility would be lost if the DNG root was taken.

[rediguana]

Originally Posted by AgBeard

Canon provide a facility to 'map' dust spots on the sensor & then apply this info to the raw file within their software - not having used this I can only assume that this facility would be lost if the DNG root was taken.

Not necessarily, it might just add a step to the workflow. I could see the following process accommodating it. I haven't got the software here to check if this would work, might have a look this evening as I don't use the spot removal and just import directly into LR (converting to DNG upon import).

1. Take photos in raw on camera
2. Import as raw in DPP to remove spots (and perform any other vendor proprietary processes in their proprietary software e.g. white balance etc)
3. (if DPP supports it, I haven't checked yet as I don't use it regularly) Export from DPP as suitable raw format e.g. DNG (this would be the corrected file so that the vendor proprietary information in the raw is no longer needed)
4. Import into you Digital Asset Management software e.g. Lightroom (and converting to DNG if necessary)

I haven't tried this yet, and it may be that DPP does not support export as DNG. It should be possible to process using the vendors tools first, and once those corrections have been made, and you're happy with them, then export/import into a more long term storage format such as DNG.

Of course, if DPP (in this case) actually adjusts the raw file to remove the dust spot, as opposed to producing a JPEG with the spot removed, then you should be able to just import the corrected raw file into, say, Lr and convert to DNG and voila - you have made use of the vendors proprietary tools, but also are left with a more open and accessible format for longer term storage.

I'll check this approach at home tonight and see if it may work.

[rediguana]

And just recently, we have a thread come up on these forums about someone having trouble reading Canon raw on their Vista machine because the appropriate drivers haven't been installed. I do like Lightroom handling the CR2 format natively and not having to worry about drivers. Of course, it probably wouldn't recognise DNG files currently either