What is DNG?

DNG (Digital Negative) is an open, royalty-free RAW image format created by Adobe to address the compatibility issues with proprietary camera RAW formats. Instead of having separate formats for Canon (CR2), Nikon (NEF), Sony (ARW), etc., DNG provides a single universal standard that works across all software and platforms.

Many camera manufacturers including Leica, Pentax, Hasselblad, and smartphone makers use DNG natively. You can also convert proprietary RAW files to DNG for better compatibility and archival. DNG files include all original sensor data, metadata, and can embed the original RAW file for maximum flexibility.

Did you know? DNG is publicly documented and designed for long-term archival compatibility!

History

Adobe developed DNG to solve the problem of hundreds of incompatible proprietary RAW formats that threatened long-term accessibility of digital photographs.

Key Milestones

  • 2004: DNG 1.0 specification released
  • 2006: Leica adopts DNG as native format
  • 2009: Pentax uses DNG in cameras
  • 2012: DNG adopted by many smartphones
  • 2019: Apple ProRAW uses DNG container
  • Present: Widely supported universal standard

Key Features

Core Capabilities

  • Universal Format: Works everywhere
  • Open Standard: Publicly documented
  • Embed Original: Include proprietary RAW
  • Lossless Compression: Smaller file sizes
  • XMP Metadata: Edits stored in file
  • Future-Proof: Long-term accessibility

Common Use Cases

Archival

Long-term photo storage

Compatibility

Universal RAW format

Mobile Photography

Smartphone RAW capture

Workflow

Simplified asset management

Advantages

  • Universal compatibility
  • Open, documented standard
  • Future-proof archival format
  • Smaller files with compression
  • Can embed original RAW
  • Metadata in one file
  • Royalty-free

Disadvantages

  • Conversion adds processing step
  • Some camera-specific features lost
  • Not all manufacturers adopt natively
  • Slightly slower to process
  • May lose proprietary metadata

Technical Information

Format Specifications

Specification Details
File Extension .dng
MIME Type image/x-adobe-dng
Format Type Universal RAW
Compression Lossless or uncompressed
Color Depth Up to 16-bit
Based On TIFF/EP standard
License Royalty-free, open

Common Tools

  • Adobe: Lightroom, Photoshop, DNG Converter
  • Free: RawTherapee, Darktable, GIMP
  • Mobile: Adobe Lightroom Mobile, ProCamera
  • Converters: Adobe DNG Converter, dcraw