RAW shooters: Do you save in RAW or DNG ?

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Mar 12, 2011

I am curious as to whether anyone finds it better to convert to DNG and delete RAW files, or work everything from the RAW file until saving PSD ( or a similar file format )or post processed file JPEG. Please state WHY you choose your method.

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Mar 12, 2011

I guess I should start off my current position. I save everything in Canons RAW format and edit into PSD files. I was debating on beginning to import as DNG with RAW embedded. I am curious as to whether it will help speed up bridge at all ( since mine seems insanely slow all the time given that my computer has decent hardware ).

EckoZero · Mar 12, 2011

I've only recently started shooting RAW but currently I just use the .NEF file and load it up into Scarab Darkroom.

Even when I get my copy of LR3 off my laptop I will keep using the .NEF format. To me, the conversion to DNG seems a waste of time.
If all camera manufacturers started using .DNG (Sorry Adobe, I don't think it's going to happen

) then I'd convert current RAW files to .DNG in case I needed to go back and change them again (just to be consistent with my archiving/filing).

480sparky · Mar 12, 2011

RAW. I haven't bothered with anything else since I'm comfortable with Nikon's NEF. My workflow has been developed around it, and although I don't know anything about DNG, I'll bet dollars to donuts that switching will make me change things.

MissCream · Mar 12, 2011

I upload them as DNG to Lightroom but I still have all the RAW files save in my pictures.

cnutco · Mar 12, 2011

DNG... I delete the others.

table1349 · Mar 12, 2011

I'm old school. A negative is a negative is a negative, be it film or digital. Since Raw is a digital negative I always save them in Raw. Storage space is cheap and I never know in the future what I may want to do with a shot down the road.

kundalini · Mar 12, 2011

I import NEF files to LR3, sift through and delete bad shots,pick and choose the worthy candidates, do global edits to them and then export to DNG for ACR. Do some selective editing and the open in CS5. I don't do a great deal more editing, but then save as jpeg. Resize and save for web. Apart from the initial deletion and some subsequent afterthoughts, I save everything. Space is cheap.

Jeanelle · Mar 12, 2011

I upload and convert over to DNG, since I can't get Lightroom to recognize my RAW format for some reason from my Nikon.

Drake · Mar 13, 2011

I save and edit my photos in RAW and will continue to do so until my camera is no longer supported by LR. When that happens, I'll just batch convert all my shots to DNG. I don't shoot that much for it to be a problem.

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Mar 13, 2011

Well you can embed the RAW file into the DNG so that it is always able to be re-extracted should it be needed. ( Which does nothing to conserve space ) I was merely looking at future compatibility possibilities as well as the chance that perhaps DNG files would process more quickly in CS5, ACR and Bridge due to it actually being Adobes format as opposed to a proprietary one.

vtf · Mar 13, 2011

My signature says it all.

Joseph Westrupp · Mar 20, 2011

Looking at this myself recently. The 20% reduction in file size sounds sweet. It's a shame you can't go from DNG to CR2, though. Also, it's a small thing, but being able to see the thumbnails in explorer (which you can do with DNG) is nice. I downloaded some software to do the same with CR2 files, but it takes forever for them to appear.