DNG
Digital Negative
DNG is an openly documented RAW file format from Adobe, used natively by some cameras and phones and as a conversion target for proprietary RAW files.
Most camera makers use their own RAW formats — CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF. DNG (Digital Negative) is Adobe's openly published alternative, introduced in 2004 so that RAW files could be read long into the future. Some cameras, including Leica, Pentax and Ricoh models, write DNG directly, and smartphone RAW modes such as Apple ProRAW use it too.
Photographers also convert proprietary RAW files to DNG for archiving or to open new camera files in older software.
How it works
A DNG holds the sensor data, colour information needed to process it, a preview and metadata, all in a documented structure based on TIFF. Unlike proprietary RAW files, DNG can store XMP edits and ratings inside the file, so there's no sidecar to lose. Adobe's DNG Converter turns other RAW files into DNG, optionally embedding the original.
An example: a new camera, old software
A photographer buys a new body before their editing software supports it. Converting the RAW files to DNG with Adobe's free converter lets them edit straight away in the version they have.
DNG and CloudTether
CloudTether ingests DNG alongside other RAW formats and delivers it unchanged to storage destinations such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, S3 or FTP; gallery services that only accept JPEG skip it. It doesn't convert RAW files to DNG — the file that arrives is the one the camera wrote. Cameras that write DNG and support PTP over USB may tether through CloudTether's generic path, but test your body; see which cameras work and the camera compatibility checker.
Should you convert to DNG?
Converting saves space and keeps edits inside one file, but you lose nothing by keeping the camera's original format, which every major editor reads. Many photographers keep originals and convert only when they need to.
Tips and common mistakes
- Keep the original RAW until you're sure your DNG workflow suits you.
- Use a current DNG Converter for new cameras.
- DNG previews can go stale after edits — refresh them if other apps show old versions.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.