OpenRAW

An open letter to X about DNG

X, you clearly think that DNG is your enemy!

It isn't. Your fears are groundless. It is at least a step on the way to satisfying the goals of this website. But you are hardly likely to believe what I've just said!

If you MUST treat DNG as your enemy, at least consider the principle "know thy enemy". Learn about it. After all, it gains in support month by month, so you can be certain that you will keep hearing about it in the coming years. Unless you know about it, it will be easy for any knowledgeable person to refute whatever you say about it.

http://photoshopnews.com/?p=262

Does anyone other than Adobe take it seriously?

Yes, see the April report:

http://avondale.typepad.com/rawformat/2005/04/dng_support_sta.html

Is the support increasing?

Yes, see the smaller February report:

http://avondale.typepad.com/rawformat/2005/02/the_state_of_dn.html

How can we feel safe if Adobe owns DNG?

Try re-phrasing that as "how could we feel safe if Adobe owned TIFF 6.0?" (Which they have done for 13 years). Did Adobe try to rip you off?

http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/tiff/TIFF6.pdf

Is it likely that camera manufacturers would ever trust a standard owned by Adobe?

They do for TIFF 6.0, and have done for 13 years! (How many cameras have TIFF as an option?) So do the rest of us.

Why can't we have an open standard for Raw developed like other standards with academics and disinterested parties?

Is that how people think standards are developed? Chuckle! Name one.

What, JPEG, you say? Er ... Forgent are sueing everyone in sight about JPEG. Adobe and many others are paying up. Forgent are now sueing Microsoft. So much for that way of developing standards!

Well, what is the basis for DNG?

DNG is an extension of TIFF 6.0, and is compatible with the TIFF EP standard. TIFF EP, (ISO/DIS 12234-2), is owned by ISO. It is possible (but not required) for a DNG file to simultaneously comply with both the DNG specification and the TIFF EP (ISO) standard. Think of DNG as a way of making TIFF 6.0 and TIFF EP serve the needs of photographers, and people who use photographs. (DNG is not a stand-alone standard).

http://www.adobe.com/products/dng/pdfs/dng_spec.pdf

But can DNG support the data needed for my camera?

It currently supports 70+ cameras, with all sorts of sizes and sensor configurations. (Bayer sensors, Fujifilm offset sensors, Sigma/Foveon 3-colour sensors), etc. It is a very flexible and forward-looking standard. (It supports 32-bit channels, which is way beyond the typical 12-bit channels!) It supports the same set as Camera Raw:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html

But won't Adobe try to get royalty fees for it?

No - they have published a global licence to use it for free. Courts won't be sympathetic if Adobe ever tries to get money from it! But why we should worry, if they haven't tried to get money from us during the 13 years that they have owned TIFF 6.0? And do you think Adobe will come knocking on your door?!

http://www.adobe.com/products/dng/license.html

How can I use DNG if I don't want to pay Adobe any money?

Easy - use the DNG Converter. Free. No timeout. No need to register. Mac & Windows. Updated every 3 or 4 months with new cameras & features. Worked reliably for the last 6 1/2 months to my knowledge.

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Windows

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Macintosh

But there must be something in it for Adobe?

Yup! Adobe want photographers, and people who use photographs, to be happy people. They want those people to use Raw, and still be happy. Because those happy people will want to buy photo-editors with Raw capability. And many of those will freely choose Adobe. So Adobe will make a lot of money! (So will Adobe's competitors. So what?)

Does this satisfy the goals of OpenRAW?

A freely available standard, to which 70+ camera Raw formats can be converted today, accessible by an increasing number of Raw processors & viewers & asset management systems, and probably lots more software packages in future, capable of embedding your original Raw files in case you ever want to extract them ....

You judge. Adobe can't coerce you. I don't want to coerce you. What will enable you to sleep easy at night?