The Digital Negative: Filing and Finding Your Images

All raw files are considered by users of digital cameras as the equivalent of the negative for photos. They contain more information than a JPEG or TIFF file. Hence, more images are being stored in raw format than in any other application. However, with all the manufacturers of digital cameras having their own raw image formats, much of the software available in the market lack the capability to read a variety of raw image files. As a result, professionals that utilize the raw image format are constantly aware of the risk of storing them for a long time, as well as the complicated process of sharing the same image file in workflows.

To answer the need for efficient and universal filing of raw files, the Adobe Systems Incorporated introduced in the market the Digital Negative (DNG), which they describe as "a publicly available archival format for the raw files generated by digital cameras." By this, the DNG helps ensure that users will be able to access their files in the future. Moreover, Adobe proposed the DNG format as "a non-proprietary file format for storing camera raw files that can be used by a wide range of hardware and software vendors." The format is currently supported by Adobe® Photoshop® CS and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0.

What is significant about DNG is that it is designed to accommodate the information stored in manufacturer-specific raw files, as well as its availability at no charge to the public. Hence, the DNG is more accessible, and ultimately a safer choice for long-term archival purposes.

So how does it work? DNG is composed of two parts—the actual image data and the metadata that describes it. Like most raw file formats, the DNG file will hold the raw data created by any digital camera on TIFF format. With the use of metadata, the DNG can contain all the information that a raw converter needs in order to convert a file. This is where the power of the DNG lies. Any digital camera will be able to read raw image files because of the metadata that the file possesses.

Using the metadata inside the DNG, a compatible converter can adapt to new conversion process that a new camera requires. The metadata informs the converter exactly what the arrangement of the pixels is, and how the image should be handled. As the DNG format is made to be flexible, it can handle all known variations in camera sensor designs at present.

Best of all, the DNG specification is designed to evolve over time. Adobe manufacturers designed it to contain a version number just like software. If future technology produce a new breed of camera design that will handle raw data outside the parameters of the DNG, a modified version of the specification can be developed. Hence, Adobe manufacturers hope that the Digital Negative would never become obsolete, theoretically.

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