Are you using DNG's in your workflow?

Why? Why not?

|B

I don't use DNG. Between the raw files from the camera vendor, the PSD files for Photoshop, I don't need a new format.

I don't think we are going to wake up anytime soon and find that Nikon or Adobe is not going to support the file formats I use. If that were to happen, that is when I would look at the market and see what is out there.

For now, I will take my chances.

At this point in time, the only DNG files I use are for old cameras such as the Kodak 14. ACR and Lightroom still support the DCR files, but who knows how long this will be true. My Canon CR2 files I leave in native format.

Nope. Not at this time.

I save the raw NEF files from my Nikon D80 and Nikon D300 but I have to admit some fear that I may not have tools/software that can read that format in say 20 years or so. The kicker is that I have the same fear with DNG.

If I see the industry as a whole (including camera manufacturers) embrace DNG, then I will probably migrate my NEFs to that format but for now I spend enough on hard drives just trying to keep up with proper backups that I don't want to double my space requirements by adding DNG to the mix. Although I suppose that if I really wanted to hedge my bets on being able to read the files in 20+ years then I really should be archiving in NEF+DNG+JPG.

(Yes, I am aware that DNG can embed the NEF, but that requires software that can later extract the NEF should I need it. From what I can tell there are negligible differences in space requirements between embedding or keeping side by side.)

My new xsi will arrive Monday and since it is not yet supported by Aperture, I plan on trying DNG which I have never done before.

Any coaching and tips would be appreciated.

I do. I have a bunch of old raw files that I tweaked using Camera Raw in Photoshop several years before either Lightroom or Aperture existed. When Aperture came out, I knew it wouldn't be able to read the Camera Raw adjustments so I exported all of my raw files from Camera Raw as DNGs with the embedded XMP data (that is, the Camera Raw adjustment settings), and then imported these DNGs into Aperture. In Aperture I now have two options. I can re-tweak the raw files using Aperture's tools (and I am slowly doing this as I get to them) or I can export the master (a DNG) and continue tweaking it in Camera Raw or Lightroom since the XMP data is still in there. The nice thing is that I get to use Aperture for managing my images but can still take advantage of Camera Raw/Lightroom when and if I need to, without losing all my hard work.

New raw files I import directly into Aperture and without converting to DNG.

So for me DNG turned out to be very useful, but going forward I don't see needing it. But you never know. I suppose it couldn't hurt for Aperture to learn how to save a raw file in DNG format with the adjustment settings stored inside.

It should work no problem. Aperture lets you switch decoding anytime you want, so once your camera is officially supported, switching to the official decode will be a simple drop-down menu selection.

Just out of curiosity, I've compared Aperture's native decoding quality of my raw files with the generic DNG equivalent and they are very similar. Slightly different color cast which is nothing. I think the only thing you lose by using generic DNG decoding is the raw-specific auto noise reduction. Well, there's probably more, but a casual look was enough to tell me that DNG works very well when there's no native support.

Thanks, I just downloaded Adobe DNG converter. I'm guessing it will be pretty easy to use, yes?

I have not been able to get my XSi RAW shots into Adobe Converter. I cannot get the camera and card to show up on the desktop, and if I use the Canon software to save the RAW pictures, Adobe DNG converter does not recognize them. How do I get Adobe DNG converter 4.4.1 to see my Canon XSi Raw photos?

Thanks