DNG

Technology & Computing abbreviation · File Format

DNG
Stands forDigital Negative
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

DNG stands for Digital Negative, a file format abbreviation.

Open raw image format published by Adobe in 2004, based on TIFF, intended as a universal archival format for camera raw files. Several camera makers, including Leica and Pentax, and many smartphones save raw images directly as DNG.

Example: Apple ProRAW photos are saved as DNG files that Lightroom opens directly.

Usage notes

Adobe offers a free DNG Converter to turn proprietary raw files into DNG, and its specification is royalty-free. Apple's ProRAW, introduced in 2020 on the iPhone 12 Pro, and Google Pixel raw captures both use DNG. Some photographers convert to DNG for archiving, while others keep the original files to preserve manufacturer-specific data.

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