DNG default for raw is too large. It would be better to stay raw

Topaz Products Product Feature Requests
1

The DNG format is almost 6 times the size of my raw files.
Conversion to DNG makes no sense to me.
The default raw conversion should be easily settable by the user.
Here is an example folder:

 Directory of E:\Pictures\2022_07_19

08/27/2022  09:26 AM    <DIR>          .
08/27/2022  09:26 AM    <DIR>          ..
08/27/2022  08:38 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0803-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:26 PM       332,564,332 2X0A0803.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,138,020 2X0A0803.CR2
08/27/2022  08:39 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0804-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:38 PM       682,392,951 2X0A0804.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,082,714 2X0A0804.CR2
08/27/2022  08:40 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0805-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:40 PM       686,348,704 2X0A0805.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,901,751 2X0A0805.CR2
08/27/2022  08:41 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0806-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:27 PM       331,153,133 2X0A0806.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        53,952,705 2X0A0806.CR2
08/27/2022  08:42 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0807-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:26 PM       331,039,644 2X0A0807.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,238,715 2X0A0807.CR2
08/27/2022  08:44 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0808-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:26 PM       332,841,900 2X0A0808.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,476,909 2X0A0808.CR2
08/27/2022  08:45 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0809-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:40 PM       687,735,736 2X0A0809.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        53,203,264 2X0A0809.CR2
08/27/2022  08:46 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0810-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:26 PM       334,435,612 2X0A0810.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        54,128,978 2X0A0810.CR2
08/27/2022  08:47 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0811-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:28 PM       328,881,573 2X0A0811.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        52,871,764 2X0A0811.CR2
08/27/2022  08:48 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0812-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:27 PM       330,265,115 2X0A0812.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        53,225,387 2X0A0812.CR2
08/27/2022  08:50 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0813-topaz.dng
07/18/2022  08:25 PM       413,532,193 2X0A0813.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:17 PM        53,758,186 2X0A0813.CR2
08/27/2022  08:51 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0816-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        53,327,199 2X0A0816.CR2
08/27/2022  08:52 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0817-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,422,970 2X0A0817.CR2
08/27/2022  08:54 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0818-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,311,411 2X0A0818.CR2
08/27/2022  08:55 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0819-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,213,411 2X0A0819.CR2
08/27/2022  08:56 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0820-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,121,821 2X0A0820.CR2
08/27/2022  08:57 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0821-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,148,188 2X0A0821.CR2
08/27/2022  08:58 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0822-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,626,802 2X0A0822.CR2
08/27/2022  08:59 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0823-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        54,490,722 2X0A0823.CR2
08/27/2022  09:00 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0824-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        53,064,853 2X0A0824.CR2
08/27/2022  09:01 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0825-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        53,028,705 2X0A0825.CR2
08/27/2022  09:03 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0826-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:10 PM        53,095,522 2X0A0826.CR2
08/27/2022  09:04 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0827-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        53,161,734 2X0A0827.CR2
08/27/2022  09:05 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0828-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        53,621,914 2X0A0828.CR2
08/27/2022  09:06 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0829-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        53,484,777 2X0A0829.CR2
08/27/2022  09:07 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0830-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        53,755,860 2X0A0830.CR2
08/27/2022  09:08 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0831-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,737,718 2X0A0831.CR2
08/27/2022  09:09 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0832-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,371,259 2X0A0832.CR2
08/27/2022  09:11 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0833-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,714,759 2X0A0833.CR2
08/27/2022  09:12 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0834-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,370,220 2X0A0834.CR2
08/27/2022  09:13 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0835-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,382,367 2X0A0835.CR2
08/27/2022  09:14 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0836-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,730,709 2X0A0836.CR2
08/27/2022  09:15 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0837-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,630,359 2X0A0837.CR2
08/27/2022  09:16 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0838-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        56,179,832 2X0A0838.CR2
08/27/2022  09:17 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0839-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        56,139,044 2X0A0839.CR2
08/27/2022  09:18 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0840-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        55,989,477 2X0A0840.CR2
08/27/2022  09:19 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0841-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        55,486,450 2X0A0841.CR2
08/27/2022  09:20 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0847-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,556,784 2X0A0847.CR2
08/27/2022  09:21 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0848-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        55,570,922 2X0A0848.CR2
08/27/2022  09:22 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0849-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        55,214,490 2X0A0849.CR2
08/27/2022  09:23 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0850-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        54,930,353 2X0A0850.CR2
08/27/2022  09:24 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0852-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        59,205,080 2X0A0852.CR2
08/27/2022  09:25 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0853-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        62,855,643 2X0A0853.CR2
08/27/2022  09:26 AM       307,092,754 2X0A0854-topaz.dng
07/19/2022  08:09 PM        56,785,373 2X0A0854.CR2
08/27/2022  09:41 AM    <DIR>          jpg
07/18/2022  08:37 PM       331,126,477 p0.afphoto
07/18/2022  08:36 PM       772,179,792 p1.afphoto
             101 File(s) 21,811,283,459 bytes
2

The DNG container format typically converts the internal image to TIFF format. That’s why it grows in size and also why it becomes a portable format.

It is not really feasible to “stay raw” because raw format is a proprietary format (to each camera), whereas TIFF is a standard (portable) format and raw is not. Once you first-step process the raw file, the rest of the downstream steps must be passed in a format other than raw, essentially.

It’s just the nature of the beast. But, I can safely tell you one thing…your request won’t (because it can’t) happen.

1 Like
3

Implying that it is possible to read a raw file but not to write one?
Why not just stay in the Canon CR2 raw format?
If they can read the file, then they must understand the layout.
If it was a Nikon file, they could stay in Nikon format (etc.)
Otherwise, perhaps there is a lossless format that has effective compression.

4

That is correct. Afaik, there is no photo processing software that writes out raw format because they know how to demosaic the raw data, but they don’t know how to do the reverse (along with the changes). I’m sure there’s many technical reasons why this is not feasible. Suffice it to say they just don’t. Furthermore, TL along with other devs, use third-party libraries (or at least they used to) for their raw processing functions. If that is still the case, yes, what you are asking is just not practical if it is even possible at all.

Some, eg Photoshop, DxO, keep editing changes (actually instructions) in a sidecar file that they reapply to the raw each time to get back to where they left off. Of course, as an alternative, this is a big part of why the Adobe DNG format was created in the first place.

Tiff (lossless) has compression options, but I don’t know if TL is using them for their DNG output. I only use Tiff as an intermediate format in the work-flow and typically don’t keep them. I guess you could (perhaps?) try exporting directly to Tiff? I don’t recall if there are options for compression in the Tiff export dialog, but it would be easy to take a look.

5

Aside from having no way to write to the raw formats, the images have to be converted to a standard format before an app can even start work on them. Camera raw files aren’t like a color space that apps can operate within — it’s proprietary sensor data that hasn’t even been demosaiced yet.

I wonder if even the manufacturers would know how to convert TIFF data back to raw. By their nature, raw formats aren’t working files.

1 Like