I shot in DNG and JPEG but my DNG files are low quality

[KONY]

Hello,

I decided to shoot today in RAW (DNG) and JPEG, so i set the menus so each time i press the shutter button it takes both formats


BUT after taking a few shots and reviewing them on my computrer i realized the DNG Pictures, even with a size of 18 mo, are shot at a very small resolution (dimensions 960 X 544) whereas the same picture, but in JPEG format has a size of 6 mo and a ''normal resolution" (4056x 2280)

the result is the JPEG picture appears strangely of better quality than the same DNG picture which is blurry and uselless basically

Is there settings that i'm missing..and why on earth anyone would want to work with a DNG raw file which is super heavy (18 mo) but at same time so low resolution you cannot basically do anything with it ???

 

[Keule]

A DNG file always contains data for one main image, plus metadata, and optionally contains at least one JPEG preview.
What you are seeing on your PC is the preview image with a resolution of 960x544.

Open the DNG in Lightroom and you have full resolution available.

 

[KONY]

hello thank you for your answer

i don't have lightroom, just basic photo APP on my surface laptop

but usually i would be able to view raw files in their normal quality, not a degraded one...strange

and i tried to open the DNG file using a different program than WINDOWS PHOTO APP, just to realize the only program i have to view DNG files is windows PHOTO APP !!!

Windows picture viewer ( the legacy basic picture viewer from windows) can't even open it

 

[Keule]

Then you have to answer yourself the question: Do i need DNG?
If you have no program in which you can view, edit the RAW information of an image, so why using it?

 

[Fmoots]

The 960x544 imagine you are seeing is the preview, not the full image. The Raw file was often look 'worse' than the jpeg straight out of camera, since the whole idea of a Raw image is it is completely unprocessed (it's designed so you can process it yourself). It will contain a lot more data than a jpeg, hence the much large size. The jpeg will probably look more saturated and possibly sharper than the Raw, since the Raw file is designed for you choose white balance, saturation, sharpening etc etc yourself. Raw images allow a lot more creative freedom, but of course they require much more time and effort to process.

My advise would be if you just want quick, ready to use photos to share on social media/with friends family or if you're not planning to/simply don't have the time/software to post process photos- shoot jpeg (you can still tweak these photos/apply filters etc, but can't be tweaked as much as Raw

Or If you'd like to process them a lot more - shoot Raw, or even better, just shoot both.

If you'd rather not fork out a subscription for Lightroom, I'd recommend the app Snapseed for iOS/ Android. It supports Raw editing and is completely free - plus it allows on the go editing on your smartphone

 

[KONY]

HI guys, thanx

why i wanted to try DNG even though i don't have a profesional editing software (and expensive) like lightroom ? just because i shoot a lot of photos, and i edit every single one of them...and i wanted to have the flexibility of tweeking the features with raw image


i just didn't think you needed a special software for that

 

[KONY]

and thank fmoots for that app sugestion..good idea

only thing is i am on android and do not own apple products...so i would need to find an android version of such app

 

[KONY]

ah sorry fmoots , i just realized you wrote snapseed is alos available on android

 

[ZAG]

If you are interested in working with raw, Adobe Lightroom has a free 30 day trial period. Adobe also has their Lightroom/Photoshop plan at $9.99 per month which is a lot more affordable than their full creative cloud suite.

 

[KONY]

ok thanx for the advice, i'll check it out

since i'm attracted by the mobile flexibilité, i'll give snapseed a try first

of course i don't see myself shooting everytime in RAW

but some ibncredible sceneries sometime need to go to the "next level' to take the full potential of the photo

 

[53-63-6f-74-74]

You do not need to pay for any software to edit the DNG files from the Mavic. You WILL get better quality images if you learn to process DNG's correctly.

RawTherapee Downloads

 

[Eric17]

Lightroom is great even if you dont use it all the time just cancel it and reinstate later on, your pics are still there. Watch some youtube tutorials to understand how to use it and its super simple.

 

[KONY]

great thank you for that link 53-63-6f-74-74, i will check this out...i'm all for free softwares ...i will pay for editing programs only if forced because a lot of those editing softwares are like money extorsion for what they do (i paid a hefty price for Power director for videos but at the end of the day i only use 5 %of its capabilities)

Eric 17 i ll give light room a chance

some photos do deserve the extra time to reveal their full potential.

 

[JeffCanlas]

I have the same problem on my mavic air, my DNG files are too pixelated... now i have lightroom CC im paying the monthly, you guys think its gonna give me the full DNG file once i open it there?

 

[plexus]

Get Skylum Luminar or PictureCode Photo Ninja (or both). They are the cheapest high quality RAW editors I know. I use Photo Ninja first to process RAW files because it can auto balance using profiles from your camera (that you create in the program). Then I bring the developed JPG into Luminar for further processing. I also use Skylum's Aurora HDR to work on HDR shots - it will also import RAW.

 

[JeffCanlas]

Get Skylum Luminar or PictureCode Photo Ninja (or both). They are the cheapest high quality RAW editors I know. I use Photo Ninja first to process RAW files because it can auto balance using profiles from your camera (that you create in the program). Then I bring the developed JPG into Luminar for further processing. I also use Skylum's Aurora HDR to work on HDR shots - it will also import RAW.

Lightroom cc is not gonna get me the fullfile?

 

[Prospero]

Raw Therapee is a free RAW editor. It has more options than you may use, and a correspondingly steep learning curve, but it will open and process DNG files

Raw Therapee

 

[Keule]

Lightroom cc is not gonna get me the fullfile?

Yes, it does. You can process your .DNG with LR CC.