Mavic 3 DNGs are Problematical

[mavicbopper]

Sorry, let me explain. Gimp is a free photo editor similar to Photoshop, but free.
Darktable is an darkroom application, similar to Lightroom, but free.
This combo supports loading DNG's directly from your Mavic3, and process/edit your pix.

GIMP

GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program: The Free and Open Source Image Editor

www.gimp.org

darktable

darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer

www.darktable.org

Personally I would use no other editors for photos.

Thanks for the explanation. As a coincidence, DP Review has in it's current edition the following article related to DarkTable.
I am going to try it out.

Darktable 4.2.0 released: Major features added to the popular open-source Raw editor

Darktable 4.2.0 is here, featuring many significant updates to improve overall performance, image editing tools and the user experience. Darktable 4.2.0 is an open-source raw image editor for Windows, macOS and Linux.

www.dpreview.com

 

[Crashdummytest]

Thanks for the explanation. As a coincidence, DP Review has in it's current edition the following article related to DarkTable.
I am going to try it out.

Darktable 4.2.0 released: Major features added to the popular open-source Raw editor

Darktable 4.2.0 is here, featuring many significant updates to improve overall performance, image editing tools and the user experience. Darktable 4.2.0 is an open-source raw image editor for Windows, macOS and Linux.

www.dpreview.com

Let me explain why I would use no other raw photo editors than Gimp/Darktable:
They are pro level with most of the features you need for raw image editing.
They are completely free for personal use.

I see no competition, in fact.
This Gimp/Darktable combo is popular among academics, but not mainstream (yet).

 

[mavicbopper]

DxO's PureRAW output is a new DNG version of the DNG you called up with the LR plugin. That is how I use it myself. It might well work fine with LR6 since LR doesn't need to know anything about the lens/sensor combination and DxO handles the corrections. DxO has a much more extensive lens/camera/sensor than Adobe.

Let us know if you can run the plug-in with your older LR. That would be a nice twist on the tale.

I will determine that today.

 

[marinsd]

I agree that you should update your LR and PS software. Beside the very real issue that updates come with camera-specific software integrations for newer cameras, the latest versions of ACR/LR (since your v6) have changed the post-processing game. While there will always be times where one has to go into PS, the newer, updated in tools in LR are amazing. I'm new to drone flying/photo taking, but frankly and humbly an expert in photography post-processing. You may be doing 'okay' in selling your images now, but you're doing yourself a disservice in not taking advantage of the Adobe photography package.

 

[Felix le Chat]

I've been shooting DJI DNGs for three years with the Mavic 2 Pro. Now I've started with the Mavic 3 Classic. I experienced very satisfying results processing the M2P DxO, first to convert the image to tiff, then into Lightroom or Photoshop. Always great results.

I will add that LR is LR6 (very old) and PS is CS5 (also very old). DxO is Lab2, all older versions (without subscriptions).

Now with the Mavic 3 DNG, I can only use Adobe Camera Raw to start the DNG process and get the image into PhotoShop. For some reason, ACR6 will open the DNG, but unsurprisingly, PS CS5, will not . Neither will DxO for the Mavic 3 DNGs. The M2P DNGs will open in DxO. But, with all this the eventual movement of the Mavic 3 DNGs though ACR and into PS CS5, then to LR6 (laborious), ends up producing very poor results. I find the sliders in LR6 producing very little affect.

DJI did something and it's not good. Something changed with the DNGs between M2P and M3C. I'm going to try the DxO Pure Raw 30 Day trial to see if this will address the situation.

As others have commented, the jpg images are FAR Superior to what I can produce from the M3C DNGs. The Mavic 3 Classic is a great FLYER, but the still photos using DNG are very disappointing.

Problems with DxO? Try using photoninja for initial RAW developing and adjustment. This is the only "fee-ware" I use, secondary adjustments all done using Darktable (free-ware). Both exceptionally good. Both handle RAW. You won't have any idea how good photoninja is until you try it. Darktable is at least as good as Adobe lightroom.

 

[Jeff A]

Since I have a subscription to the Adobe Photography Plan and I am considering a Mavic 3 Classic, I would really appreciate a couple of DNG's from a Classic for me to evaluate the quality with my up to date copy of Lightroom. So if the OP or anyone else has access to a file sharing site like Google Drive or Dropbox it would be appreciated.

 

[Filmarik]

I was also a bit annoyed when I found out that my software of choice, the only a couple of years old CaptureOne v.21 would not open DNG files from Mavic 3, not Classic. I always thought that all DNGs are the same and as such should be compatible with old and new applications. Apparently not so which is rather annoying if you ask me..

 

[mavicbopper]

Problems with DxO? Try using photoninja for initial RAW developing and adjustment. This is the only "fee-ware" I use, secondary adjustments all done using Darktable (free-ware). Both exceptionally good. Both handle RAW. You won't have any idea how good photoninja is until you try it. Darktable is at least as good as Adobe lightroom.

I will try both.

Thanks

 

[mavicbopper]

I will try both.

Thanks

I will try both.

Thanks

I just downloaded DarkTable. It appears the be FULLY featured and powerful. It certainly doesn't ( I know it's free), have a great look and feel. I found myself craving the intuitivity of LR and its simplicity. I guess with usage, it would become simpler to use.

But, the look of the adjustment fonts and sliders are somewhat off-putting.

Also, I couldn't figure out to navigate to the locations where my RAW files are, nor could I figure out how to export to a specific location. The one file I worked on was directed to a DarkRoom Created folder. IF this is, in fact, how these files are managed, this alone would be a deal breaker, no matter how good the app is able to process the RAW files.

 

[mavicbopper]

I tried opening some M3 Classic DNG-files in Photoshop CS5, with Camera Raw 6.7 installed. No problems, the files opened perfectly fine.

Yes, I can get them to PS CS5. The route is they open first in ACR for some adjustments - then on into PS.

 

[mavicbopper]

I was also a bit annoyed when I found out that my software of choice, the only a couple of years old CaptureOne v.21 would not open DNG files from Mavic 3, not Classic. I always thought that all DNGs are the same and as such should be compatible with old and new applications. Apparently not so which is rather annoying if you ask me..

As was I, when I couldn't open them in DxO Lab2

 

[mavicbopper]

DxO's PureRAW output is a new DNG version of the DNG you called up with the LR plugin. That is how I use it myself. It might well work fine with LR6 since LR doesn't need to know anything about the lens/sensor combination and DxO handles the corrections. DxO has a much more extensive lens/camera/sensor than Adobe.

Let us know if you can run the plug-in with your older LR. That would be a nice twist on the tale.

I did try to install the 30 day Trial version this afternoon, the file downloaded, but when trying to actually install the application, it failed and I got a .dll error. Tried more than once- no go.

So I don't/won't know if will behave like a LR6 Plug-in.

 

[rickmurray1989]

I've been shooting DJI DNGs for three years with the Mavic 2 Pro. Now I've started with the Mavic 3 Classic. I experienced very satisfying results processing the M2P DxO, first to convert the image to tiff, then into Lightroom or Photoshop. Always great results.

I will add that LR is LR6 (very old) and PS is CS5 (also very old). DxO is Lab2, all older versions (without subscriptions).

Now with the Mavic 3 DNG, I can only use Adobe Camera Raw to start the DNG process and get the image into PhotoShop. For some reason, ACR6 will open the DNG, but unsurprisingly, PS CS5, will not . Neither will DxO for the Mavic 3 DNGs. The M2P DNGs will open in DxO. But, with all this the eventual movement of the Mavic 3 DNGs though ACR and into PS CS5, then to LR6 (laborious), ends up producing very poor results. I find the sliders in LR6 producing very little affect.

DJI did something and it's not good. Something changed with the DNGs between M2P and M3C. I'm going to try the DxO Pure Raw 30 Day trial to see if this will address the situation.

As others have commented, the jpg images are FAR Superior to what I can produce from the M3C DNGs. The Mavic 3 Classic is a great FLYER, but the still photos using DNG are very disappointing.

That is some seriously old software that you are using... LR6 was released 8 years ago, so I suspect that you may have run up against its limitations. You might want to try trial versions of the latest releases of the software to see if they address your issues.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I was an Adobe user for over 15 years, both for photography and video, I suppose if they hadn't gone to subscription I for sure; would still be using those products. When it comes to photo work, I settled on the program - Affinity Photo. It is as close to Photoshop as anything out there and is a one-time purchase. For what it is worth, I downloaded the OP's DNG and brought it into AP with no problems.

I would urge anyone looking for a modern contemporary of PS, without the subscription and cost, give Affinity Photo a look. I am not affiliated in any way with AP, just another former user of Adobe that broke free.

 

[AlanL]

I did try to install the 30 day Trial version this afternoon, the file downloaded, but when trying to actually install the application, it failed and I got a .dll error. Tried more than once- no go.

So I don't/won't know if will behave like a LR6 Plug-in.

That's a drag. Out of curiosity which OS/Version are you running under all of this?

 

[mavicbopper]

That's a drag. Out of curiosity which OS/Version are you running under all of this?

 

[mavicbopper]

That is some seriously old software that you are using... LR6 was released 8 years ago, so I suspect that you may have run up against its limitations. You might want to try trial versions of the latest releases of the software to see if they address your issues.

No argument.

 

[mavicbopper]

I was an Adobe user for over 15 years, both for photography and video, I suppose if they hadn't gone to subscription I for sure; would still be using those products. When it comes to photo work, I settled on the program - Affinity Photo. It is as close to Photoshop as anything out there and is a one-time purchase. For what it is worth, I downloaded the OP's DNG and brought it into AP with no problems.

I would urge anyone looking for a modern contemporary of PS, without the subscription and cost, give Affinity Photo a look. I am not affiliated in any way with AP, just another former user of Adobe that broke free.

What's learning curve like.

I found DxO Lab2 reasonable to use, but favored it for getting the RAW files back into LR6 for processing. I bought DxO when the NEFs from my Nikon D500 wouldn't open in LR6 or PS CS5. Then, I found it (DxO v.2) useful to open the M2P DNGs. But, now, as I cited in an earlier post, DxO Lab2 won't open the M3C DNGs. To continue using DxO Lab, one must buy v.5. Kinda defeats the "buy it and you own it" notion if the publisher forces an upgrade (new purchase) rather than an update to accommodate new cameras.

 

[mavicbopper]

I will try both.

Thanks

From the PhotoNinja site My Nikon D500 and D850 RAW (NEF) files are supported. But, I can't conclude for certain the DJI M2P and M3C DNGs are.

 

[AlanL]

What's learning curve like.

I found DxO Lab2 reasonable to use, but favored it for getting the RAW files back into LR6 for processing. I bought DxO when the NEFs from my Nikon D500 wouldn't open in LR6 or PS CS5. Then, I found it (DxO v.2) useful to open the M2P DNGs. But, now, as I cited in an earlier post, DxO Lab2 won't open the M3C DNGs. To continue using DxO Lab, one must buy v.5. Kinda defeats the "buy it and you own it" notion if the publisher forces an upgrade (new purchase) rather than an update to accommodate new cameras.

Most software vendors will offer free updates/upgrades within a specific version number. When you look at the version numbers it will usually be something like 5.1.3 with an in version update taking on something like 5.1.4. Then they charge for a major version upgrade to 6.0. Usually less than full purchase price for previous customers. When I did the math on this it turned out for LR and PS I was getting a better deal with the subscription if I wanted to stay current with their software. I use LR Classic instead of their Cloud version but I can run both if I want with the subscription.

Adobe has made a lot of upgrades to what you can do in LR as well as PS so you might find that worth considering. With the subscription you get whatever improvements they put in the next update and they send it them out more frequently than they used to as well.