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Convert all my Nikon Raw photos to DNG?

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vincekayser

New Member
Premium Classic Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
2
Location
Maryland
Lightroom Experience
Beginner
Lightroom Version
Classic
Lightroom Version Number
11.0
Operating System
  1. macOS 12 Monterey
It's taken me a long time (years) to accept DNG files, but now I think I'd like to convert all my existing photos. I know this can be done at the OS level, but then I think I will have a lot of DNG files that I would have to locate with "find all missing photos". Is there a way within LR to convert these in place and substitute the DNGs for the NEFs?

Lightroom Classic 11.0 on a Mac running Monterey OS.
 
Is there a way within LR to convert these in place and substitute the DNGs for the NEFs?

Absolutely.
Go to the All Photographs special collection. In the Grid View, hit Ctrl-A to select all. Then menu item Library->Convert photos to DNG...
 
I am curious. What is the perceived advantage? Will you then delete the raw NEF files?

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Not sure your reason for wanting to save final edits to DNG but if I was going to save my final edits to a format, I'd seriously look at TIF which I think has got wider adoption. At the moment, while I use LrC, I'm just staying with the RAW files.
 
Not sure your reason for wanting to save final edits to DNG but if I was going to save my final edits to a format, I'd seriously look at TIF which I think has got wider adoption. At the moment, while I use LrC, I'm just staying with the RAW files.

I think you miss the point Converting NEFs to DNG produces the same RAW data block in a DNG wrapper. The truth is there is not much benefit to converting Proprietary RAW file to DNG RAW files. You will gain a minuscule amount of disk space ONLY if you delete your original RAW files associated with the DNGs.
I recommend retaining the original proprietary format because it contains detailed shooting information in the header that is only useful if the original RAW photosite data is availability in the proprietary RAW file format.

What you have suggested is to export a RGB of the original in a DNG wrapper.


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I think you miss the point Converting NEFs to DNG produces the same RAW data block in a DNG wrapper.
Nope. Point not missed Cletus. That's why I prefixed my statement with "...save final edits to DNG"
 
It's taken me a long time (years) to accept DNG files, but now I think I'd like to convert all my existing photos. I know this can be done at the OS level, but then I think I will have a lot of DNG files that I would have to locate with "find all missing photos". Is there a way within LR to convert these in place and substitute the DNGs for the NEFs?

Lightroom Classic 11.0 on a Mac running Monterey OS.
I think others have already pointed out some good reasons for staying with your camera's RAW format. Another is that there isn't that much support for DNG in other photo applications. RAW support, especially if Canon/Nikon/Sony is assured.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I was thinking it would be nice to have consistent file storage, one type, DNG. After thinking about it a bit and considering everyone's advice, I would still have files that didn't convert to DNG - so what's the point? The storage saving is miniscule and storage today is virtually free anyway. I will probably never move away from my Nikons and I'm not worried about Nikon going away.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I was thinking it would be nice to have consistent file storage, one type, DNG. After thinking about it a bit and considering everyone's advice, I would still have files that didn't convert to DNG - so what's the point? The storage saving is miniscule and storage today is virtually free anyway. I will probably never move away from my Nikons and I'm not worried about Nikon going away.
If you ever do a panorama or an HDR photo, you are going to end up with a DNG as the output file. If you import photos from your phone or from an email, likely they are JPG.

Lightroom has no problem coping with that.
 
After thinking about it a bit and considering everyone's advice, I would still have files that didn't convert to DNG - so what's the point?
You can convert all your photo files to DNG if you like. I did it on my early JPG camerafiles also. My main purpose is file management. Lightroom does offer a validation option on DNG files so you can check periodically the consistency of all your photo's so you can prevent them to 'infect' your backups. This article does explain it very well: DNG Validation | dpBestflow
 
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