Enhanced-NR.dng with Denoise Adjustments baked in.

[phrank]

Lightroom Version Number

15.1.1

Operating System

1. macOS 26 Tahoe

I recently came across some Lightroom-generated Enhanced Noise Reduction (.dng) files on my hard drive while syncing my Capture One catalog.

I originally switched to Capture One because I dislike subscription models and prefer its RAW rendering. Later, however, I returned to Lightroom mainly for photo organisation, as Lightroom offers better digital asset management for large archives. That said, I also really like Lightroom’s Denoise feature.

When Lightroom 14 introduced AI Denoise last year, the noise reduction was baked directly into newly created DNG files. This was a great solution because it allowed me to continue working on those files in Capture One. A similar workflow exists with Topaz Denoise AI, but I personally prefer Lightroom’s implementation.

It would be great if Lightroom 15 still offered the option to write DNG files with the denoise adjustments baked in. Does anyone know if there is a workaround for this? Unfortunately, exported DNG files do not seem to include the applied Denoise edits.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Exporting as DNG will embed the edits as metadata, and that includes Denoise. The only way to 'bake them in' is by exporting as RGB (TIFF, PSD, JPEG).

 

[phrank]

Exporting as DNG will embed the edits as metadata, and that includes Denoise. The only way to 'bake them in' is by exporting as RGB (TIFF, PSD, JPEG).

Sure, but that's not what i was looking for. i think i will install an older version of Lightroom 14 just to have this "feature" back;-)

 

[clee01l]

Sure, but that's not what i was looking for. i think i will install an older version of Lightroom 14 just to have this "feature" back;-)

I think you missed Johans intention. If you export as a DNG as opposed to JPG or TIFF, the pixels get the adjustments “baked in”. Just like they would as a TIFF or JPEG.

If you want to process the original RAW image with Capture One, you can. If you want to process a LrC Denoised image with Capture One you can but you need to understand the DNG created as an enhanced DNG (in v 14) as well as a DNG exported, has already been demosaic’d and converted to RGB and save as a Linear DNG.


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[Califdan]

Export as a TIFF (NR will be baked in)
Import the TIFF and during import pick option to "Copy as DNG"

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If you export as a DNG as opposed to JPG or TIFF, the pixels get the adjustments “baked in”. Just like they would as a TIFF or JPEG.

No, that is not correct. If you export as DNG, then the raw pixels remain untouched. They will not be demosaiced! The edits are stored as metadata. If you export as TIFF or JPEG, then indeed the edits will be ‘baked’ in the pixels, meaning the pixels are no longer the original pixels. So the only way to send a denoised photo to another app is by exporting it as an RGB image, not as DNG.

The ‘enhanced DNG’ of earlier versions of Lightroom Classic is indeed a demosaiced, linear RGB image, with the denoising baked into the pixels.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Export as a TIFF (NR will be baked in)
Import the TIFF and during import pick option to "Copy as DNG"

I fail to see the usefulness of converting a TIFF to DNG. The DNG will still be a (non-linear) RGB file, just in another wrapper.

 

[Califdan]

I fail to see the usefulness of converting a TIFF to DNG. The DNG will still be a (non-linear) RGB file, just in another wrapper.

The TIFF will have the NR baked into the pixels as the OP wishes. When imported the TIFF is converted to DNG which the OP wishes. I'm not conversant with the language, but I understand that DNG's can behave as either a RAW file (needing to be demosaiced) or with pixels. In the case of converting a TIFF, there is no RAW data in the file, only pixels and metadata, so I assume the DNG would be in its "pixels" form. Am I wrong in this thinking?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The TIFF will have the NR baked into the pixels as the OP wishes. When imported the TIFF is converted to DNG which the OP wishes. I'm not conversant with the language, but I understand that DNG's can behave as either a RAW file (needing to be demosaiced) or with pixels. In the case of converting a TIFF, there is no RAW data in the file, only pixels and metadata, so I assume the DNG would be in its "pixels" form. Am I wrong in this thinking?

A DNG made from a TIFF is a TIFF in a DNG 'envelope'. That's like putting the same letter in a brown envelope rather than a white envelope. It does not make much sense to do this.

The OP wants a linear RGB DNG with denoised pixels, like the previous versions of Lightroom Classic created for denoised images, not a TIFF in a DNG envelope. Unfortunately that is not an option in Lightroom Classic 15. He won't get that by exporting as DNG, and he won't get that by exporting as TIFF and then converting to DNG.

 

[clee01l]

The TIFF will have the NR baked into the pixels as the OP wishes. When imported the TIFF is converted to DNG which the OP wishes. I'm not conversant with the language, but I understand that DNG's can behave as either a RAW file (needing to be demosaiced) or with pixels. In the case of converting a TIFF, there is no RAW data in the file, only pixels and metadata, so I assume the DNG would be in its "pixels" form. Am I wrong in this thinking?

DNG is a file type. It is based upon the TIFF/EP6 standard. Unlike TIFF, the data block can contain RAW Photosite values OR RGB pixel values. The type of data in the data block is indicated in a metadata field. The Enhance NR DNG contains RGB values not RAW photosite values. Too many people confuse DNG as a RAW data type. While it can be, Unless it came out of the camera as a RAW DNG or was copied from a proprietary RAW file type, it will be RGB pixels. Once RAW data has been demosaic’d it is no longer RAW. And you cannot reverse an RGB pixels back into RAW photosite values.


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[Johan Elzenga]

DNG is a file type. It is based upon the TIFF/EP6 standard. Unlike TIFF, the data block can contain RAW Photosite values OR RGB pixel values. The type of data in the data block is indicated in a metadata field. The Enhance NR DNG contains RGB values not RAW photosite values. Too many people confuse DNG as a RAW data type. While it can be, Unless it came out of the camera as a RAW DNG or was copied from a proprietary RAW file type, it will be RGB pixels. Once RAW data has been demosaic’d it is no longer RAW. And you cannot reverse an RGB pixels back into RAW photosite values.

Yes, but there's a catch here. A linear-RGB DNG, such as the panorama DNG's and the HDR DNG's that Lightroom Classic creates, are demosaiced files but behave in Lightroom like raw files. You can still set the White Balance in Kelvin, for example, and all Adobe Raw profiles are available for such DNG files. The Denoised DNG files that Lightroom Classic 14 produced were of the same kind.

Now AI Denoise in Lightroom Classic has become a 'normal' edit, and that is the problem for the OP. He wants to send these denoised images to another application (Capture One) and he wants them to behave like the old Denoised DNG's did. But that is impossible. Like I explained, exporting as DNG does not work because that will create a DNG with the original pixels, and embed the denoise edit instructions as metadata. Capture One will not read these edits, so Capture One will show the image with its original noise. Export as TIFF will create a file with denoised pixels, but that file will be non-linear RGB. I assume that Capture One can read TIFF, but that TIFF won't behave like a raw file. And converting the TIFF to DNG will not change that.

 

[Califdan]

The OP wants a linear RGB DNG with denoised pixels, like the previous versions of Lightroom Classic created for denoised images, not a TIFF in a DNG envelope. Unfortunately that is not an option in Lightroom Classic 15. He won't get that by exporting as DNG, and he won't get that by exporting as TIFF and then converting to DNG.

In trying to understand this better I asked Google Gemini (AI chat bot). Here's their answer which seems to contradict your statement. I suspect your answer is more reliable than theirs, but would be interested in hearing your thought on their answer

Great catch—the distinction is very important because Adobe fundamentally changed the workflow in Lightroom Classic 14.4 (released mid-2025).

My previous explanation of the DNG being "created" refers to the legacy method (pre-v14.4). Here is the updated reality for the version you are likely using:

In LrC 14.4 and later, the "Denoise" tool is non-destructive and virtual.

• It no longer creates a separate DNG file by default. Instead, it saves the noise reduction data directly into your catalog (the .lrcat-data file).
• When you look at your grid, you see your original RAW file, but it looks clean.
• If you then EXPORT that file as a DNG: LrC must demosaic the image to "bake in" the AI noise reduction into the pixels. Therefore, the resulting exported DNG is a 32-bit Linear DNG.
• The Verdict: It is linear, but in LrC 14, you only generate this file if you manually choose to export it; otherwise, the "denoised" state exists only as instructions inside Lightroom.

I think you are saying that their point 3 is incorrect. that the exported DNG is actually an RGB DNG (aka "Lossy DNG" or "Container DNG" )

 

[clee01l]

In trying to understand this better I asked Google Gemini (AI chat bot). Here's their answer which seems to contradict your statement. I suspect your answer is more reliable than theirs, but would be interested in hearing your thought on their answer

Great catch—the distinction is very important because Adobe fundamentally changed the workflow in Lightroom Classic 14.4 (released mid-2025).

My previous explanation of the DNG being "created" refers to the legacy method (pre-v14.4). Here is the updated reality for the version you are likely using:

In LrC 14.4 and later, the "Denoise" tool is non-destructive and virtual.

• It no longer creates a separate DNG file by default. Instead, it saves the noise reduction data directly into your catalog (the .lrcat-data file).
• When you look at your grid, you see your original RAW file, but it looks clean.
• If you then EXPORT that file as a DNG: LrC must demosaic the image to "bake in" the AI noise reduction into the pixels. Therefore, the resulting exported DNG is a 32-bit Linear DNG.
• The Verdict: It is linear, but in LrC 14, you only generate this file if you manually choose to export it; otherwise, the "denoised" state exists only as instructions inside Lightroom.

I think you are saying that their point 3 is incorrect. that the exported DNG is actually an RGB DNG (aka "Lossy DNG" or "Container DNG" )

Point 3 is correct Any time yo export from Lightroom you bake in the edit adjustments including ant Denoise
Point 4 is not correct. In v14, the Linear DNG was generated (exported) automatically not manually. This is why there is an extra intermediate file created in the Classic catalog. Any edits in addition to the DeNoise are not baked in but applied to the derivative DNG. Because it is a Linear DNG, the data block values are RGB Pixels not Photo site values.
Johan is correct to point out that you can adjust the WB and apply RAW camera Profiles in a Linear DNG.

 

[jrobnz]

I just tried this. I denoised an image with no other edits and exported as DNG. I chose not to check "Embed Original Raw File" as below

Opening the DNG in photoshop brings Camera Raw which has my denoise selected

Examining the full metadata in the DNG it contains 4 images plus all the camera raw instructions:

• 8256x5504 JPEG full resolution
  2048x1365 JPEG-XL linear raw
  352x352 JPEG-XL linear raw
  256x171 JPEG-XL linear raw

Opening the file in Mac Preview shows the denoised version at 100% resolution.

So my thinking is:

• The denoised pixels are baked into the full resolution JPEG
• A smart preview raw file is the 2nd image and there are 2 thumbnails - but not sure why they are raw

 

[phrank]

@Johan Elzenga

Yes, but there's a catch here. A linear-RGB DNG, such as the panorama DNG's and the HDR DNG's that Lightroom Classic creates, are demosaiced files but behave in Lightroom like raw files. You can still set the White Balance in Kelvin, for example, and all Adobe Raw profiles are available for such DNG files. The Denoised DNG files that Lightroom Classic 14 produced were of the same kind.

Now AI Denoise in Lightroom Classic has become a 'normal' edit, and that is the problem for the OP. He wants to send these denoised images to another application (Capture One) and he wants them to behave like the old Denoised DNG's did. But that is impossible. Like I explained, exporting as DNG does not work because that will create a DNG with the original pixels, and embed the denoise edit instructions as metadata. Capture One will not read these edits, so Capture One will show the image with its original noise. Export as TIFF will create a file with denoised pixels, but that file will be non-linear RGB. I assume that Capture One can read TIFF, but that TIFF won't behave like a raw file. And converting the TIFF to DNG will not change that.

Hi, you understood my point. Yes, it appears that the Enhanced-NR.dng behaves similarly to a lossy DNG. I compared the white balance adjustment range of the Enhanced-NR.dng with the original Nikon RAW file and found that the WB range is noticeably reduced. This suggests that part of the original RAW flexibility is no longer preserved.

Nevertheless, it would be great the to generate these Adobe DNG files, even if they are lossy DNGs, as would be good for my workflow – as long Capture One hasn't come up with better Noice Reduction;-)

 

[Johan Elzenga]

In trying to understand this better I asked Google Gemini (AI chat bot). Here's their answer which seems to contradict your statement. I suspect your answer is more reliable than theirs, but would be interested in hearing your thought on their answer

Great catch—the distinction is very important because Adobe fundamentally changed the workflow in Lightroom Classic 14.4 (released mid-2025).

My previous explanation of the DNG being "created" refers to the legacy method (pre-v14.4). Here is the updated reality for the version you are likely using:

In LrC 14.4 and later, the "Denoise" tool is non-destructive and virtual.

• It no longer creates a separate DNG file by default. Instead, it saves the noise reduction data directly into your catalog (the .lrcat-data file).
• When you look at your grid, you see your original RAW file, but it looks clean.
• If you then EXPORT that file as a DNG: LrC must demosaic the image to "bake in" the AI noise reduction into the pixels. Therefore, the resulting exported DNG is a 32-bit Linear DNG.
• The Verdict: It is linear, but in LrC 14, you only generate this file if you manually choose to export it; otherwise, the "denoised" state exists only as instructions inside Lightroom.

I think you are saying that their point 3 is incorrect. that the exported DNG is actually an RGB DNG (aka "Lossy DNG" or "Container DNG" )

If there is one thing I hate, it is having to argue with a chatbot, but anyway. Point 3 is incorrect, despite of what Google Gemini or @clee01l says. If you export a raw file as DNG, then you’ll get a raw DNG with the edits embedded in the metadata. This has always been this way and nothing has changed. AI Denoise is now a non-destructive edit, and so it is also embedded in the metadata, just like any other edits. The image pixels are not denoised and not demosaiced.

The metadata contain the denoised pixels however, as JPEG XL. This is to make it possible to load this photo in Camera Raw or import it in Lightroom again, without having to wait for the denoised preview to be rendered again. This is the same thing that Lightroom Classic does when writing the denoised data to the catalogname.lrcat-data.

Opening the DNG in photoshop brings Camera Raw which has my denoise selected

Many thanks for trying this and showing the screenshot here, because this proves my point. If the exported DNG contained demosaiced and denoised pixels, then obviously you would not see the non-destructive Denoise checkbox enabled when you open this DNG in Camera Raw, because that would mean the image can be denoised twice! The checkbox would be dimmed if the pixels of the DNG were already denoised. The fact that the checkbox is enabled (and so can be disabled again) proves that the denoise edit is still non-destructive.

I trust that this finally settles this question.

 

[phrank]

thanks everybody for your input.

 

[Zenon]

@Johan Elzenga

Hi, you understood my point. Yes, it appears that the Enhanced-NR.dng behaves similarly to a lossy DNG. I compared the white balance adjustment range of the Enhanced-NR.dng with the original Nikon RAW file and found that the WB range is noticeably reduced. This suggests that part of the original RAW flexibility is no longer preserved.

Nevertheless, it would be great the to generate these Adobe DNG files, even if they are lossy DNGs, as would be good for my workflow – as long Capture One hasn't come up with better Noice Reduction;-)

People in the Adobe communities didn't like the change was wanted DNG back. More of they wanted have the option. I can see it being no fun if you had a good workflow. Not I. I waited so long for the no DNG workflow. After all my editing including Denoise AI I have the single RAW file. If I need to use a 3rd party app it comes back as TIFF. I export that file, delete the TIFF and color code the RAW file that tells me what I did.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Yes, some people want to old denoised DNG’s back, at least as an option. I can understand that in certain workflows the new non-destructive method is not ideal. One problem is that batch Denoise can no longer be done in the background, so it locks you out until it’s finished. Another problem is that if you shoot in low light conditions a lot, and Denoise many images, your ‘catalog name.lrcat-data’ grows to massive proportions. And because that is backed up as well in a catalog backup, your catalog backups become huge and excruciatingly slow. I don’t use Denoise very often, and I also don’t use super resolution often, but the few dozen images that I did Denoise or upsize already made my catalog backups go from 6 GB in 5 minutes to 20GB in 15 minutes.

 

[Gnits]

Yes, some people want to old denoised DNG’s back, at least as an option. I can understand that in certain workflows the new non-destructive method is not ideal. One problem is that batch Denoise can no longer be done in the background, so it locks you out until it’s finished. Another problem is that if you shoot in low light conditions a lot, and Denoise many images, your ‘catalog name.lrcat-data’ grows to massive proportions. And because that is backed up as well in a catalog backup, your catalog backups become huge and excruciatingly slow. I don’t use Denoise very often, and I also don’t use super resolution often, but the few dozen images that I did Denoise or upsize already made my catalog backups go from 6 GB in 5 minutes to 20GB in 15 minutes.

This is a really good summary ....and describes very well some of the factors at play. Denoise saved me from total loss of a few vip images ... but .. I need a compelling case to use Denoise. Glad that it is there.

I do know wildlife photographers who have no choice but shoot in very dark conditions, often at the limit of focal lengths .. so there are multiple scenarios where a photographer will use tools like Denoise to the limit.

 

[Zenon]

This is a really good summary ....and describes very well some of the factors at play. Denoise saved me from total loss of a few vip images ... but .. I need a compelling case to use Denoise. Glad that it is there.

I do know wildlife photographers who have no choice but shoot in very dark conditions, often at the limit of focal lengths .. so there are multiple scenarios where a photographer will use tools like Denoise to the limit.

For it's also a matter of cost. I really can't justly $12,000 US on f4 telephoto primes and at my age the weight wouldn't help either. So NR is important to me. If I don't use Denoise AI, I always apply Raw Details.

 

[Gnits]

I know that photographers with 400 f2.8 lens still struggle seriously with noise… despite the cost, the effort to get them thru airports, onto small planes and then handle their weight in the field. Denoise saved my bacon on the opposite end of the scale with a Sony a6700 crop camera, tiny 24 mm prime, fits in my jacket pocket… inside a dark pub for a vip fast moving occasion. Flash fired… I saw an image on the rear screen… moment passed… but when I downloaded the image….. frame was completely black. Denoise had just arrived and I was able to extract usable images.

Also a good reason to keep old images…. the editing tech keeps getting better.

 

[clee01l]

Also a good reason to keep old images…. the editing tech keeps getting better.

When v15 came out and having the DeNoise DNG went away. I went back a reprocessed All of the original image that had an accompanying "Enhanced NR.DNG" Just to be able to delete the extra file. My early digital cameras were 10 & 20 mp and quite noisy over ISO 400. Unfortunately these were shot JPEG , So Adobe's DeNoise could not help. When I did start shooting RAW some time in the first year of going digital and going Lightroom I was able to apply Adobe Denoise with remarkable success on these older images
I look at every image at 200% to check for noise And since upgrading to V15, I have notice an issue that causes me run the Denoise option more often than no.
If I apply clarity and or Texture. Or boost exposure I see noise that would not have been there before
Here is a v14 or earlier processed image. at 200%

The same image with adaptive color applied In V15

And finally after I have applied DeNoise at 60%

 

[Zenon]

I know that photographers with 400 f2.8 lens still struggle seriously with noise… despite the cost, the effort to get them thru airports, onto small planes and then handle their weight in the field. Denoise saved my bacon on the opposite end of the scale with a Sony a6700 crop camera, tiny 24 mm prime, fits in my jacket pocket… inside a dark pub for a vip fast moving occasion. Flash fired… I saw an image on the rear screen… moment passed… but when I downloaded the image….. frame was completely black. Denoise had just arrived and I was able to extract usable images.

Also a good reason to keep old images…. the editing tech keeps getting better.

Slower lenses do make it easier to travel for me. I’ve done the same with older images. Dark with nothing showing and a good recovery.

 

[Zenon]

When v15 came out and having the DeNoise DNG went away. I went back a reprocessed All of the original image that had an accompanying "Enhanced NR.DNG" Just to be able to delete the extra file. My early digital cameras were 10 & 20 mp and quite noisy over ISO 400. Unfortunately these were shot JPEG , So Adobe's DeNoise could not help. When I did start shooting RAW some time in the first year of going digital and going Lightroom I was able to apply Adobe Denoise with remarkable success on these older images
I look at every image at 200% to check for noise And since upgrading to V15, I have notice an issue that causes me run the Denoise option more often than no.
If I apply clarity and or Texture. Or boost exposure I see noise that would not have been there before
Here is a v14 or earlier processed image. at 200%
View attachment 28055
The same image with adaptive color applied In V15
View attachment 28054
And finally after I have applied DeNoise at 60%
View attachment 28056

I really like using the Adaptive Profile. As for faster lenses I no longer covet getting ones like I used to. I still think true Bokeh is best but between Lens Blur and Denoise AI I’m pretty happy.