HELP: How to export reverted versions of dng files without making virtual copies

[shawnh97010311]

Hey everyone. Needing some guidance on an ability to export DNG files from LR. For example, let's say I have 100 edited "anchor" images and 400 unedited images. I want to export all of them at once as reverted/unedited/original as shot DNG files. Can anyone point me in the direction of a feasible method for this? Thank you! 

[dj_paige]

If you select the desired photos, you can set the Export option that says Image Format to be Original, and then unedited images are exported.

[shawnh97010311]

Hey thanks so much for this! So the issue is I need them exported as DNG files not the original RAW file. I am looking for a very particular export of these files as small DNG's. Is there any other method available for the reversion or settings? 

[dj_paige]

When you export, you can select Image Format: DNG and then you get DNGs of all your selected images. There is no way to create a "small DNG", the size is what it is, you have no option to change it. Your edits will be written to metadata when you do this export of DNG, so the original pixels are not changed. Other than Lightroom/Lightroom Classic/Photoshop/Photoshop Elements/ACR/Bridge, no software will use these edits written into metadata, so effectively the original pixels unedited are all that can be used.

[shawnh97010311]

Here are the exact settings for my DNG export. You'll see we've lowered the pixels per image and used lossy compression. These settings are non negotiable for our use case. From here I need to find a way for the edited "anchors" to export as reverted or unedited. Is there an option in the SDK settings or internal settings to revert images. Possible to code this in? 

Thanks for your help! 

[dj_paige]

My web browser will not show your attachment. Please include screen captures in your reply by clicking on the "Insert Photos" icon.

It is my understanding (although I have never actually tried) that you cannot reduce the pixels in a DNG export, despite what settings are selected. However, you can try it and find out and tell us ... do these settings actually reduce the number of pixels in your DNG export?

As I said, to get unedited DNGs, any software will show them as unedited except for some Adobe software, and in those Adobe softwares, you can always turn off the edits.

I can't answer questions about SDK.

[shawnh97010311]

Okay! Thank you for your help with this! You may have actually answered the issue. As the software we are using to read the imgaes may already be reverting them. Let me have a discussion with my team. And for reference when you select lossy compression you have the ability to lower pixel or resolution. Let me know this image is attached.

Thanks! 

We are also removing the JPEG preview.

[dj_paige]

It is my understanding that lossy compression does NOT lower pixels and does NOT lower resolution. It lowers the file size.

[shawnh97010311]

I see! Okay this is helpful. Let me report to my team about the unedited version of the files. Fingers crossed we have what we need. You've been helpful! 

[richardplondon]

An edited image will export as a copy of the original file (of whatever format) plus attached edit metadata, if you export using Original. If you have told LrC to do it, it may have written an updated image preview into the source file on disk (if that is a DNG) also. That will have replaced whatever was the original image preview from camera.

It can otherwise export as a newly-made DNG, I think reflecting the current edits in the image preview embedded within that, and results will then vary depending on whether you started from a Raw or non-Raw imported image. DNG may be simply acting as a wrapper format, or as a Raw format, effectively.

If you want to export from an unedited image version, and get image preview and edits metadata included that do NOT reflect any editing by the Catalog, that is possible by making a virtual copy, reverting or resetting all the LrC edits for this copy version, and then exporting from this. That workflow can be batched and managed via a dedicated Collection - whereby new virtual copies are made belonging to this Collection, for all the current highlighted images, at the time of its creation.