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Question

Problem with third party DNG-to-JPEG image converters

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
August 20, 2024
2 replies
2376 views

I have a new, more powerful desktop PC with Windows 11 and with it comes a problem I have never encountered before on my old PC and Windows 10.

The problem: third party image converters, such as XnConvert and a bunch of others I tried in the last days, fail when it comes to converting DNG files edited in and exported from Lightroom Classic into JPEG files. In all cases the DNG-to-JPEG conversion runs seemingly normally, but the produced JPEGs contain absolutely none of the edits featured in the DNG files. Instead, the produced JPEGs appear to be the converted versions of the unedited, raw files (Nikon NEF). Notably, exporting to DNG or JPEG from LRC works just fine, but LRC is not the best option for batch conversions.

I would be thankful for any ideas or explanations.

Windows

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L

Lumigraphics

Legend

I'm not surprised, you need a converter that can read the DNG and the Adobe-proprietary edits to correctly create a new file. I'm not sure if anything other than Adobe products will do that, especially things like the new AI features.

Try exporting from Lightroom, either directly to JPEG or to an intermediate rendered format like TIFF.

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pavlek99107747Author

Participating Frequently

Hi,

Thanks for all responses. I want to empasize again that the conversion of LRC-edited DNG to JPEG has worked perfectly well for years, with XnConvert and a bunch of other convertes. The porduced JPEGs were of excellent quality despite the lesser size. The conversion stopped working properly after my switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11. I doubt it to be the cause of the problem though, perhaps it has to do with the latest LRC updates. Anyway, I have checked and rechecked all settings, everything is as it is supposed to be. In the meanwhile I have sent a LRC-edited DNG image to XnConvert asking them to check it and inform me what the problem is. Still waiting for their answer.

johnrellis

Legend

Did you try changing changing Compatibility from Camera Raw 15.3 And Later to Camera Raw 14.0 And Later?

D

dj_paige

Legend

Edits created by Lightroom Classic and stored in a DNG are proprietary, and can only be interpreted by certain Adobe software. Non-Adobe software can't use these edits at all.

... but LRC is not the best option for batch conversions.

LrC does batch exports of JPGs from DNGs.

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pavlek99107747Author

Participating Frequently

dj-paige,

Thank you for the response. As a matter of fact, I have used XnConvert for years to convert LRC-edited & exported DNGs into high-quality JPEGs without any issue. All the edits made in LRC were contained in the produced JPEGs. As said, those were Windows 10 times, but I am not quite sure that the trouble has to do with Windows 11. I have checked all export settings in LRC (version 13.5, new) and all output settings in the latest update of XnConvert (and some other image converters) to no avail. Neither XnConvert nor other converters can convert edited DNGS anymore. As to the batch conversion DNG-JPEG in LRC: yes, it can be done, but once the DNGs are exported to folders outside LRC, it is much easier and faster - for me at least - to convert them from there with other software such as XnConvert.

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richardplondon

Community Expert

Exporting to DNG assumes the output is intended to act as a Raw (or a mock Raw equivalent, if exporting to DNG from say a camera JPG). By this I mean that it creates a duplicate of the unedited DNG as imported, but attaches metadata describing your edits. Same as when exporting choosing the filetype selection "Original". So that is functionally equivalent to writing edit metadata back to the external file which has been imported, and then inspecting that - except, the latter method could not externally save the edits of a virtual copy, while you can do so via Export.

The embedded file preview of your imported DNG, or of an exported duplicate, may or may not reflect latest edits depending on the exact steps followed.

So it depends what XnConvert is referring to - extracting whatever preview image is present? Carrying out a default Raw conversion? Or (less likely IMO) carrying out a full Raw conversion and adjustments by correctly interpreting all of the Adobe proprietary editing parameters that are found attached. Perhaps by looking at these DNGs in your file browser and seeing what the thumbnail looks like (which should refer to the embedded preview as that currently stands AFAIK) some clues may be gleaned. I have just now desaturated a DNG based image, then exported a copy of that to DNG. The file previews properly as B&W within the file browser. But opened into a non-Adobe aware program (I tried Affinity Designer) the image is interpreted and displayed as if I had never desaturated it. So that program is neither extracting the (B&W) preview, or using the (B&W) editing instructions that LrC will have included.

Incidentally, as I understand it editing a DNG will not in itself update the preview image present within the imported file. That needs to explicitly be made happen.

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