DNG format unsupported for import to Premiere Pro project

[sifield]

Hello,

I have recently begun compiling sequences within Premiere Pro 23 that need to use uncompressed RAW images, in DNG format. These are exported from DxO PhotoLab, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Bridge, using Camera Raw, as part of my workflow. Thus, these DNG images are compatible with other Adobe image processing software, and comply with the Adobe DNG specification, but are not supported for import by Premiere Pro. Upon importing a DNG file to a Premiere Pro bin, a message box appears stating that "The Importer Reported a Generic Error", which is not only a vague message but is inconsistent with other Adobe video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Elements 2020, which handles the same DNG files correctly. Another standardized image format for lossless shots is TIFF, which is imported correctly by Premiere Pro 23, but not Premiere Elements 2020. At the moment, to use my RAW source images in Premiere, I will need to re-export them (900+ files that comply with Adobe's own specifications but not Premiere Pro) in TIFF and relocate all of the files in the bin.

Can you add DNG import functionality to Premiere Pro?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Sorry, sifield,

Interestingly, you can import the still-image footage into Premiere Elements. Thanks for sharing the info. 

Though a few cameras support CinemaDNG, I don't think raw DNG format is supported in Premiere Pro. See this helpx doc in the User Guide: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/supported-file-formats.html

It appears that still-image DNG is supported in After Effects; however: https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/kb/supported-file-formats.html

This sounds like a feature request for Premiere Pro-supported formats. Let me know if you want me to move this thread to the feature request forum.

Thanks,
Kevin

[sifield]

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for your quick response. I will convert or re-export my stills to TIFF in Bridge for Premiere Pro., but indeed it seems that Premiere Pro does not support DNG locally; I will attempt to import an After Effects project into the Premiere sequence and see if that supports the DNG indirectly through the after effects sequence for proof-of-concept. 

In the meantime, please do move this thread to the Premiere Pro feature requests, as it seems the Elements and Pro teams are separate on their feature inclusion decisions.

~Simon

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hey there, Simon. Thanks for the feature request. I like the idea. I think the team would have to explore how to deal with the performance of this format.

My story is that I'm a former video shooter, editor, and colorist that never did photography. Around seven years ago, I started to shoot stills purposefully. A secret tip showed how to make Lightroom Mobile shoot DNG with the iPhone 6S+. I graded them in Lightroom and Lightroom Mobile, and people liked my photos when I posted them to my social media accounts.

I got a used DSLR for a few hundred bucks and continued shooting DNG. The photos got better with this minimalist setup. I started making a slide show using these street photos of my trips to the EU. I graded them all in Camera RAW. It was a glorious idea until my workflow hit a wall. It was slow going in After Effects. Once I graded the images and made TIFFs of them, I breezed through the project in Premiere Pro. As you suggested, that is the best workflow for now.

I look forward to supporting your feature request. 

Take Care,

Kevin