News

Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced the availability of a Software Developer's Kit (SDK) for the Digital Negative Specification (DNG), an industry-wide initiative to create a universal file format for solving workflow and archiving issues. DNG SDK provides support for reading and writing DNG files as well as support for converting DNG data into a format easily displayed or processed by imaging applications. DNG SDK serves as a crucial starting point for adding DNG support to imaging applications and allows camera manufacturers to incorporate native DNG support to their cameras.

"Support for DNG is becoming an important purchase consideration for professional photographers who are evaluating new cameras," said Deborah Whitman, vice president of product management for Digital Imaging at Adobe. "Our software developer kit will make it much easier for developers and camera manufacturers to implement and test DNG support within their products. Our motivation is to ensure that photographers can work with raw files more easily and can have the assurance that their images will be protected into the future."

DNG Momentum

According to a recent InfoTrends study with 1,754 professional photographers, over 18 percent of photographers use DNG as part of their imaging workflow. DNG is continuing to win support from camera manufacturers, software makers and professional photographers who believe that all cameras, even niche models, can be supported now and in the future. It aims to eliminate barriers to new camera adoption while giving professional photographers the confidence that their digital body of work is securely archived and will remain accessible as digital imaging technology evolves.

DNG is designed to provide all of the benefits of raw files while removing the costs, hassle, and uncertainty that results from using proprietary formats. By using the common DNG format, manufacturers can simplify camera testing and development and provide their customers with more workflow flexibility, while still maintaining the ability to differentiate their products with private metadata. Similarly, software manufacturers who support DNG get instant access to over a hundred cameras supported by the free Adobe DNG Converter as well as to the growing list of cameras that natively support DNG capture.

Pricing and Availability

The DNG SDK is available as a free download at www.adobe.com/dng