Nightski

When you import your CR2 photos into Lightroom do you import them as CR2 files or DNG files, and why?

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

export as a TIFF file, it's uncompressed, you will not lose any data, is well supported by a number of applicaitons and will open and be readable well after CR2 and DNG become obsolete.

Nightski

Do you mean after you have decided to keep then or worked with them to export them as a TIFF? But what about when you are bringing them into Lightroom from your cf card? I don't think tiff is one of the choices.

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

I bring mine in as a DNG as it is a universal file format, canon has their own raw file format as does nikon and so on and so on. It will ensure you will be able to open you files at a later date if CS2 goes away.

When you export, export as a TIFF for the same reason.

Nightski

Thanks Annie :)

Nightski

So the CR2 file is a Canon file? Can you email TIFF files easily, or should you convert to jpg when emailing?

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

TIFF and RAW files are HUGE, and not universally viewable.

For emailing to most people, a medium jpg is plenty of detail.
I usually resize mine to be no more than 640 pixels on the long side.

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Hi Nightski. The TIFF format is a lossless one, therefore quite large. They can be emailed, but might 'choke' at one end or the other because of their large size. Most photos I email, I convert to .jpg. If the person on the receiving end might have a slow connection or computer, the lager files can present a problem... taking so long to receive. Good luck.

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

DNG every time; it was designed to be a universal RAW file type. CR2 and all the dozens of RAW formats are camera specific.
Don't believe the stuff written above about TIFF files; Tiff is saveable uncompressed, but once saved you lose all the advantages of RAW files as all data becomes part of the TIFF and any editing will result in data loss. With RAW, only the basic tonal data are stored in the RAW file itself; everything else is in sidecar files which can be edited without any sort of data loss.
GHK

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I import as DNG so as to maintain a raw format. From that raw format, I can generate (export) any other type of file (jpg, tiff, etc) while maintaining the raw format.

The primary reason I use DNG is that all edits and EXIF data (metadata) is stored in the DNG image file. If not converted to DNG, LightRoom must keep all edits in a sidecar file (XMP, I believe). I just don't want to keep up with two different files for each image.

A DNG codec can be downloaded from Adobe so you can view DNG files in Windows Explorer.

jimni2001 Loc: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA

I import them as cr2 files. There is no reason for me to convert them to anything before I process them. When I am done processing I still have an untouched cr2 file. I keep the xmp files too. If I need to reprocess an image I have a starting place. The xmp can be deleted also with no problems if you choose to start from scratch. I usually just hit the default button in Adobe Camera Raw. The DNG converter is easy enough to use as it is a drag and drop app.

imagesintime Loc: small town, mid-America

The part about image loss is not true according to wikipedia.

"The ability to store image data in a lossless format makes a TIFF file a useful image archive, because, unlike standard JPEG files, a TIFF file using lossless compression (or none) may be edited and re-saved without losing image quality. This is not the case when using the TIFF as a container holding compressed JPEG."

JP Simlo

This might add some information.

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-complete-picture-with-julieanne-kost/the-advantages-of-the-dng-file-format/

saichiez Loc: Beautiful Central Oregon

I believe it is misleading to call DNG a universal file format. It is simply a file format created by Adobe, and if Adobe had their way, would love to have it be the universally compatible file format of the industry.

I don't believe it actually has universal compatibility, but certainly works in All Adobe products... Imagine that.

I don't think it is much different in proprietary nature than Nikon NEF, or other mfr RAW formats. Adobe's aim would be to make it the RAW format for all camera's as they were able to do with Leica in accepting DNG as the RAW for Leica digitals with the M9 and beyond.

Semantics of course, with an underlying, but incorrect implications. Just another proprietary format, pushed by Adobe.

I would sincerely admit defeat on this if someone would simply explain to me in what world DNG is universally compatible, in a way that is more wide ranging than TIFF, or a variation of TIFF. Some time ago, there were approximately 40-50 proprietary variations of Tagged Information File Format (TIFF), many of which allowed selectable compression at the users choice.

I don't necessarily feel that the DNG file format is as Universal as Adobe would have us believe.

Now if when one called DNG universal, I would be more inclined to say that DNG, is a universal file format for Adobe products and those camera manufacturers who have abandoned their own proprietary RAW file formats in favor of Adobe DNG.

I seriously doubt that even Adobe has enough clout in the market to force that change globally.

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

I did not mention 'image loss' whatever that means (I think it is one of those terms which slips into use without ever having a defined meaning), but data loss, which is much more precise.

When a TIFF is saved losslessly , then reopened, there is no data loss. On the other hand, when a TIFF is adjusted in Photoshop, data is lost which cannot be recovered after the image is saved.
GHK