Hi, I have a Mini 2, which I think is great, and capable of taking quite beautiful photos (I'm more of a stills guy, than a video guy).

Now I've come to drones from a background in DSLR and MILC photography, so I'm quite familiar with RAW files (I always shoot in RAW+JPG on my Nikon) and was very pleased to see the Mini 2 supports RAW via DNG files.

Problem I have is, I just can't find a good RAW converter that understands the slightly weird DJI DNG format. Well, anything that isn't made by Adobe, anyway...

Can anyone suggest a good, preferably free, RAW converter that works well with DJI DNG files please?

Please don't suggest anything by Adobe. They make great software, yes, but I can't afford and don't want to get Lightroom or PS.

I'm looking at RAWTherapee but I'm not really keen on the UI.

Ideally, I'd just like a CODEC that will let me use my existing photo editing software. DJI, if you are listening, please make a simple plug-in that will let any software decode the DJI DNG format. Please?

Oh, I'm an Apple Mac person, and I use an M1 iMac. I love macOS and it does everything I want, except it can't properly decode DJI DNG files. They either won't open, else they do open, but have loads of strange artifacts present in the image. I'd just like some lightweight software that will let me perform the basic edits (exposure, white balance, highlights/shadows sharpening etc) on a DJI DNG file, and let me export the result to JPEG.

If absolutely necessary, I can use a Windows laptop but ... I'd rather stick with macOS if possible.

Can anyone help please?

Thank you!

I use Photoshop, myself, but something to be aware of if you don't want to go that way.
Of the other programs that will read DJI's dng files, only some will also apply DJI's lens profile,.
If you use one that doesn't you won't get the corrections that fix a little distortion and vignetting.

Labroides Posted at 4-21 06:10
I use Photoshop, myself, but something to be aware of if you don't want to go that way.
Of the other programs that will read DJI's dng files, only some will also apply DJI's lens profile,.
If you use one that doesn't you won't get the corrections that fix a little distortion and vignetting.

Ahh... interesting point. Thanks for the reply, I will bear that in mind

Well, I've run some "tests" on the Mini 2's DNG (RAW) files, comparing them to the "straight from the drone" JPEGs using a few different RAW converters (not Lightroom or PS ACR) and to be honest, I'm not really impressed with the results. I'm no expert, but to my eyes, the DNGs just look ... well, poor quality (I know how RAW sensor data works, yes).

I'm a great believer in RAW for DSLRs/MILCs, but I don't think it's worth my effort to go down that road with the DJI. Especially when (under most circumstances I find myself in) the Mini 2 produces beautiful JPEGs straight from the drone - well exposed, good WB, sharp, fairly noise-free and with reasonable dynamic range.

So I think I'll ignore the RAW functionality for now. It's nice that. it's there, but for my needs, I'll stick with JPEGs. They can still be tweaked slightly for exposure, WB etc after all.

Darktable (https://www.darktable.org/) is the one I've been looking at.

Admittedly I haven't had much of a play yet, but it is reputedly even more powerful than Lightroom.

Just remember, creating a JPG from a DNG is not a conversion process.... It is more akin to developing your own prints from film/negatives.

In effect the JPEG images that the Mini 2 produces have been generated from the same raw data that is in the DNG files, so just saving the JPEG is limiting your options down the line. Personality I shoot both and archive both for future use.

Hello there JT437. Good day and thank you for reaching out. I hope that our fellow DJI co pilots can give out the best recommendation and information with regards to this matter. Thank you and keep flying.

+1 for Darktable. Although I dont find the DNGs to be anything but normal myself.

Irfanview - free download in either 32 or 64 bit computers - wonderful little program.  Been using for maybe 30 years for simple photo edits, saving in different file extensions or just browsing folders full of images or videos.  This is not a full editing package.  Give a try it's free.

Hi, just a quick update on this, in case anyone is interested. I've tried out a few applications now, and settled on using RawTherapee. Of course Lightroom is the de-facto go-to choice, but I just can't afford Adobe's pricing. I did look at Darktable, and I do quite like it, but it's more of a library and management tool, and I don't want or need that (I have my own workflow for organising etc). I looked at OnDigital, but it's a bit overkill for my needs. And IrfanView doesn't suit my needs neither.

I was tempted to just stick with the RAW conversion tool built-in to macOS, but it is very limited. I just want a tool for RAW conversion that isn't too heavy (or expensive) for the DNGs I take with the Mini 2. My needs are modest, and RawTherapee is the closest match I've found right now. It's actually far more powerful than I need, and the UI is a bit confusing at first, but I like that it's free and open-source, so I'm going to go with that for now. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and happy flying and photography!

It's not free, but it does work with DJI's DNG format is Pixelmator Pro.

Forgot, there is also ON1 Photo Raw

djiuser_PQhMcDIH14Zf Posted at 4-23 04:47
Irfanview - free download in either 32 or 64 bit computers - wonderful little program.  Been using for maybe 30 years for simple photo edits, saving in different file extensions or just browsing folders full of images or videos.  This is not a full editing package.  Give a try it's free.

Does IrfanView support raw formats these days?

It used to be my go-to image viewer way back, but I haven't used it for maybe 15 years now .. maybe I need to go grab the lastest version.

JT437 Posted at 4-23 06:47
Hi, just a quick update on this, in case anyone is interested. I've tried out a few applications now, and settled on using RawTherapee. Of course Lightroom is the de-facto go-to choice, but I just can't afford Adobe's pricing. I did look at Darktable, and I do quite like it, but it's more of a library and management tool, and I don't want or need that (I have my own workflow for organising etc). I looked at OnDigital, but it's a bit overkill for my needs. And IrfanView doesn't suit my needs neither.

I was tempted to just stick with the RAW conversion tool built-in to macOS, but it is very limited. I just want a tool for RAW conversion that isn't too heavy (or expensive) for the DNGs I take with the Mini 2. My needs are modest, and RawTherapee is the closest match I've found right now. It's actually far more powerful than I need, and the UI is a bit confusing at first, but I like that it's free and open-source, so I'm going to go with that for now. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and happy flying and photography!

Luminar AI Luminar Neo they are paid apps but relatively inexpensive.

djiuser_tDysKtQSWAwH Posted at 4-23 15:27
Doesn’t seem to result in you making decent footage though.

I can easily tell you have no idea what this thread is about. OP is talking about photo software, I posted Luminar , you said it doesn’t help my footage ! That’s because it is Photo software not Video software….

I wrote a script to convert DNG to TIFF, then edit them in PhotoShop. Works for me who use DJI Mini3 Pro.

The script link: https://gist.github.com/weaming/c9be9be7c7ccf9de07bad44c890b10c9

Fork and comments are welcome

Give DxO PureRAW 2 a look.  I'm more than familiar with Lr and Ps, Luminar Neo, ON1 and others, but to date, PureRaw 2 renders the dngs from my Mini 2 best.  You can download a fully functional 30 day trial version from DxO's web site, and when you see your transcoded files, you'll likely be willing to spend the $59 (but look for coupons/discounts; I recall paying $49 when I bought).

Thanks Weaming for your script - it works perfectly.