# HDR Efex pro3 help with saaving



## Richard Pring (Nov 1, 2018)

Hi,
I have started using Efex pro 2 for HDR. Succesfully perform the merging from DNG files, but when it comes to "Save As" it only offers Tiff files. How can I save the merged result as either another DNG file or jpeg?
Thanks.Richard


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 1, 2018)

Richard Pring said:


> Hi,
> I have started using Efex pro 2 for HDR. Succesfully perform the merging from DNG files, but when it comes to "Save As" it only offers Tiff files. How can I save the merged result as either another DNG file or jpeg?
> Thanks.Richard


Plugins get the image from Lightroom as an RGB file, so you can't save it as DNG. The choice of TIFF or JPEG is in the Lightroom preferences - External Editors tab. Don't forget to update the preset with the current settings after you changed something.


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## GingeraMan (Nov 1, 2018)

DNG is a negative, or input. TIFF is a print, or output.

So the output will always be something like TIFF. 

What's the problem with TIFF? 

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## PhilBurton (Nov 1, 2018)

GingeraMan said:


> DNG is a negative, or input. TIFF is a print, or output.
> 
> So the output will always be something like TIFF.
> 
> ...


I have used the HDR feature in Lightroom, and it creates a DNG.  My inputs were NEFs.  While I prefer keeping my camera's original NEF RAW file, I prefer using DNG to a non-RAW format until it's time to export or print, etc.

Phil Burton


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 1, 2018)

PhilBurton said:


> I have used the HDR feature in Lightroom, and it creates a DNG.  My inputs were NEFs.  While I prefer keeping my camera's original NEF RAW file, I prefer using DNG to a non-RAW format until it's time to export or print, etc.
> 
> Phil Burton


Maybe you do, but that is irrelevant for the question. A plugin doesn’t normally produce a DNG, and there is nothing you can do about that. There are a few exceptions (the Helicon Focus plugin can produce a focus stack DNG, similar to a panorama DNG), but that is the exception that defines the rule.


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## GingeraMan (Nov 1, 2018)

Is there any technical advantage to a DNG output rather than TIFF?

Parametric editing perhaps? 

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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 1, 2018)

GingeraMan said:


> Is there any technical advantage to a DNG output rather than TIFF?
> Parametric editing perhaps?


Parametric editing is possible even with jpegs. Lightroom edits are always parametric, regardless of the file type. 

It depends on the DNG. Sometimes a DNG is not different than a TIFF. But in case of the special DNG HDR and DNG panorama files that Lightroom can produce there is a difference: even though these DNG files are already demosaiced and so they are technically not raw files, they do behave like raw files and still have to option to set the white balance.


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## GingeraMan (Nov 1, 2018)

So white balance is the only advantage of DNG output over TIFF?

I didn't know know parametric processing was applied to all files in Lightroom. Even TIFF. 

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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 2, 2018)

Yes, if the DNG does not contain raw data, then the difference with a 16 bits ProPhotoRGB TIFF is rather small.


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## GingeraMan (Nov 2, 2018)

Why is the option to set white balance only applicable to DNG and not TIFF. Unless I read it wrong and there really is no difference or advantage. 

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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 2, 2018)

TIFF files are already white balanced. I have no idea what Adobe does with these special DNG files. Please note that this is only with the DNG files which are created in Lightroom/ACR Photomerge, so panorama and HDR. If you would convert a TIFF to DNG, you would not get back the white balance option. You would simply get a TIFF file in a DNG wrapper.


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