# How to migrate from DNG to NEF



## Sverre (May 8, 2013)

After the  CC move from Adobe I don't trust the company.

Unfortunatly I have converted my RAW files to DNG in LR...

I have backup of my originals but wan't to keep all my edits. How can I get LR to refere to my RAW file instead of the DNG file and keep all the edits?


----------



## clee01l (May 8, 2013)

I can't think of any way to do this except one file at a time.

With LR closed, open Finder/Explorer
Copy the RAW originals into the same folder where the DNGs are cataloged
Move the DNGs to another folder

Open LR
For each missing DNG (showing the ?s), click on the (?)
Click the {Locate} button.
Find the same file with the RAW extension and choose it
Click on the {Confirm} button


DNG is a Public format.  While developed by Adobe, they made it public to encourage its adoption.  It will not go away and probably all existing image processing software can use the format. This will not change no matter how you might feel about Adobe.  I think any change in your workflow habits at this time in a knee jerk reaction. Perhaps one that you will come to regret later.  Have some patience. Give things time to work out and perhaps in a few months you will have a better understanding what your proper path should be.


----------



## Jimmsp (May 9, 2013)

Another thought. Leave everything the way it is. As Cletus points out, it will be a lot of work to revert.
If you want to go back and reprocess a file, you can still do it. I find I rarely go back more than a year or two, and then to reprocess only a handful of files. If that is the case for you, you can always use the raw file if you want.

However, if you are nervous, then I'd change your workflow starting now to not convert to DNGs. Start processing the RAWs today. Actually, if you don't trust Adobe that much, you should move away from Lightroom. But I don't think that should be the case, nor would I recommend it. If LR went away tomorrow, your current program would still work,. and your edits would still be there and could be modified if you wanted to.

BTW, I have never converted to DNGs as I still use multiple raw converters, including Lightroom.


----------



## Sverre (May 10, 2013)

Thank you Cletus and Jim,

I guess another option could be to extract XMP information with exiftool and reimport my raw's together with this XMP?


----------



## Victoria Bampton (May 10, 2013)

In all honesty Sverre, I'd just take a step back for the minute.  There's no rush to make a decision right now.  Jim's suggestion about not converting new stuff for the minute is a good one, if it'll make you feel better.  I know they've messed up and upset a lot of people, but we all make mistakes and misjudge things.  Theirs is just extremely public.  Let's just see what happens.


----------



## johnbeardy (May 10, 2013)

My Syncomatic plugin copies metadata and adjustments (except crops) by matching the filenames, so it could do the job without all that messing around with exiftool and xmp. However, I agree with Victoria that it's best not to rush. 

John


----------



## Sverre (May 10, 2013)

Victoria Bampton said:


> In all honesty Sverre, I'd just take a step back for the minute.  There's no rush to make a decision right now.  Jim's suggestion about not converting new stuff for the minute is a good one, if it'll make you feel better.  I know they've messed up and upset a lot of people, but we all make mistakes and misjudge things.  Theirs is just extremely public.  Let's just see what happens.



You are all right - I understand I don't need to do this now. But I feel so sick that I trusted Adobe and converted my RAW files to DNG. Had the idea that i probably never would change to another tool/provider...:crazy:


----------



## johnbeardy (May 10, 2013)

With DNG you can use another application (eg Aperture, C1 MediaPro) to print from the file exactly as in Lightroom. That's because LR can update the DNG's embedded preview. You can never do that with raw files.


----------



## MarkNicholas (May 11, 2013)

I am not one of those that likes to say "I told you so..." so I wont 
Although I have been questioning why any right minded person would want to convert to DNG for quite a while now, even I think that you are perhaps over-reacting a little  At least you still have your original RAW files and with new versions of LR being released every 18 months or so it is inevitable that you will end up wanting to re-visiting some of your photos. I would suggest either creating a new catalogue and importing your RAW files or even importing your RAW files into your existing catalogue(s) and gradually migrate your DNG settings to your RAW files over a period of time. Just set up a logical system that allows you to keep track of what has been done. No need to try and do them all at once. How many photos are we talking about by the way ??


----------



## Sverre (May 12, 2013)

Perhaps this initiativ can help the situation in the long run?
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=78240.0


----------



## Victoria Bampton (May 13, 2013)

Sverre said:


> Had the idea that i probably never would change to another tool/provider...:crazy:



Then they'll just have to work hard to redeem themselves, and hopefully you'll never need to switch. This reaction could be a really good thing for photographers long term.


----------

