Chuck Jones
Subscriber Member
Tom, there is your problem I believe. I am going to make a few assumptions here, so I apologize if I don't guess your particular situation correctly the first time.The files are DNG which were imported by LR on my harddisk. Maybe thats the fault and LR did something to the files. I do have the new C1 Version (as a test Version at the moment)
DNG is basically only supported to read those converted files using Photoshop or Lightroom. In other words, your original Sony proprietary ARW raw files have now been converted to Adobe proprietary raw files, which no RAW converter I know of except those made by Adobe will read. There are reasons why no other raw converters use the Adobe license for the DNG technology that relate to the specific Adobe license terms, but the only thing that matters to you right now is nobody does.
When photos are converted to DNG with Lightroom, the DNG files replace the original ARW files in the catalog. You have the option of deleting or preserving the originals on disk after the conversion, but unless you have specifically selected to save the originals, Lightroom will delete them. This sounds like what has happened to you, so I am making my first assumption that you have elected to delete your original AWR files on import and DNG conversion.
Your only hope is if you selected in the preferences to imbed the original ARW file into the DNG when Lightroom did your import. If you checked this box, your ARW files can be extracted and so recovered from inside the Adobe DNG files. This is the only way I suggest anyone ever use DNG, by also imbedding the original files.
This is what the box looks like in the Adobe DNG converter:
That blue selection box at the bottom is now your only safety net for getting your original files back at this point Tom. If you have previously saved DNG files with the original raw file embedded, you can extract the original raw file, but you will need the Adobe DNG converter to do that I believe.
You can download Adobe DNG converter Version 8.6 for MAC from here:
Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Macintosh : Adobe DNG Converter 8.6
Install the DNG converter, then launch it. Choose one of the file folders that contains your stored converted DNG files. Then hit the EXTRACT button at the bottom of the DNG converter screen, and see what happens. The Lightroom default is set to NOT imbed the original files. If you changed that when you first set this up to preserve the original files, you are in luck. If not, again I suggest you change it to that now to preserve your options while you consider how you wish to move forward. Here is what the DNG Converter screen looks like, and I have circled what you want in red:
For what it is worth, using the DNG format with the imbedded original Sony ARW file has some merit. You can set Lightroom up to bake into the DNG file the workup PIE as you change it. All of your adjustments and the original file are all together in one place, still as a DNG, so you have immediate portability between computers. You can open up that DNG file with any Photoshop or Lightroom, and you will see the prior adjustments, and can make new immediate adjustments on the spot, such as in a clients office. This is important for professionals who use Lightroom on multiple computers as I do. It also allows you to backup your adjustments for offline storage for possible future additional adjustment, which you can not do with a rendered Tiff or JPG.
I sort of feel at this point like various RAW converters are similar to the old days of chemistry and film. Each provides you a different set of variations and looks. I use mostly Lightroom at this point myself because of the professional workflow advantages and the excellent printing abilities, but I also use other converters when I am not satisfied with the Adobe conversion. Iridient Developer and DxO are the two best alternatives for me to go to when the Adobe conversion lacks. C1 is always so full of bugs from version to version, I hardly bother with it given the other stable options that exist, but some people like it the best.
Bottom line Tom, choose your own poison, but keep your options open on import so you do have options from here forward. I also use a cheap backup drive that I simply copy the original files to as they are imported. You may also want to consider that as well. You can never have too many backup copies of your photographs! :thumbup:
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