Aperture won't read DNG files

Question

Level 1

19 points

Aperture won't read DNG files

I'm sure there's a simple solution I've missed, but Aperture 3 won't open DNG files converted from Olympus RAW (ORF). Any suggestions?

Brian

Aperture 3, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on May 4, 2014 5:34 PM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

200,495 points

May 4, 2014 10:38 PM in response to azartguy

Aperture cannot open compressed DNG files,see the Raw Support page: http://www.apple.com/aperture/specs/raw.html

Aperture works with most DNG files generated from cameras that support this format and with DNG files generated by the Adobe DNG Converter with the “Convert to Linear Image” option turned off.

Try an uncompressed conversion from RAW to DNG.

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Answer 2

azartguy Author

Level 1

19 points

May 4, 2014 11:55 PM in response to léonie

Tried it, but with both "linear" and "uncompressed" selected or deselected, it doesn't work. It's the usual "unsupported image format" issue that seems to dog the Olympus RAW files. Thanks for trying,

Brian

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Answer 3

May 5, 2014 5:55 AM in response to azartguy

You didn;t mention the camera model or the version of Aperture you are using.

Many Olympus cameras are handled natively, no need to convert.

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Answer 4

azartguy Author

Level 1

19 points

May 5, 2014 11:39 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

Aperture 3.5.1 and the camera is the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

And yes, Aperture will convert the RAW/ORF files but the devil is in the details. And since you asked (sort of), here are the details:

I own and have happily used Photoshop CS4 for the layered compositing I like to do, but it won't support ORF files
I tried importing/converting them in Aperture then editing in PS4 ... but Aperture 3 and PS4 don't play together well, so many come back as "unsupported file format"
Apple can't fix the problem and Adobe no longer supports PS4... put another way, Apple can't do anythig but they care, and Adobe could do everything but they don't care
It got worse when I upgraded to Mavericks, so to get around that I had to upgrade to Photoshop CC and pay the monthly "rental"
Aperture and Photoshop now work, but the demands of running them both are beyond my aging iMac that can't be upgraded, so I have to buy a new one, but the monthly fee (which everybody assumes will only go up in cost) + purchase of a new iMac for a guy on a fixed income are too much
So, I thought if I used DNG to convert the ORF files I could import them into Aperture for all the basics and organization, then use PS4 for the compositing... but Aperture won't read the DNG conversions.

And that, as the man used to say, is the name of that tune,

Brian

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Answer 5

azartguy Author

Level 1

19 points

May 11, 2014 4:56 PM in response to azartguy

ADDENDUM TO THE OP:

Since Aperture won't work with the DNG files, and Photoshop CS4 won't work with Olympus ORF files, I've come up with a kludged workflow that lets me use what I have without upgrading the software, buying a new iMac or being chained to an Adobe CC subscription:

ORF> Pictures Folder > Olympus Viewer3 > Save ORF > Convert/export converted TIFF to folder > Save folder to Aperture > Edited TIFF in CS4 > Save edited PSD to Aperture > Delete TIFF versions

Once Viewer converts to TIFF, and those files go into Aperture and are exported to PS4 and brought back, all the "unsupported file format" problems are resolved, I can continue to shoot in RAW, use the great Aperture UI and archiving, use PS4 for compositing, and my weary old 2009 iMac doesn't stall out as it does with the newer software.

And since Viewer creates a copy of the original ORF files in Pictures, and let's me use all the Olympus filters and adjustments to create JPEG conversions that can be exported for Aperture for archiving, I have a backup copy to go with the Aperture projects. It ain't easy, but it works...

Brian

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