DDS to DNG Converter

Encoding: the DDS uses block compression (BC1 to BC7, also called DXT) or uncompressed RGBA; DNG uses lossless (or lossy) JPEG-compressed sensor data, plus optional JPEG previews, and the download is a Linear DNG: demosaiced 8-bit RGB with the colour matrices raw editors need.

Bit depth: 8 bits per channel for common texture formats in the DDS; DNG allows 8 to 16 bits per channel, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised.

Colour: RGB(A); normal maps and packed masks store data rather than colour in the DDS; DNG supports camera RGB plus the colour matrices that map it to XYZ (demosaiced linear RGB in a Linear DNG), written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the DDS stores it as alpha inside the compressed blocks (BC2, BC3, BC7) or a 1-bit cut-out (BC1); the DNG has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.

Other images: the DDS can hold mipmaps, cubemap faces or texture arrays; only the main image is converted.

Metadata: the DDS can carry a 128-byte header (plus a DX10 header) describing the pixel format, nothing about the picture; DNG can carry EXIF, XMP and DNG tags for colour matrices, calibration and lens corrections, but nothing is copied across.

DDS is a GPU texture format used by DirectX games. It stores block-compressed textures (DXT/BC) and mipmaps that graphics cards decode directly.

A DDS file starts with 'DDS ' and a 124-byte header giving the size, mipmap count and pixel format: a FourCC such as DXT1 or DXT5, or 'DX10' followed by an extra header naming a DXGI format. The largest mipmap comes first.

DDS files usually come from DirectX games, game mods and texture tools such as NVIDIA Texture Tools and Intel's texture plugin.

DNG is Adobe's openly documented raw format. Some cameras and phones record it directly, Adobe DNG Converter turns other brands' raw files into it, and a Linear DNG holds already-demosaiced RGB that raw editors treat like any other raw file.

DNG is built on TIFF/EP. The raw image sits in a sub-IFD marked as the main image, with tags for black and white levels, colour matrices and the colour filter pattern; a Linear DNG (PhotometricInterpretation 34892) stores demosaiced RGB instead of a mosaic. Previews are optional, and Adobe DNG Converter can write a medium (1024 px), full-size or no preview.

DNG is the better choice for raw editing and archiving raw files in an open format, while DDS suits game textures and mods.

DNG strengths: Open specification read by every raw editor; Lossless compression and optional previews; Recorded directly by Leica, Pentax, DJI drones and phones. Drawbacks to weigh: Large files; No browser or ordinary photo viewer support on every platform.