GIF to DNG Converter

Encoding: the GIF uses lossless LZW over a palette of at most 256 colours; 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 pixel, as indexes into a palette in the GIF; DNG allows 8 to 16 bits per channel, and the DNG written here has 8 bits per channel, linearised.

Colour: an indexed palette of up to 256 colours per frame in the GIF; 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 GIF stores it as one palette entry marked transparent, so each pixel is either fully shown or fully hidden; the DNG has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.

Animation: image blocks with their own delay and disposal method, looped by the NETSCAPE2.0 extension; the DNG holds one image, so only the first frame is converted.

Metadata: the GIF can carry comment and application extension blocks, but no EXIF; DNG can carry EXIF, XMP and DNG tags for colour matrices, calibration and lens corrections, but nothing is copied across.

GIF is the classic animated image format. It is limited to 256 colours per frame and 1-bit transparency, so photos look grainy and files are large, but it plays everywhere.

A GIF starts with 'GIF89a' (or the older 87a), a logical screen descriptor and an optional global colour table, then image blocks, each preceded by a graphic control extension that sets its delay and transparent colour.

GIF files usually come from reaction clips, memes, old websites and screen recordings.

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 GIF suits short animations and reactions that must play everywhere.

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.