This message is a heads up for all developers of software that reads DNG files:

You need to update your DNG support so your can read DNG version 1.1.0.0 files.

Background: Adobe published the DNG version 1.1.0.0 specification in February 2005, and added READ support for DNG version 1.1.0.0 version files to Camera Raw 2.4 and later. However, the DNG Converter versions 2.4, 3.0 and 3.1 continue to WRITE DNG files with version 1.0.0.0.

As of Camera Raw/DNG Converter version 3.2 (available later this year), Adobe is planning in switching to writing version 1.1.0.0 files, since we are going to start taking advantage of this new version's ability to preserve the black masked pixels that some raw formats (mostly Canon's) store. This change will be transparent users of Adobe software (except users of Camera Raw 2.3 will need to update to Camera Raw 2.4).

However, this will require that third party software be updated to read this new DNG version. The changes required are minimal, and are described in DNG 1.1.0.0 specification.

To assist third party developers in testing their updated support, I'm making a special beta version of the DNG Converter 3.2 available to such developers under NDA. For information on this beta program, please send me an email (click on my name to see my email address).

Thomas Knoll.

Thomas, I can understand the bit about writing Version 1.1.0.0. But, if ACR 3.2 or the 3.2 Converter is dealing with a camera that doesn't need those extra features of 1.1.0.0, will it set the BackwardVersion in the DNG to 1.0.0.0 for those cases?

Hypothetical example: a new innovative camera in 2006 needs a new version of DNG - 2.0.0.0. New DNG Converter writes Version 2.0.0.0. For that camera, presumably it must also set the BackwardVersion to 2.0.0.0. But for new (2006) cameras that happen not to need that feature, will it still set BackwardVersion to 1.0.0.0 or 1.1.0.0 so that ACR 2.4 can read it? Or will all new cameras be unsupported by ACR 2.4, even if it could actually handle them?