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Depending on how appealing you want your real estate photos to be, you can capture them in a compressed file format for posting or in RAW format for post-processing. The following JPEG vs DNG guide will help you determine which file format to use for your camera and post-processing application.
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JPEG (also known as JPG) and DNG are two of the most supported file formats in modern mobile devices. The two image formats are versatile and highly compatible and can be opened and edited by a wide range of image manipulation applications such as Photoshop and viewing applications such as Google Photos and Windows Photos.
JPEG is an abbreviation for the Joint Photographic Experts Group, a digital file format for images. This image format was introduced in the 1990s and has become one of the most common and supported image formats. However, JPEG can still have other varying file extensions such as JIF, JPE, and JPG.
DNG is an abbreviation for Digital Negative, a digital file format for images just like the JPEG. This file format was introduced by Adobe in 2004 as a universal RAW file format aimed at solving RAW format compatibility issues. This file format was created from the standard TIFF 6.0 and is the typical RAW format in mobile devices.
Keeping in mind that your mobile device can shoot in both JPEG and DNG, understanding how these formats compare will help you decide which format to use for your specific editing needs and the available memory card storage.
Even if the two file formats differ in their suitability for editing, they are both developed to be universal digital image formats supported by a wide range of devices and applications, making them have the following similarities.
Although mobile devices and post-processing applications support the two file formats, one contains compressed image data, and the other uncompressed image data, making them have the following differences.
The file size is the amount of memory card space the image occupies when you make a shot. Keeping in mind that shooting in DNGs or JPEGs is mostly in mobile devices, memory card space is an important aspect to consider as many devices won’t support cards larger than 128GB.
There are also higher chances that you will be shooting and saving the files directly to your device’s internal storage, which mainly ranges from 8GB to 128GB. Typically, JPEGs are processed images, and they occupy smaller spaces.
On the other hand, DNG is like the normal RAW file, only that many devices support it. That means DNG files occupy a larger space, almost like the camera RAW files, and you can easily run out of space, especially when shooting in burst mode.
The attractiveness of a real estate property depends on the quality of the photos. However, you might not capture exceptional images with a mobile device as you would with a high-end camera. That means you will want to capture in a format that will allow you to edit and improve the aesthetic looks of the photos later.
A JPEG is a processed image, meaning the image data is compressed, and some image information is lost. That means even with an advanced image manipulation software such as Adobe Lightroom, you have limited data to work on, and you might not be able to significantly improve the looks of the image.
On the other hand, a DNG is a RAW file and contains all the image data captured by your phone’s camera sensor. Typically, this gives you an opportunity to process the data yourself using a RAW editor instead of the camera processor deciding for you. Typically, this gives you the flexibility to manipulate and improve the photo.
You may want to share the photos with your friends or even transfer them from your mobile device to your computer for editing. Although the file transfer speed might vary depending on the device and memory card specifications, it mainly varies with the file size and the number of individual files.
Keeping in mind that DNG files are larger than their JPEG counterparts, they tend to take more time to transfer. Additionally, a single DNG file contains lots of uncompressed data, further increasing the transfer time.
For instance, if the file size of a JPEG image is 4.5MB, and the file size of a DNG image is 45Mb, it takes less time to transfer 10 JPEG images than a single DNG image. Typically, this results from the overhead of negotiating the transfer.
The major distinguishing factor between JPEGs and DNGs is compatibility. Generally, JPEG is the most supported image format. That means you can shoot in JPEG using any mobile device or camera, directly post the photos on websites and social media platforms, and view them on any computer or mobile device photo-viewer.
On the other hand, DNG is not widely supported as you can only shoot in DNG format using mobile devices and not standard cameras. That means you will need a photo-editing application such as Lightroom to convert the camera RAW files to DNG format.
The format is also not supported by web services and some photo-viewing applications, and you might not directly share it without converting it to JPEG.
Keeping in mind that JPEGs are processed images, and the format is supported by most Internet services, applications, and devices, it’s the best format to use in the following situations.
Since the DNG format is basically the RAW format in mobile devices, it’s the best image format to use in the following
Generally, the DNG format is the best to use when shooting real estate interior and exterior photos using a mobile device, as it allows you to significantly improve the quality of the images using a photo-editing program. However, if you are unfamiliar with post-processing or can’t access photo-editing software, a JPEG might be the best choice.
The JPEGs are processed image files, while the DNG files are uncompressed RAW files captured by the mobile device’s camera sensor. Although both image formats are widely accepted, the above JPEG vs DNG guide will help you determine which one is suitable for direct sharing or post-processing.
