CinemaDNGbased

CinemaDNGbased refers to workflows, technologies, and media that are built around the CinemaDNG format as the core representation of RAW video data. The term describes a pipeline where captures, storage, and processing rely on per-frame DNG files containing sensor data and associated metadata.

CinemaDNG is an open standard for RAW video introduced by Adobe as an extension of the DNG image format. In a CinemaDNGbased workflow, each frame of a sequence is stored as a DNG file, often with a Bayer or other sensor mosaic in the RAW data and accompanying sensor metadata. This allows extensive post-production adjustments (white balance, exposure, color science) with minimal compression artifacts, at the cost of very large file sizes and heavier processing.

Support for CinemaDNG has varied across cameras and software. Some cameras deliver CinemaDNG sequences directly, while editing and grading software may require added tooling or codecs to decode and debayer frames. The workflow emphasizes high-fidelity image capture and flexible color grading, but may be constrained by storage demands and inconsistent long-term compatibility as camera ecosystems evolve toward newer RAW formats.

Comparisons to more modern RAW formats note that CinemaDNG preserves the original sensor data without baked-in processing, contrasting with camera-native proprietary formats that integrate in-camera color science.

See also: Digital Negative; RAW video; debayering; color grading.