The specification of the file format is open and not subject to any intellectual property restrictions or patents.

[6] Various professional archivists and conservationists, working in institutional settings have adopted DNG for archival purposes.

[25] Linear DNG is still scene-referred[26] and can still benefit from many of the operations typically performed by a raw converter, such as white balance, the application of a camera color profile, HDR compositing, etc.

Images from the Foveon X3 sensor or similar, hence especially Sigma cameras, can only be supported as Linear DNG.

DNG can contain raw image data from sensors with various configurations of color filter array (CFA).

While this is not an issue when working with images from digital cameras (which are always positive), working with scanned (by a film scanner or DSLR copy stand) film negatives saved as raw DNG files is complicated, because the resultant image is not automatically inverted and thus impossible to be used directly.

A way to get around this is using an inverted curve in the photo editing application, however this reverses the effect of the image controls (Exposure, Shadow and Highlight details, etc.)

This provides a mixture of the dates of significant events (such as "the first X") and various counts of usage at the anniversaries of the launch (each 27 September).

[citation needed] OpenRAW was an advocacy and lobby group with the motto "Digital Image Preservation Through Open Documentation".

A DNG converter must therefore have knowledge of the camera model concerned, and be able to process the source raw image file including key metadata.

DNG conversion typically leaves the original raw image file intact.

[36][37] All raw image file handling products from Adobe now support DNG.

It converts different camera raw format files into the Digital Negative (DNG) standard.

The built-in camera function in the Adobe Lightroom Mobile app saves to DNG format.

There appear to be very few third-party software products that process raw images but don't support DNG.

A timeline: In 2004, Adobe published a "patent license" for DNG that allows everyone to exploit DNG,[55] on the condition that the licensee prominently displays text saying it is licensed from Adobe in source and documentation, and that the license may be revoked if the licensee brings any patent action against Adobe or its affiliates related to the reading or writing of files that comply with the DNG Specification.

[56] In 2009, Adobe states that there are no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements for CinemaDNG, a superset of DNG.

[4] Adobe also stated that if there were a consensus that DNG should be controlled by a standards body, they were open to the idea.