OpenRAW#Limitation

Early in 2005, Juergen Specht{{cite web |url= http://www.juergenspecht.com/ |title= Juergen Specht - Photographs: Photos by a German Photographer living in Tokyo, Japan |author= Juergen Specht |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2011-09-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110902035113/http://www.juergenspecht.com/ |url-status= dead }} and the members of his mailing list D1scussion began to identify concerns about the difficulties associated with the proprietary RAW files introduced by camera makers.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/ |title= Welcome to OpenRAW (latest home page) |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100208232200/http://www.openraw.org/ |archive-date= 2010-02-08 }}

The background to these concerns, described at Raw image format (Drawbacks), Digital Negative (Objectives), and dcraw (Motivation), is that the photographs from top-end digital cameras are often contained within files whose specifications are formally known only to the camera manufacturers. Not only does this require extra software development by many companies after the launch of most new camera models, but there is a major risk that future software products will not be able to render photographs from decades earlier.

As the seriousness of the issue was quickly realized, this team founded an initiative called OpenRAW, with the goal of encouraging image preservation and ensuring that the creators of the images retained the choice of how their images are processed.

OpenRAW was launched worldwide via a press release{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/press/release1/index.html |title= For Immediate Release — OpenRAW Web Site Launched |author= Juergen Specht |date= 2005-04-25 |access-date= 2011-10-12 |archive-date= 2012-04-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000822/http://www.openraw.org/press/release1/index.html |url-status= dead }} on 25 April 2005.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/about/index.html |title= About OpenRAW |author= Larry Strunk |date= 2006-03-15 |access-date= 2011-10-11 |archive-date= 2011-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111016211207/http://www.openraw.org/about/index.html |url-status= dead }} There were positive reactions worldwide: for example at DPReview;{{cite web |url= http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042501openraw_website.asp |title= OpenRAW launches website }} many others in English;{{cite web |url= http://photoshopnews.com/2005/04/23/openraw-launched-web-site/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051102013431/http://photoshopnews.com/2005/04/23/openraw-launched-web-site/ |url-status= usurped |archive-date= November 2, 2005 |title= OPENRAW Launches Web Site }}{{cite web |url= http://news.slashdot.org/story/05/04/25/1240219/image-preservation-through-open-documentation |title= Image Preservation Through Open Documentation |date= 2005-04-25 }}{{cite web |url= https://www.zdnet.com/article/photographers-ask-camera-makers-to-open-up/ |title= Photographers ask camera makers to open up |author= Declan McCullagh |date= 2005-04-25 }}{{cite web |url= http://news.cnet.com/Photographers-ask-camera-makers-to-open-up/2100-1041_3-5683936.html |title= Photographers ask camera makers to open up |author= Declan McCullagh |date= 2005-04-25 }}{{cite web |url= http://www.creativepro.com/node/56912 |title= OpenRAW Web Site Launched |date= 2005-04-27 }}{{cite web |url= http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/dmsblog/index.php/2005/05/02/openraw/ |title= An open standard for the camera RAW format has just launched. |author= Seb Chan |date= 2005-05-02}}{{cite web |url= http://www.stockphototalk.com/phototalk/2005/07/sign_up_for_ope.html |title= Leave Your Wife, Sign Up For OpenRAW |author= Andy Goetze |date= 2005-06-21 |access-date= 2011-10-13 |archive-date= 2012-03-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120316012252/http://www.stockphototalk.com/phototalk/2005/07/sign_up_for_ope.html |url-status= dead }} some in German;{{cite web |url= http://www.golem.de/0504/37705.html |title= Freie Rohdaten von Digitalkameras: OpenRAW-Website eröffnet |author= Andreas Donath |date= 2005-04-26 |language= de }}{{cite web |url= http://www.computerwoche.de/index.cfm?pid=254&pk=555954 |title= OpenRAW: Fotografen aller Länder, vereinigt Euch! |date= 2005-04-26 |language= de |access-date= 2011-10-12 |archive-date= 2012-04-05 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120405185321/http://www.computerwoche.de/index.cfm?pid=254&pk=555954 |url-status= dead }}{{cite web |url= http://www.photoscala.de/node/view/926?from= |title= OpenRAW fordert offengelegte RAW-Spezifikationen |date= 2005-04-25 |language= de }} and in Japanese.{{cite web |url= http://www.aivy.co.jp/BLOG_TEST/kobakoba/archives/002758.html |title= OpenRAW (as a GIF) |date= 2005-05-12 |language= ja }}

The OpenRAW initiative identified the seriousness of this problem, articulated it in a way that photographers understood, summarized the solution with their "motto", and created a (non-commercial) global brand ("OpenRAW") which encapsulated all of these. The team were not the first to understand these problems, and didn't claim to be. They were primarily photographers,{{cite web |url= http://www.ccjonesphotos.com/ |title= Calvin Jones Photography |author= Calvin Jones }} (rather than companies with commercial interests in cameras or image processing products, or archivists), with the advantage that they spoke to other photographers in their own language, rather than, for example, the language of archivists.{{cite web |url= http://digitalcuration.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html |title= "Digital Preservation" term considered harmful? |author= Chris Rusbridge |date= 2008-07-29 }}

The OpenRAW initiative raised awareness, or crystallized vague awareness, of these problems with many photographers and organizations worldwide.

Camera manufacturers were made aware of the disquiet about their policies. One of them, Sony, responded with a letter held on the OpenRAW website,{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/node/1530/index.html |title= Sony responds to 2006 RAW Survey report |author= Yasuo Takagi, Sony CS Center Service Quality Department |date= July 2006 |access-date= 2011-10-14 |archive-date= 2011-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111016212204/http://www.openraw.org/node/1530/index.html |url-status= dead }} while others didn't respond when asked. There is no evidence that any of them changed their policies as a result of the OpenRAW initiative.

At OpenRAW's peak there were over 1600 registered individual supporters from across the world, writing in English but sometimes as a second language. Nearly thirty software and hardware companies registered their support, thirty "photographic resources" were supporters,{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/supporters/resources/index.html |title= Photographic Resources supporting OpenRAW |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2012-04-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000621/http://www.openraw.org/supporters/resources/index.html |url-status= dead }} and so were five professional organisations.

Its influence was wider than these numbers would indicate. When it conducted a survey (in English) in 2006,{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/2006rawsurvey/originalsurvey/index.html |title= The Original Survey Page (now nonfunctional) |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2012-04-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000627/http://www.openraw.org/2006rawsurvey/originalsurvey/index.html |url-status= dead }} more than 19,200 photographers worldwide responded to it. (From North America, 46%; Europe, 43%; Asia, 5%; Australia, 4%; Africa, 1%; South America, 1%).{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/press/release3/index.html |title= Survey Press Release |author= Juergen Specht |date= 2006-04-24 |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2012-04-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000633/http://www.openraw.org/press/release3/index.html |url-status= dead }}{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/survey/ |title= The 2006 RAW Survey |author= Calvin Jones |date= 2006-04-25 |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2011-10-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111002163840/http://www.openraw.org/survey/ |url-status= dead }}{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/files/2006rawsurveyreport.pdf |title= 2006 Raw Survey Results |author= Calvin Jones |author2= Juergen Specht |date= 2006-04-29 |format= PDF |access-date= 2011-10-10 |archive-date= 2011-10-18 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111018031423/http://www.openraw.org/files/2006rawsurveyreport.pdf |url-status= dead }} Twenty photography associations, forums, listservs, and other resources worldwide supported the survey.{{cite web |url= http://openraw.org/ |title= OpenRAW home page |author= Juergen Specht |author2=Calvin Jones |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060402213501/http://openraw.org/ |archive-date= 2006-04-02 }}

What these supporters typically have in common was the conviction that people and organizations should reliably be able to access and view their photographs well into the future, and that this requires open documentation of the formats of the files used. While popular image file formats such as JPEG are openly documented, most raw image formats, often used by professional and experienced amateur photographers, are not.

The OpenRAW website, especially the non-forum parts identified above, represent views of many companies and organizations other than camera makers.

The results of the survey continue to be available as a resource, but must be read with caution because it was conducted in 2006.

Another resource, often cited on the web and still pertinent, is an article "The RAW Flaw",{{cite web |url=http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/raw-flaw.shtml |title=The RAW Flaw (at The Luminous Landscape) |author-first1=Michael |author-last1=Reichmann |author-link1=Michael Reichmann |author-first2=Juergen |author-last2=Specht |date=May 2005 |access-date=2011-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108012720/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/raw-flaw.shtml |archive-date=2010-01-08 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.luminous-landscape.com/TheRawFlaw.doc |title=The RAW Flaw (at The Luminous Landscape) |author-first1=Michael |author-last1=Reichmann |author-link1=Michael Reichmann |author-first2=Juergen |author-last2=Specht |date=May 2005 |format=DOC |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920220220/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/TheRawFlaw.doc |archive-date=2012-09-20 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.luminous-landscape.com/TheRawFlaw.pdf |title=The RAW Flaw (at The Luminous Landscape) |author-first1=Michael |author-last1=Reichmann |author-link1=Michael Reichmann |author-first2=Juergen |author-last2=Specht |date=May 2005 |format=PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106132544/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/TheRawFlaw.pdf |archive-date=2011-01-06 }} jointly authored by Michael Reichmann (of The Luminous Landscape{{cite web |url=http://www.luminous-landscape.com/index.shtml |title=The Luminous Landscape |author-first=Michael |author-last=Reichmann |author-link=Michael Reichmann |access-date=2011-10-11 |archive-date=2011-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011104711/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/index.shtml |url-status=dead }}) and Juergen Specht (leader of the founding group of OpenRAW), and published on each website. Permission is given for the text to be copied and republished, with translation if desired, and there are examples in various countries and languages, especially of the "Act Now" call for action: in China (in English);{{cite web |url= http://www.av100fun.com/viewtopic.php?t=5782&sid=d58e7414efb04ed724cc7dd5faad2cc7 |title= Raw Flaw - Please Support |date= 2005-05-25 }} in French;{{cite web |url= http://volker.canalblog.com/archives/2005/05/23/521915.html |title= OpenRaw lance une campagne pour le RAW libre |author= Volker Gilbert |date= 2005-05-23 |language= fr, en |access-date= 2011-10-12 |archive-date= 2011-09-17 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110917055752/http://volker.canalblog.com/archives/2005/05/23/521915.html |url-status= dead }} different versions in Spanish;{{cite web |url= http://www.caborian.com/20050601/lo-malo-del-raw/ |title= Lo malo del RAW |date= 2006-06-01 |language= es }}{{cite web |url= http://www.caborian.com/20050524/el-problema-del-raw/ |title= El problema del Raw |date= 2005-05-24 |language= es }} in Danish;{{cite web |url= http://www.pressefotografforbundet.dk/teknik/index.php?id=1766&action=info |title= Open RAW - skriv til din kamerafabrikant |date= 2005-05-25 |language= da, en }} and in Italian.{{cite web |url= http://www.photorevolt.com/news_id_835.html |title= OpenRAW - Act now! Petizione per un formato RAW libero! |date= 2005-05-25 |language= it |access-date= 2011-10-12 |archive-date= 2012-04-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120425062421/http://www.photorevolt.com/news_id_835.html |url-status= dead }}

The problem identified by the sources identified above can be summarized as: "there is an ever increasing number of undocumented raw file formats". The final paragraph in "The RAW Flaw" on The Luminous Landscape website is:

:"Finally, consider the problems of digital asset management and the cataloging of files. ... The various asset management programs can't hope to keep up with the ever increasing number of proprietary formats. And as time passes and these programs are enhanced, what are the chances that they will still be able to read your older RAW files?"

And it summarizes the solution as:

:"The Solution? There really is only one solution – the adoption by the camera industry of...

:A. Public documentation of RAW formats; past, present and future

:or, more likely...

:B. Adoption of a universal RAW format"

From April 2005, OpenRAW continued to pursue its goal of open documentation of proprietary formats rather than creation of a "universal" file format.

:"We want camera manufacturers to publicly document their RAW image formats - past, present, and future. ... Many have suggested (and Adobe has created) a common, open file format for RAW image files for all camera makers to use as a solution to the RAW problem. A common, openly documented RAW format would fulfill many of the goals of OpenRAW, but is likely to face significant resistance from manufacturers who feel their "creativity" and ability to innovate would be constrained. Open documentation of all RAW file formats by manufacturers is the quickest and most satisfactory way for OpenRAW's goals to be reached."

The phrase "(and Adobe has created)" above refers to Adobe's DNG (Digital Negative Format), launched 7 months before OpenRAW. DNG was designed (among other things) as an archival raw image format and has a published specification.

From April 2006, OpenRAW's stance was opposed to DNG and language supporting DNG initiative was removed from "The RAW Problem" article.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/info/%23solution |title= The RAW Problem |archive-date= 2006-04-11 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060411194520/http://www.openraw.org/info/%23solution }} An article "Notes on the future of Open RAW formats, and a look at DNG" said "DNG is not the answer".{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/node/1482 |title= Notes on the future of Open RAW formats, and a look at DNG |author= Stuart Nixon |date= 2006-04-03 |archive-date= 2006-04-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060421030226/http://www.openraw.org/node/1482 }} Opposition was present in the forum.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/node/1548/ |title= Converting current RAW images to Open RAW |author= (various) |date= 2007-02-03 |access-date= 2011-10-11 |archive-date= 2011-10-11 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111011223102/http://www.openraw.org/node/1548/ |url-status= dead }} In an interview, a founder of OpenRAW said "No, DNG is unfortunately not a solution."{{cite web |url= http://javiergarciadiz.blogspot.com/2011/07/raw-format-captive-photo.html |title= RAW format, the captive photo |author= Javier García Diz |access-date= 2011-10-12 |archive-date= 2012-04-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120425062025/http://javiergarciadiz.blogspot.com/2011/07/raw-format-captive-photo.html |url-status= dead }}

Rather than advocating for the creation of an open file format (such as DNG),{{cite web |url= http://photobuntu.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/on-workflows-openraw-and-dng/ |title= On workflows, openRaw and DNG |author= vivosz |date= 2007-10-23 }}{{cite web |url= http://www.gammag.com/BackIssues/artbgam0611.featphotos |title= Digital Photos (see end) |author= Abhay Sharma, PhD |date= November 2006 |archive-date= 2006-12-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061206143053/http://www.gammag.com/BackIssues/artbgam0611.featphotos }} OpenRAW was seeking specifications for the various proprietary file formats. This stance continued as DNG became better established while camera makers showed no signs of publishing documentation for their raw file formats.

The OpenRAW Mailing List was closed to new members in April 2006.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/lists/index.html |title= OpenRAW Mailing List |author= Juergen Specht |date= 2006-04-02 |access-date= 2011-10-11 |archive-date= 2012-04-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000818/http://www.openraw.org/lists/index.html |url-status= dead }}

The OpenRAW website became inactive in August 2009, but the last post was a year earlier.{{cite web |url= http://www.openraw.org/ |title= OpenRAW home page |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100208232200/http://www.openraw.org/ |archive-date= 2010-02-08 }} By May 2011 a new home page summarized the history of OpenRAW, saying:

:"While the final goal of "Open Documentation" has not yet been reached, the OpenRAW initiative and the survey results have triggered the ongoing development of an "Open" RAW standard which is in the final stages of becoming a reality."

:"OpenRAW had a lot of impact on the world of photography and it continues to aim at improving the situation for photographers and their photographs for years to come."

Niche and some smaller camera makers use DNG as a raw image format, and so conform to OpenRAW's requirement by using an openly documented non-proprietary format.

The larger camera makers, such as Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony, continue to use raw image formats that are not openly documented, and so still cause the problems identified by OpenRAW. A variety of DNG converters enables the undocumented proprietary formats used by the larger camera makers to be manually converted to DNG.

Increasingly, professional archivists and conservationists, working for respectable organizations, variously suggest or recommend DNG for archival purposes.Planning for US Library of Congress Collections: [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/content/still_preferences.shtml Preferences in Summary]dpBestflow: [http://www.dpbestflow.org/node/305 Raw File Formats]universal photographic digital imaging guidelines (UPDIG): [http://www.updig.org/guidelines/ph_file_formats.html File formats - the raw file issue]Archaeology Data Service / Digital Antiquity: [http://guides.archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/g2gp/RasterImg_3 Guides to Good Practice - Section 3 Archiving Raster Images - File Formats]University of Connecticut: [http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/libr_pubs/23/ "Raw as Archival Still Image Format: A Consideration" by Michael J. Bennett and F. Barry Wheeler]Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research: [http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/dpm/dpm-eng/oldmedia/obsolescence1.html Obsolescence - File Formats and Software]JISC Digital Media - Still Images: [http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/advice/choosing-a-file-format-for-digital-still-images/#fo3 Choosing a File Format for Digital Still Images - File formats for master archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116002515/http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/advice/choosing-a-file-format-for-digital-still-images#fo3 |date=2011-11-16 }}International Digital Enterprise Alliance, Digital Image Submission Criteria (DISC) [http://www.idealliance.org/sites/default/files/DISCSPECIFICATIONS2007.pdf Guidelines & Specifications 2007 (PDF)]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}The J. Paul Getty Museum - Department of Photographs: [http://www.yale.edu/digitalcoffee/downloads/speedtheplowmcn2009handout.pdf Rapid Capture Backlog Project - Presentation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610105143/http://www.yale.edu/digitalcoffee/downloads/speedtheplowmcn2009handout.pdf |date=2012-06-10 }}American Institute for Conservation - Electronic Media Group: [http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/emg/library/pdf/vitale/2007-07-vitale-digital_image_file_formats.pdf Digital Image File Formats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214052741/http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/emg/library/pdf/vitale/2007-07-vitale-digital_image_file_formats.pdf |date=2010-12-14 }}Archives Association of British Columbia: [http://aabc.ca/Born_Digital_Photographs.pdf Born Digital Photographs: Acquisition and Preservation Strategies (Rosaleen Hill)]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

• dcraw
• LibRaw

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Category:Digital photography

Category:Organizations established in 2005