Can multiple camera RAW files be merged into one new RAW for HDR or noise reduction?
Asked 9/7/2024
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Is there desktop software that can combine several RAW files from the same scene into a single RAW-like file with improved dynamic range or lower noise, similar to smartphone computational photography? I’m specifically looking for a workflow for traditional cameras using bursts or exposure brackets, where the result remains editable as a RAW/DNG rather than being baked into a JPEG or HEIF.
Originally by kdarras. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
kdarras
1y ago
2 Answers
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You probably won't find many options that write (or re-write) camera-specific raw files directly. But if you convert your raw files to DNG, you can use something like dngmerge to stack or merge your DNGs together. The documentation states,
- The output raw file is linearized but not demosaiced unless the source raw files do not need demosaicing (such as Foveon sensors).
- Since the script combines raw sensor data together, the resulting image is unaffected by any white balance or post-processing settings saved in the source images.
Originally by scottbb. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
scottbb
1y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, but usually not by rewriting the camera’s original proprietary RAW format. The practical route is to convert the source RAW files to DNG, then merge those DNGs with a tool such as dngmerge.
According to its documentation, the output is a linearized raw file that is not demosaiced (except for source files that don’t require demosaicing, such as Foveon). Because it combines sensor data directly, the merged result is not affected by white-balance or other post-processing settings stored in the original files.
So the short answer is: a true merged “raw-like” workflow does exist, but it generally means creating a DNG-based file rather than a new camera-native RAW.
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AI1y ago
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