SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 27, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the Digital Negative Specification, a new unified public format for raw digital camera files. The company also launched a free software tool, Adobe DNG Converter, that translates many of today's popular raw photo formats into the new .DNG file format, compliant with the Digital Negative Specification (see separate press release). Technology leaders, major customers and professional photographers today endorsed the new specification.

Companies

"We believe this new Digital Negative Initiative specification from Adobe will help to move the imaging industry forward and enable more efficient digital imaging workflows. We hope to see DNG adopted widely by all major vendors of digital cameras, equipment and imaging software." -- William Radcliffe, director of technology development, Corbis

"Microsoft has long supported technologies that make it easier for our customers to enjoy digital media on the PC. Adobe's leadership in proposing a universal format for raw digital camera images will do just that. We believe that standards such as DNG are essential to the future growth of digital photography." -- Josh Weisberg, group product manger, Windows digital media group, Microsoft

"As a leader in the digital photography market, HP has been a long-time proponent of industry standards that enable a more rewarding digital photography experience for photographers -- from capture to share to print. The use of raw digital camera files is an exciting development in digital photography, giving photographers unprecedented control over the processing of their images. Unfortunately, the lack of an interoperable standard for raw file formats restricts the use of these files between devices and across workflows. Adobe's introduction of the Digital Negative specification solves this problem, unlocking the true potential of raw files." --Aaron Weiss, director of strategic alliances, Consumer Imaging and Printing, HP

"Adobe is highlighting a valid issue for all photographers shooting digital. A new Digital Negative specification will provide photographers reassurance for long-term archiving needs by unifying a collection of images under a single standard. As a digital asset management solution provider, Extensis encourages the development of an industry standard digital negative for managing raw data." -- Kirk Sadler, director of Digital Asset Management Solutions, Extensis

"DNG addresses a very real problem facing many digital photographers and archivists - the proliferation of undocumented, proprietary file formats is one of the great digital preservation challenges of the day, and Adobe has taken a very important step in promoting best practices and interoperability in a way that is supportable now, and extendable into the foreseeable future. Furthermore, by providing the DNG Converter, leveraging Adobe's significant work in dealing with raw formats, we are given a significant head start in adopting this critical standard." -- Roger Howard, The J. Paul Getty Trust

"At National Geographic we are known worldwide for the excellence of our color photography, and now that raw is emerging as the quality standard for digital photography, we are creating systems that can allow us to integrate raw images into our editorial and production workflow. We applaud Adobe Systems for proposing an open universal raw file format, and hope that digital camera manufacturers will adopt this format standard as an option into their cameras, just as they have already adopted the Adobe ('98) standard for color space camera presets." -- Dennis Dimick, senior editor, Environment & Technology, National Geographic Magazine

"With fully documented, open architecture, Adobe DNG will do for high-end digital photography what PDF has done for document distribution and, at the same time, what PDF has done for long-term document preservation and access. Photographers can distribute DNG files to clients, colleagues, friends, and family without having to also send copies of their camera manufacturer's special raw format image extraction software. In the far-distant future, people will still be able to open Adobe DNG files. The photographs -- and the photographer's place in history -- will have been preserved." -- Henry Wilhelm, Founder and President of Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. www.wilhelm-research.com

Photographers

"Taking the lead by standardizing the ability to archive digital camera files, Adobe continues its tradition of anticipating where the industry is going and what photographers need to improve workflow, save time and conserve precious computer space. Standardizing the digital negative will give photographers a consistent archive format we can count on for the long term-for the future." -- Chris Ayers, professional photographer, corporate and commercial advertising photography

"I don't want my pixels locked in a black box that only my camera vendor can open. I want them in an open, documented format like the DNG specification from Adobe, so people can interpret them long after both I and the camera vendor have left this life." -- Bruce Fraser, author, Real World Adobe Camera Raw

"It should be a matter of concern for the serious shooter that up until now, there has been no coordination among the major camera manufacturers to agree on a universal, standardized raw camera file format. If you are at all concerned about archiving raw files and always being able to open them again in the future, the new DNG (Digital Negative) format is what you have been waiting for. Adobe are doing photographers a huge favor by providing us with an open standard file format which puts our needs and interests first." -- Martin Evening, professional photographer

"Adobe has provided an open source answer to solve the problem of incompatible proprietary raw formats and guarantee the integrity of the intellectual property for future generations. Digital Negative is a format which preserves all of the needed proprietary metadata from the camera manufacturers at the same time providing a universal means of archiving the data for all future generations. I would urge all photographers to embrace DNG as a means of preserving the very integrity of digital photography which can only be beneficial to all photographers and camera manufacturers alike." -- Seth Resnick, owner of Seth Resnick Photography, founding president of the Editorial Photographers Group (EP) and a Canon Explorer of Light

"Processing 'digital negatives' should be as simple as dropping film off at a lab, with one open and public process. Photographers should be able to process any camera's raw files using an open standard that allows for more innovative solutions. Adobe paves the way for a universal standard with the introduction of its DNG specification. We should try to get all of our digital hardware vendors to support it." -- Stanley Rowin, photographer, Boston Massachusetts, Past President, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)

"As a long time photographer and imaging artist, I've waited for somebody to step forward to create a technically excellent and fully documented raw file format. In the early days of digital photography, the technology was so new, photographers didn't even think about the downsides of undocumented and proprietary raw file formats. But now that digital photography is maturing, it's time to develop and adhere to standards for raw camera files for the long range conservation and preservation of digital photography. We really need DNG!" -- Jeff Schewe, advertising photographer and imaging artist

"With its DNG initiative, Adobe is taking a bold and critical leap forward in advancing digital imaging technology. Having a standard digital "negative" is paramount for developing efficient workflow systems, and it is key to enabling photographers and publishers to create the highest quality products. If I had to choose between buying the camera of a manufacturer that used the DNG and one that didn't, I would pick the one that supports the DNG." -- Ethan Salwen, research photojournalist, American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) membership director, contributing writer to ASPP's The Picture Professional

"The Digital Negative format is a striking thrust forward for digital photography. I have been using proprietary camera file formats for almost 15 years. With Adobe's Camera RAW, I can now access many of those images in a unified and deeply interactive manner. The Digital Negative takes this standardization to the next step, a universal and extensible encoding of camera data to empower photographers to really own their own images at the sensor level. This is a very important step forward, which I would urge all camera companies to support." -- Stephen Johnson, owner of Stephen Johnson Photography, designer and teacher