Fast CinemaDNG Processor

High performance software for CinemaDNG processing on GPU

Fast CinemaDNG Processor on CUDA

How to import Blackmagic Raw files to Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Digital cameras from Blackmagic Design company are very popular: Pocket, Micro Cinema, Production 4K, URSA, URSA Mini Pro, etc. But on the latest camera models one can't find standard raw compression algorithm (Lossless JPEG) which is quite common for CinemaDNG format. Blackmagic Design has recently introduced new format which is called CinemaDNG RAW and this is the way how raw data are compressed inside Blackmagic cameras. This is actually visually lossless encoding which offers better compression ratio to increase duration of raw recording. There are two options: Blackmagic RAW 3:1 and RAW 4:1 which are corresponding approximately to 3-times and 4-times compression at certain standard viewing conditions.

CinemaDNG RAW format is not open, that's why many software just can't work with such footages. For example, Adobe Premiere Pro CC software doesn't currently support compressed Raw files from BMD, so it's impossible to import and to edit in Adobe Premiere Pro raw image sequences from Blackmagic cameras. An attempt to import CinemaDNG RAW files into Adobe Premiere Pro leads to the following error message: "Unsupported Format or Damaged File". If user try to import such DNG series via Adobe Media Browser through the Import option, then Media Browser says that it cannot parse the files. Nevertheless, that task could be solved without going to Davinci Resolve.

"Unsupported Format or Damaged File" Problem

On Adobe forum we can see the following topics on that matter:

  • "I have no problems importing the uncompressed Raw but the 3:1 or the 4:1 compression returns an error and I can't import"
  • "Issue importing raw dng (Ursa mini pro) into Premiere"
  • "Cannot Import/Open Cinema Raw DNG Files in Premiere – Help!"
  • "Can't Import Black Magic Ursa Mini Cinema DNG"
  • "Blackmagic Cinema DNG RAW 3:1"
  • "Blackmagic Ursa 3:1 Raw Support In Premiere?"
  • "Support for Blackmagic Ursa 4K / 4.6K 3:1 and 4:1 Raw"

All the above questions are about compatibility between Blackmagic RAW format and Adobe Premiere Pro. Unfortunately that format is uncompatible with Premiere Pro, that's why Adobe users need a solution to import Blackmagic CinemaDNG RAW into Premiere Pro.

The main idea to offer such a possibility is to implement CinemaDNG RAW transcoding to the format which is native to Adobe Premiere Pro CC. It means that transform from Blackmagic RAW 3:1 or 4:1 to CinemaDNG files with Lossless JPEG compression or to Uncompressed CinemaDNG could be a solution for further import.

How to import Blackmagic DNG Raw files to Adobe Premiere Pro CC

CinemaDNG RAW converter pipeline at Fast CinemaDNG Processor

  • CinemaDNG RAW import, parsing, decoding, saving all embedded metadata
  • Export options: Uncompressed CinemaDNG, CinemaDNG with Lossless JPEG, CinemaDNG RAW 3:1, CinemaDNG RAW 4:1, CinemaDNG RAW 5:1
  • Optionally we can add to the converter some more RAW processing: Crop, Curves and Levels, Raw denoising, Bad/Hot pixels removal

CinemaDNG RAW workflow to import Blackmagic footage into Adobe Premiere Pro

  • Run Fast CinemaDNG Processor
  • Load CinemaDNG RAW footage via drag-n-drop or via context menu
  • At Properties widget choose Project output format to be DNG
  • Go to DNG export tab to choose encoding method: Uncompressed or Lossless JPEG
  • Press red button on Player
  • Wait for the transcoding to be finished
  • After transcoding you can find new footage at Output folder with specified encoding

Uncompressed export option includes the following bit depths: 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, 16-bit. For compatibility with Adobe Premiere Pro CC one have to utilize either Uncompressed or Lossless JPEG export options.

Apart from CinemaDNG RAW transcoding scenario, we can apply full image processing pipeline to compressed footage from Blackmagic cameras in realtime on GPU: native support of DNG / CinemaDNG / Blackmagic CinemaDNG RAW formats, fast decoding, high quality debayering, realtime denoising, DCP and LCP profiles, 3D LUT, smooth playback for 4K and much more. Here you can find more info about licensing.