PixelShift2DNG: Convert Sony and Pentax Pixel Shift Files to DNG

PixelShift2DNG Release

In order to streamline the workflow with the raw shots taken in the new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode offered by the Pentax K1(-II)/K3-II/KP and Sony A1/A7R-III/-IV/-V/C-R cameras, and provide a way to use popular RAW converters (Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom, Capture One, and some others) for processing these shots, we’ve developed the PixelShift2DNG application, which converts Sony and Pentax shots taken in Pixel Shift mode to DNG, supported by most (but not all) RAW converters.

PixelShift2DNG performs the two following tasks:

• Combine 4 (or 16 for A7RM4/A1) source ARW files taken in Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode and save the result as a DNG;
• Convert ARQ file formats (and ARW 4/16 file groups previously combined into one file by the program Sony Imaging Edge) or 4-shot PEF/DNG containers (taken with Pentax K1/K1-II/K3-II/KP cameras) to regular DNG files.

The resulting DNG files can later be processed in familiar applications like Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw, CaptureOne, Iridient Developer, Luminar, and others.

We've decided to keep PixelShift2DNG as a FREE application.

Download Links

Changelog

• 1.1.11: minor macOS 15.x Sonoma compatibitlity fixe; Added support for Sony A1-II (we do not have PixelShift mode samples from this camera yet)
• 1.1.10: Sony A7C-R preliminary support
• 1.1.9: Improved support for Sony A7R-V
• 1.1.8:
  • LibRaw updated to actual version
  • Sony A7R-V preliminary support
• 1.1.7:
  • LibRaw updated to actual version
  • Pentax K-70 preliminary support
  • For unknown cameras: valid ActiveArea and DefaultCrop tags generation
• 1.1.6:Better handling of macOS dark theme
• 1.1.5:Sony A7-IVA preliminary support
• 1.1.4:Sony A7R-IIIA preliminary support
• 1.1.3:Sony A1 support finalized(2): embedded DNG colordata updated to match latest Adobe software
• 1.1.2:Sony A1 support finalized: support for 16-shot/APS-C; garbled pixels on right edge cropped out.
• 1.1.1: Improved Sony A1 support: support for 4-shot/APS-C crop mode, color data improved
• 1.1.0: Initial Sony A1 support. macOS: universal binary build (Intel/ARM). Qt updated for 5.12.10 (non-legacy builds only)
• 1.0.0: No changes, only version increment and Release labeling
• 0.9.19: Fixed last-minute bug introduced in RC2 and resulting in extremely slow processing of Pentax files w/ Windows version. ReleaseCandidate3
• 0.9.18: Timelimit removed, ReleaseCandidate2
• 0.9.17: Processing speed improved; release candidate version
• 0.9.16: Sony A7R-IV Colordata updated to match Adobe calibration; processing speed improved
• 0.9.15: Set file date to the same as the source file setting will assign source file created/modified time/date to the output file
• 0.9.14: Pentax KP support; Extended color data for Sony A7R-IV
• 0.9.13: 'Do not ask again' option on Multiple Worker mode was reset on Prefs change.
  
  High memory usage warning, suggest single worker mode warning: will occur only if estimated memory usage is greater than 60% of installed RAM.
• 0.9.12: Fixed crash in Multiple Worker mode.
  
  New option: Preferences - Mark output files as locked(Mac)/read-only(Windows)
• 0.9.11-78: Fixed bug that prevents Count(04/16) filename generation option from working right. After update please re-select [frame count] option (this is new name for old Count 04/16 variant) from the drop-down.
• 0.9.11: Sony A7RM4 support finalized; Filename generation: option to add merged frames count into generated file name.
• 0.9.10: Almost complete support for Sony A7RM4 (both 4-shot and 16-shot modes).
• 0.9.9: Preliminary support for Sony A7RM4 (4-shot mode only).
• 0.9.8: Support for Penax K1/K1-II/K3-II cameras
• 0.9.7: Beta version expire date moved to May 01, 2019: we're working on Pentax K1 support, but it is not ready yet.
• 0.9.6 Beta:
• YYmmdd and YYYYmmdd file naming scheme implemented
• Single-worker mode implemeted (for I/O limited storage, e.g. USB disks)
• Preferences - Reset Defaults button.
• 0.9.3-0.9.5: Beta version expire date moved to 15 Jan 2019: we're working on Pentax K1 support, but it is not ready yet.
• 0.9.2: better handling of file names set in non-default language (locale)
• 0.9.1: Added DNG ActiveArea tag to set mandatory cropping area
• Better font size auto-selection on 1st run
• Better Sony metadata handling

Application Manual

For a detailed information on how to install and use PixelShift2DNG application please download and read the manual: PixelShift2DNG-Manual-ENG.pdf (the same manual comes with every download of this application and available via PDF Manual button in program main screen bottom button row)

System Requirements

• OS and Processor*:
• Windows 7 – Windows 10, 64-bit;
• Mac OS X/macOS 10.6-10.15, 64-bit processor (so, all Intel Macs, except for some models from 2005-06 with Core Solo and Core Duo processors).
• Screen resolution no less than 1600x900.
• 50MB of disk space for the application.
• Disk space for writing DNG files (110-140MB per file)

Feedback

Please send us feedback regarding this application in our forum or using separate feedback page section.

If you have files that the PixelShift2DNG isn't working well with, please share them with us via Dropbox/Google Drive/WeTransfer and send a link to ps2dng-feedback@libraw.com

Why to Use Sony Pixel Shift Multi Shooting Mode and Our PixelShift2DNG

The new Sony A7R-III has a new mode in it, the Pixel Shift Multi Shooting, in which the camera takes 4 consecutive shots applying a one-pixel shift between the shots. With ordinary RAW files taken with a regular Bayer sensor, only one of the four RGBG color channels is sampled in each pixel location. To guess the unknown color data, we need to preform demosaicking. However, by performing one-pixel shifts of the sensor during the shoot, we can sample information about all four color channels at each pixel location. Thus, we don’t need to demosaic during the conversion anymore, which decreases moiré, improves resolution, and we have an option to average the green channels for every location, improving the dynamic range in the combined channel by approximately half a stop (obviously, one can only shoot static scenes in such a mode).

The workflow for processing files taken it Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode suggested by the manufacturer (Sony) is as follows: combine four ARW files into one ARQ file using the Sony Imaging Edge Viewer application and process the resulting ARQ file in the Sony Editor.

Aside from Sony programs, ARQ files are supported by beta versions of RawTherapee, RawDigger and FastRawViewer (this list may be incomplete). However, it isn’t supported by some very popular RAW conversion applications like Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom, Capture One,…

So, now we offer PixelShift2DNG, which allows to analyze Sony A7R-III shots, separating Pixel Shift groups (4 ARW files) and ARQ files, and convert them to DNG.

* There is no 32-bit version right now: to work, the program needs 700+MB of free RAM, which is unlikely on a 32-bit system.