3/2/2026 | 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Grand Peninsula A

The preservation and repackaging of color and tonal metadata

Author(s)

Coleman Earlywine | University of Kentucky
Henry Dietz | University of Kentucky

Details

Modern raw workflows depend as much on metadata as on pixel values. In earlier work we showed that super-resolution outputs from parsek could display objectionable color and tonal shifts when opened in raw processors due to missing or mismatched metadata. Here we present a practical remedy, KYDNG: a DNG repackaging path that embeds raw image data together with camera consistent metadata, so processors treat the file like the original raw capture. Our implementation writes raw specific metadata tags, the correct CFA pattern and repeat dimensions, and derives camera color information directly from the source raw (ColorMatrix1, AsShotNeutral, White/Black level, make/model, DNG versioning), while also embedding a JPEG preview. We demonstrate that RawTherapee and similar tools then recognize the file as raw and apply their existing camera pipelines, restoring expected color and tonality without bespoke profiles. This approach generalizes to multiple cameras and super-resolution methods by delegating color science to the downstream raw processor via faithful metadata replication and retrieval.