Allow conversion from PNG to JPG upon import (or later within Lr)

I'm not asking to add support for PNG. I'm asking to provide internal conversion from PNG to JPG the same way LR allows internal conversion from RAW to DNG.

Raw to DNG is a special case.  We don't provide arbitrary format conversions to/from other types, aside from Export.  I also don't understand why you would need this.  If your original is a PNG, you should archive it that way (its original format).  If you need a JPG for other uses (e.g., sharing), you can convert to JPG during Export.

My understanding is that, like RAW, PNG does not support storing EXIF and IPTC data within itself. One of the major reasons of converting RAW to DNG was to allow the file to store information (as well as to strip away propitiatory manufacturer information). So should a catalog loss ever happen and a backup isn't available, a catalog could be restored from the files themselves. I've tagged my PNG files and saved metadata changes, and all I get is XMP data.

Basically I'm trying to add another layer of redundancy. If you're saying that a catalog can be restored from the XMP data of a PNG just as it could be restored from EXIF/IPTC in other formats, then I have no need for conversion. It was just my understanding that this was not the case based on other forums I've read on Adobe. Thanks

Hi Eugene,

I understand you're trying to add redundancy, but I think that's not a good reason for converting from the originals (PNG) to some other format from within Lr.

Catalogs contain lots of other metadata, besides metadata that is stored within images (as embedded XMP) or as sidecar XMP files. There are many organization-related examples, such as virtual copies, stacks, and collections, and other multi-image-related metadata. XMP metadata is useful for describing single-image metadata, but useless for multi-image metadata. The catalog has a major advantage here that can't be replicated/rebuilt from the individual per-image metadata (embedded or otherwise).

For this reason, for redundancy I contend that there really is no better solution than diligent backups of both the catalog and the photos. The catalog, in particular, is pretty easy to backup; I zip-compress mine (about a 10-to-1 savings in size) and then copy the zip to multiple places (both local and remote).

If you prefer to preserve your PNG captures as JPGs or TIFFs anyways, then you can use Export to export them in that other format, but then immediately re-import them into your Lr catalog (this is an option in the Export dialog, and you can create an Export template to facilitate your PNG to JPG/TIFF conversion). This effectively provides you with a within-Lr conversion utility.

Eric