Adobe DNG converter is corrupting NEF files. The color is way off and it's not the camera white balance.

Question

I was using the converter for a few months and it was working fine. Now it will convert the files, but the color is really messed. I know it is not the white balance, because the same files convert fine to TIF files through Nikon's software. I am using this converter for Nikon d610 NEF files. Here's a sample DNG and the same image in TIF. Can anyone help? Thanks!

Answer 1

When you use the DNG Converter to make a DNG from an NEF, the DNG Converter applies the default Camera Raw settings.  When I open your DNG it looks fine, but when you open it, it looks off.  That is because you've some how set your Camera Raw defaults to have a bunch of customized settings specific to a particular picture, instead of having them all be normal settings.  Below you'll see what Photoshop is saying the settings of the DNG-Converted-JPG are, with the non-defaults marked in bold.  The main problems are the WB being custom and a bunch of HSL setting changes.
Here is what Photoshop reports that the JPG was created using:
      <rdf:Description rdf:about=""
            xmlns:crs="http://ns.adobe.com/camera-raw-settings/1.0/">
         <crs:RawFileName>hug_8290_0215_1.dng</crs:RawFileName>
         <crs:Version>6.0</crs:Version>
         <crs:ProcessVersion>5.7</crs:ProcessVersion>
         <crs:WhiteBalance>Custom</crs:WhiteBalance>
         <crs:Temperature>5732</crs:Temperature>
         <crs:Tint>+26</crs:Tint>
         <crs:Exposure>0.00</crs:Exposure>
         <crs:Shadows>5</crs:Shadows>
         <crs:Brightness>+50</crs:Brightness>
         <crs:Contrast>+25</crs:Contrast>
         <crs:Saturation>-4</crs:Saturation>
         <crs:Sharpness>90</crs:Sharpness>
         <crs:LuminanceSmoothing>0</crs:LuminanceSmoothing>
         <crs:ColorNoiseReduction>25</crs:ColorNoiseReduction>
         <crs:ChromaticAberrationR>0</crs:ChromaticAberrationR>
         <crs:ChromaticAberrationB>0</crs:ChromaticAberrationB>
         <crs:VignetteAmount>0</crs:VignetteAmount>
         <crs:ShadowTint>0</crs:ShadowTint>
         <crs:RedHue>0</crs:RedHue>
         <crs:RedSaturation>+11</crs:RedSaturation>
         <crs:GreenHue>0</crs:GreenHue>
         <crs:GreenSaturation>0</crs:GreenSaturation>
         <crs:BlueHue>+12</crs:BlueHue>
         <crs:BlueSaturation>+2</crs:BlueSaturation>
         <crs:FillLight>0</crs:FillLight>
         <crs:Vibrance>-6</crs:Vibrance>
         <crs:HighlightRecovery>0</crs:HighlightRecovery>
         <crs:Clarity>0</crs:Clarity>
         <crs:Defringe>0</crs:Defringe>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentRed>0</crs:HueAdjustmentRed>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentOrange>0</crs:HueAdjustmentOrange>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentYellow>+1</crs:HueAdjustmentYellow>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentGreen>+5</crs:HueAdjustmentGreen>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentAqua>0</crs:HueAdjustmentAqua>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentBlue>-9</crs:HueAdjustmentBlue>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentPurple>0</crs:HueAdjustmentPurple>
         <crs:HueAdjustmentMagenta>0</crs:HueAdjustmentMagenta>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentRed>-2</crs:SaturationAdjustmentRed>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentOrange>+14</crs:SaturationAdjustmentOrange>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentYellow>+25</crs:SaturationAdjustmentYellow>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentGreen>+26</crs:SaturationAdjustmentGreen>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentAqua>0</crs:SaturationAdjustmentAqua>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentBlue>+32</crs:SaturationAdjustmentBlue>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentPurple>0</crs:SaturationAdjustmentPurple>
         <crs:SaturationAdjustmentMagenta>0</crs:SaturationAdjustmentMagenta>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentRed>+40</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentRed>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentOrange>+13</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentOrange>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentYellow>+3</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentYellow>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentGreen>+15</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentGreen>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentAqua>+3</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentAqua>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentBlue>+4</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentBlue>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentPurple>0</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentPurple>
         <crs:LuminanceAdjustmentMagenta>0</crs:LuminanceAdjustmentMagenta>
         <crs:SplitToningShadowHue>231</crs:SplitToningShadowHue>
         <crs:SplitToningShadowSaturation>32</crs:SplitToningShadowSaturation>
         <crs:SplitToningHighlightHue>45</crs:SplitToningHighlightHue>
         <crs:SplitToningHighlightSaturation>33</crs:SplitToningHighlightSaturation>
         <crs:SplitToningBalance>+74</crs:SplitToningBalance>
         <crs:ParametricShadows>-39</crs:ParametricShadows>
         <crs:ParametricDarks>-7</crs:ParametricDarks>
         <crs:ParametricLights>-15</crs:ParametricLights>
         <crs:ParametricHighlights>+14</crs:ParametricHighlights>
         <crs:ParametricShadowSplit>25</crs:ParametricShadowSplit>
         <crs:ParametricMidtoneSplit>50</crs:ParametricMidtoneSplit>
         <crs:ParametricHighlightSplit>75</crs:ParametricHighlightSplit>
         <crs:SharpenRadius>+1.0</crs:SharpenRadius>
         <crs:SharpenDetail>25</crs:SharpenDetail>
         <crs:SharpenEdgeMasking>0</crs:SharpenEdgeMasking>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteAmount>-24</crs:PostCropVignetteAmount>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteMidpoint>50</crs:PostCropVignetteMidpoint>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteFeather>97</crs:PostCropVignetteFeather>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteRoundness>0</crs:PostCropVignetteRoundness>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteStyle>1</crs:PostCropVignetteStyle>
         <crs:PostCropVignetteHighlightContrast>0</crs:PostCropVignetteHighlightContrast>
         <crs:GrainAmount>0</crs:GrainAmount>
         <crs:ColorNoiseReductionDetail>50</crs:ColorNoiseReductionDetail>
         <crs:ConvertToGrayscale>False</crs:ConvertToGrayscale>
         <crs:ToneCurveName>Medium Contrast</crs:ToneCurveName>
         <crs:CameraProfile>Adobe Standard</crs:CameraProfile>
         <crs:CameraProfileDigest>51B4314CF8312BA027EF3FC60481FB35</crs:CameraProfileDigest>
         <crs:HasSettings>True</crs:HasSettings>
To fix the problem you're gonna need to reset your camera raw defaults:
And then be careful when saving new camera raw defaults with the menu item just above, that your image has the camera raw defaults applied to it, except whatever small change you want to be the new default.