# Converting .NEF to .RAW ?



## DenaJoan

I recently shot an event with a friend. I've also recently converted to shooting RAW images (love the freedom for post-process corrections). At any rate, we both shot in RAW mode. I use a Canon, she uses a brand new Nikon. After uploading our files, I have found that I am unable to open her .NEF files. (Not sure if this makes any difference, but I did use a card reader to upload her images.) I am using PS and Bridge CS5.1. I have downloaded all of the most recent updates.

Is it possible that my version of PS (CS5.1) will simply not open the .NEF files from her camera?   Is there a way to convert the .NEF to .CR2 files?

Finally, if I cannot open or convert these .NEF files -- will I maintain more data by converting them to .JPG or .TIFF before editing?

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks so much!!!

EDIT: I know that NEF files are Nikon's version of RAW files.


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## pgriz

You'll probably want to convert the NEF to TIFF.  The CR2 file format is a grab-all for the different file formats Canon uses with its cameras.  Each CR2 file is unique to the specific model of camera, so it doesn't make much sense to convert from NEF to CR2.  Adobe also has a "digital negative" format (DNF) which is supposed to be independent from Canon, Nikon and other proprietary formats.  Adobe has published the specifications of this format, so in that it is more "open".  Don't know how many companies use the format other than Adobe.


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## SCraig

NEF files ARE RAW files.  NEF is Nikon's RAW implementation (Nikon Electronic Format).  Depending on what body she was using then your version of Photoshop probably isn't compatible with the files since newer bodies have slightly different file formats.  She should have gotten Nikon ViewNX2 with her camera or it can be downloaded from Nikon's Web Site and it will read the NEF files and allow you to export them to several different formats.


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## DenaJoan

Thank you so much. I downloaded a converter that will allow me to convert the .NEFs to .TIFFs. That will likely be the way that I go.


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## Tailgunner

SCraig said:


> NEF files ARE RAW files.  NEF is Nikon's RAW implementation (Nikon Electronic Format).



This^


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## DenaJoan

SCraig said:


> NEF files ARE RAW files.  NEF is Nikon's RAW implementation (Nikon Electronic Format).  Depending on what body she was using then your version of Photoshop probably isn't compatible with the files since newer bodies have slightly different file formats.  She should have gotten Nikon ViewNX2 with her camera or it can be downloaded from Nikon's Web Site and it will read the NEF files and allow you to export them to several different formats.



Thanks for your help. If I download ViewNX2 will I be able to open the RAW files in PS? Or will I still have to convert them anyway?


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## SCraig

DenaJoan said:


> Thanks for your help. If I download ViewNX2 will I be able to open the RAW files in PS? Or will I still have to convert them anyway?


No, you'll still have to convert them to a format that Photoshop will recognize.  I'd recommend uncompressed TIF since that is a lossless industry-standard format.


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## KmH

Newer camera's Raw files are not supported by older versions of Photoshop:

Camera Raw plug-in | Supported cameras


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## Derrel

DenaJoan said:


> Thank you so much. I downloaded a converter that will allow me to convert the .NEFs to .TIFFs. That will likely be the way that I go.



A better solution in terms of disk space would be to get Adobe's most-recent free DNG converter software, and convert the Nikon .NEF files to what is called .DNG. .DNG is a pretty space-economical raw format, whereas .TIFF formats are typically huge, uncompressed files.

Here it is for Win-doze: Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows

I'm not "up on" what the cutoff point is for Photoshop 5.1 and its ACR or Adobe Camera Raw module; the ACR module is what "opens" the .NEF and .CR2 files, so that Photoshop can work on them; it's possible that going to Adobe's site and updating your ACR module to the most-recent one will allow your soft6ware to then be able to open her camera's .NEF files.

However, the ACR module is the leverage Adobe has used to force users to buy updated versions of Photoshop. Adobe has simply stopped updating the ACR module from time to time, coinciding with new Nikon and Canon cameras, as a way to leverage (force, extort, whatever word you want to use, it's A DELIBERATE Adobe decision). SO,. if her camera is say, a D600 or D800, you are probably not going to be able to seamlessly open her camera's .NEF files.


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## DenaJoan

KmH said:


> Newer camera's Raw files are not supported by older versions of Photoshop:
> 
> Camera Raw plug-in | Supported cameras



Okay, that solves my mystery. Thanks for your help.


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## Tailgunner

Derrel said:


> DenaJoan said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you so much. I downloaded a converter that will allow me to convert the .NEFs to .TIFFs. That will likely be the way that I go.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A better solution in terms of disk space would be to get Adobe's most-recent free DNG converter software, and convert the Nikon .NEF files to what is called .DNG. .DNG is a pretty space-economical raw format, whereas .TIFF formats are typically huge, uncompressed files.
> 
> Here it is for Win-doze: Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows
> 
> I'm not "up on" what the cutoff point is for Photoshop 5.1 and its ACR or Adobe Camera Raw module; the ACR module is what "opens" the .NEF and .CR2 files, so that Photoshop can work on them; it's possible that going to Adobe's site and updating your ACR module to the most-recent one will allow your soft6ware to then be able to open her camera's .NEF files.
> 
> However, the ACR module is the leverage Adobe has used to force users to buy updated versions of Photoshop. Adobe has simply stopped updating the ACR module from time to time, coinciding with new Nikon and Canon cameras, as a way to leverage (force, extort, whatever word you want to use, it's A DELIBERATE Adobe decision). SO,. if her camera is say, a D600 or D800, you are probably not going to be able to seamlessly open her camera's .NEF files.
Click to expand...


Will CS6 convert NEF files?


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## vikrampathaknewyork

well i used to shoot with Nikon and the best way is to use lightroom and then process your files as you have zoo much more control over colors etc and then edit them as tiff or Psd files.

by fashion photographer new york city Vikram Pathak


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## robbins.photo

DenaJoan said:


> I recently shot an event with a friend. I've also recently converted to shooting RAW images (love the freedom for post-process corrections). At any rate, we both shot in RAW mode. I use a Canon, she uses a brand new Nikon. After uploading our files, I have found that I am unable to open her .NEF files. (Not sure if this makes any difference, but I did use a card reader to upload her images.) I am using PS and Bridge CS5.1. I have downloaded all of the most recent updates.
> 
> Is it possible that my version of PS (CS5.1) will simply not open the .NEF files from her camera?  Is there a way to convert the .NEF to .CR2 files?
> 
> Finally, if I cannot open or convert these .NEF files -- will I maintain more data by converting them to .JPG or .TIFF before editing?
> 
> Any help is much appreciated. Thanks so much!!!
> 
> EDIT: I know that NEF files are Nikon's version of RAW files.



If your using Adobe bridge and photoshop as I recall all you need is the latest Camera Raw update from adobe:

Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows : Camera Raw 6.2 update

That will update bridge and photoshop so they can process the NEF file format for you.


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## 480sparky

vikrampathaknewyork said:


> well i used to shoot with Nikon and the best way is to use lightroom and then process your files as you have zoo much more control over colors etc and then edit them as tiff or Psd files





Hopefully you're done posting links to your website.


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## KmH

Many camera maker Raw files are proprietary. The only open source Raw file type is DNG. Digital Negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Some camera makers use DNG as their Raw file type. Nikon and Canon Raw file types are proprietary.
Adobe has to reverse engineer the proprietary Raw file type that each new model of camera has. The camera makers do not help Adobe do that.

Adobe provides a free DNG converter that allows anyone to convert a proprietary raw file type to DNG. Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows
So no one is forced, extorted, leveraged, what ever word you want to use, to buy updated versions of Photoshop.

Few software makers continue supporting and updating software after an upgrade becomes available.

Back in the day (mid 1920's) General Motors borrowed the concept of "planned obsolescence" from the bicycle industry. GM instituted annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new car every year. Ford didn't do the same. And it worked as GM hoped - GM sold more cars than Ford for the first time in 1931.


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## TCampbell

KmH said:


> Many camera maker Raw files are proprietary. The only open source Raw file type is DNG. Digital Negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> Some camera makers use DNG as their Raw file type. Nikon and Canon Raw file types are proprietary.
> Adobe has to reverse engineer the proprietary Raw file type that each new model of camera has. The camera makers do not help Adobe do that.



Unlike TIFF, JPEG, several other image formats, RAW is more of a "concept" than a "file format".  RAW says that the camera won't do anything to the image which results in a loss of original data.  Compression is allowed as long as it's a non-lossy compression.  

.CR2 files aren't just different than Nikon .NEF files... each specific camera model actually can have a different file format.  There are actually LOTS of ".CR2" formats and updates are released all the time.  Next year, Canon and Nikon will likely release some new camera that "this year's" software won't be able to read until the software is updated.


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## Derrel

KmH said:
			
		

> So no one is forced, extorted, leveraged, what ever word you want to use, to buy updated versions of Photoshop.
> 
> Few software makers continue supporting and updating software after an upgrade becomes available.
> 
> Back in the day (mid 1920's) General Motors borrowed the concept of "planned obsolescence" from the bicycle industry. GM instituted annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new car every year. Ford didn't do the same. And it worked as GM hoped - GM sold more cars than Ford for the first time in 1931.



Utter nonsense. Adobe determines that certain camera releases mark, "The end of the line," for millions of customers who use anything EXCEPT the very-newest versions of their software.

And a little tip, when you try to prove a point, try not to provide an example that utterly DIS-proves your point. Your little "*planned obsolescence*" example only proves my point; namely, that Adobe has forced,leveraged,extorted its users to continually update software in a deliberate, planned way that benefits only Adobe, and not their customers. Your point about General Motors using "planned obsolesence" is EXACTLY what Adobe has done for years now...simply forced users to buy newer and newer versions of software that users had ALREADY bought. It's hard to understand why *you continually rush to defend Adobe's predatory practices* on this forum,time after time, and fail to see what the rest of ther world knows is true...


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## mipo

KmH said:


> Many camera maker Raw files are proprietary. The only open source Raw file type is DNG. Digital Negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> Some camera makers use DNG as their Raw file type. Nikon and Canon Raw file types are proprietary.
> Adobe has to reverse engineer the proprietary Raw file type that each new model of camera has. The camera makers do not help Adobe do that.
> 
> Adobe provides a free DNG converter that allows anyone to convert a proprietary raw file type to DNG. Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows
> So no one is forced, extorted, leveraged, what ever word you want to use, to buy updated versions of Photoshop.
> 
> Few software makers continue supporting and updating software after an upgrade becomes available.
> 
> Back in the day (mid 1920's) General Motors borrowed the concept of "planned obsolescence" from the bicycle industry. GM instituted annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new car every year. Ford didn't do the same. And it worked as GM hoped - GM sold more cars than Ford for the first time in 1931.




An intersting feature of DNG is that it has "Early Corruption Warning", it test for corruption before converting and will warn.
It also has a DNG Hash built in the result file and it validates that the image data has not changed since the DNG file was created.
(Reference from "Adobe Lightroom 5 Missing FAQ" book from Victoria Bampton.
This feature is what convince me to convert to DNG.


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