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How to convert nef files in photoshop


Open NEF Files in Photoshop With Ease - Info

When we take a look at our gallery with some of our best memories stored, we realize that it definitely manages to put a good spin on our entire day. And why shouldn't it, after all, they are pictures of good times – inspiring moments, moments with friends, family, creativity at its motivational crescendo. Each of these moments has their own special place in our hearts and memories.

But, every now and then we feel the need to add just a little touch of perfection to these photos. That is where the need to find the quickest and easiest way to utilize photoshop and its features come in handy.

So, what do you do when you have a NEF file that you need to photoshop. The answer is simple – curious? Read further to know and have some of your favorite memories perfected easily.

To begin, note that NEF is not Greek or Latin it's a simple abbreviated for Nikon Electronic Format. I think you have already made the connection and have figured out that it is only used on Nikon Cameras. Now the main question arises i .e, can you open a NEF file in photoshop? The answer is 'Yes' you can.

Now that you know you can open NEF files in photoshop the immediate following question that arises is how do I go about it.

Well, there are different ways to open NEF files and each of them is simple. All you need to do is read the entire article, pick the one that suits your photoshop need and follow the simple steps.

Opening NEF file Online:

1. Let's begin with knowing that if you are not interested in downloading your NEF file but instead you want to open it online then all you need to do is go to Pics.io

2. When you go to Pics.io you can on the main page either drag and drop images or click on Open files. Once you open the file or drag and drop the image, click on the convert button at the bottom right side of the screen. You might be wondering why do I need to convert my photo and convert it into what? Relax the reason your file is getting converted is because NEF file can be a few months or years old and it can be precise to the model of your Nikon camera. Compatibility is important between the file version and the app when you want to make changes in the images. In this app, your NEF file is first getting converted into a JPG file. And you will find that your file has been converted when you click on the Convert button. Also, know that none of the photos have been uploaded because this is not a server based converter. Now you can go ahead and make the changes you want to, whether it is the size or the quality.

3. Once, you have made the necessary changes on your photos you can either upload it on Google drive, share it directly on Facebook or save it. But remember, that this is a paid app. That can help you convert your photos from NEF to JPEG or JPG file and then use the photoshop features.

Using Adobe Photoshop:

1.  Whenever your NEF is with a NEF file extension know that it has become a RAW image file to be more specific it is a Nikon RAW image file. You might be wondering why do you need to have a file extension. You need it because a file extension will always help a system such as Windows to ascertain which is that program on your computer that particular file is connected with.

2. Now that your NEF file is a RAW file it only gets easier to open it in Photoshop. You will have to check the compatibility with the version of your NEF file and your version of Adobe photoshop. At times your RAW file information can be precise to the model of your Nikon camera model. In such a case, you might have trouble opening your file in Adobe photoshop. Don't worry! Every problem has a solution, in this case, all you need to do is convert your file type into a different one. It is always wise to convert it into a file type that can be compatible with every version of photoshop. It is commonly suggested that you should have it converted into DNG file type.

3. To know how to go about converting your file type into a DNG file type all you need to do is download the Adobe DNG converter. Once, you have downloaded it, double click on the installation package and install it on your computer. Remember, the Adobe DNG converter is compatible with both Windows and Mac. Navigate on your installation pack and you will find Adobe DNG converter, double-click on it to launch it.

4. Once, you have downloaded, installed and launched it on your computer, click on Select Folder and select the one you wanted to make changes in. Just below that in the same window, you will find a Select location to Save Converted images. Below that you will find Select Name for Converted images you can choose a different name to save it in. Once you are done with choosing your preferences to click on Convert. When it is done click OK. And when you look at your folder you will find that it says your file RAW file which was your original file and a DNG file which is your new converted one. You will now be able to open your DNG file in Adobe photoshop and make the changes you want to.

There are times when you are going through your photos and you realize that some of your photos are missing or deleted, in such a case you can always find out how to restore NEF files from Nikon easily. This article will give you a step by step guide so that you can enjoy the best of your memories.

John Harris

Senior Editor, Content Analyst and a fan of exceptional customer service. John develops and publishes instructional and informational content regarding partition management, Windows hot-fixes, data management and computer troubleshooting.

As a tenured data recovery specialist, John shares exceptional insights and blog posts about data loss and data recovery across any storage device. With 8+ years’ experience in writing for Data Recovery for both Mac OS and Windows OS computers, he is an avid learner who always wants to polish and simplify the data recovery process. John passes his free time playing Chess and reading Science Fiction novels.

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Adobe Digital Negative Converter

The Adobe DNG Converter enables you to easily convert camera-specific raw files from supported cameras to a more universal DNG raw file. Another benefit of using the DNG Converter is backward compatibility.

For conceptual information about raw files and the DNG format, and to understand why you should convert your files to DNG, see the Appendix.

Adobe provides backwards compatibility for the latest cameras for use in older versions of Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, After Effects, and Photoshop Elements through the DNG Converter.

macOS Windows
Download latest DNG Converter for macOS Download latest DNG Converter for Windows
Processor
 Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support or M1 Apple Silicon processor
 Processor Intel®, AMD, or ARM processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor
Operating System macOS Big Sur (version 11) or later
 Operating System Windows 10 (version 20h3 or later) or Windows 11 (version 21h2 or later)
  1. Open the downloaded file and double-click the DNG Converter executable file.  
  2. Follow the onscreen instructions.

The DNG Converter is now available in your Programs (Windows) or Applications (macOS) directory. The installation utility is designed to also install a set of color profiles required for the DNG Converter to function properly. These profiles are copied to a common resource location.

Specify compatibility preferences

To change compatibility preferences, follow these steps:

  1. In the Preferences section of the DNG Converter dialog box, click Change Preferences. 
  2. Choose one of the following options:

    Camera Raw 2.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 2.4 (Photoshop CS) and later, and Lightroom 1.0 and later
    Camera Raw 4.1 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.1 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 1.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 4. 6 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.6 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 2.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 5.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 5.4 (Photoshop CS4) and later, and Lightroom 2.4 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 6.6 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 6.6 (Photoshop CS5) and later, and Lightroom 3.6 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 7.1 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 7.1 (Photoshop CS6) and later, and Lightroom 4.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 11.2 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 11. 2(Photoshop 20) and later, and Lightroom 8.2 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 12.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 12.4 (Photoshop 21) and later, and Lightroom 9.4 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Camera Raw 13.2 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 13.2 (Photoshop 22) and later, and Lightroom 10.2 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.
    Custom:

    • Backward Version: DNG 1.1, DNG 1.3, DNG 1.4, or DNG 1.6 (default 1.6)
    • Linear (demosaiced): The image data is stored in an interpolated ("demosaiced") format. This option is useful if a camera's particular mosaic pattern is not supported by a DNG reader. The default mosaic format maximizes the extent of data preserved. Mosaic image data can be converted to linear data, but the reverse is not possible.
    • Uncompressed: No compression is applied to the raw image data.

Video | The advantages of the DNG file format

For a video walkthrough of converting your raw files to DNG using the Adobe DNG Converter, see 7:12-9:44 in this video...

A raw file contains the "raw" data captured by the digital camera sensor before it has been converted to JPEG or TIFF formats. Cameras that create JPEG or TIFF files process (and in the case of JPEG files, compress) the sensor data. When working with raw files, the file is not compressed or processed in the camera. Instead, software gives the user complete control over the conversion settings. For example, white balance is not applied to the raw file but is stored with the file so the software can default to the originally-intended setting. Other information contained in a DNG file includes standard EXIF metadata (just like in JPEG files), date, time, camera used, and camera settings.

Raw files offer the following benefits:

The Digital Negative (DNG) format

Digital Negative (DNG) is an openly published raw file specification that stores the "raw" pixel data captured by the digital camera sensor before it has been converted to JPEG or TIFF formats, along with standard EXIF metadata, date, time, camera used, and camera settings. This format is freely available for other software and hardware vendors to support.

Why convert to the DNG format?

Unlike most manufacturer-specific raw formats, the Digital Negative is an openly published specification that not only is supported by Adobe, but is also freely available for other software and hardware vendors to support. Consequently, it can be a safer file format to use for long-term archival purposes. Archiving your file as a digital negative eliminates worries that the raw file will no longer be readable once the camera format that created it becomes obsolete.

The Digital Negative specification allows for not only all of the pixel information stored in current raw formats, but also for all of the additional, proprietary metadata that many manufacturers include. The Adobe DNG Converter may, in some cases, ignore some of this proprietary metadata, and only include the basic information necessary for creating a high-quality image file. The original raw file, however, can also be embedded in the new DNG format to ensure that proprietary metadata from the manufacturer is not lost.

NEF to DNG Converter is the Best Solution for Easily Editing NEF Files

Last updated November 26, 2021 by Peter Wood

What should I do if I can't open NEF files in my Photoshop? How to convert NEF to DNG for further editing? NEF is a Nikon digital camera RAW format that cannot be edited with Photoshop or other photo editing software. Learn more about the benefits of converting NEF to DNG and the best practices for converting NEF files from the article.

Part 1: Why should you convert NEF to DNG?

NEF is the file extension for RAW photo files manufactured by Nikon cameras. Like other RAW image files, NEF can store everything captured by the camera's processor, including metadata.

DNG, short for Digital Negative file, is an open source RAW file format created by Adobe. Basically, it is a standard RAW file format available to a wide range of camera manufacturers and image editors.

Here are some reasons why you should convert NEF to DNG:

1. compatible. Cameras from different manufacturers can create RAW files in various formats. For example, NEF is Nikon's RAW file extension. CR2 from Canon. The DNG format is open source and is not limited to a specific manufacturer or photo editors. Thus, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and other programs support the DNG format.

2. File size . DNG files are about 20% smaller than RAW files, but do not lose quality.

3. Save data file . XMP is a metadata file for each RAW source file. It will contain instructions on how to process the file. The advanced photo editor can adjust the exposure and temperature based on the XMP file. DNG files can store XMP data along with your photo, so you no longer need to save XMP files.

4. Detect file corruption . The DNG format can detect file corruption while RAW files cannot.

Part 2: How to convert NEF to DNG format

Adobe DNG Converter is a special DNG converter program developed by Adobe. Of course, it allows you to easily convert NEF to DNG on both Windows and Mac.

Step 1 : Open the NEF to DNG converter and click the Select button Folder button Folder to import the folder that stores the NEF files you want to convert. You can also drag NEF files or an entire folder onto the converter icon to open them directly.

Step 2 : Go to the "Select a location to save the converted images" section. You can decide Save in the same location or hit Folder selection to set a different destination folder.

Step 3 : Set the file name rule to Select the name for the section of converted images. And don't forget to select DNG in the File Extension drop-down list.

Step 4 : If you want to change user settings, click icon Change preferences button to get them in Settings dialog. The Compatibility option, for example, allows you to create DNG files for different versions of Photoshop and Lightroom.

Step 5 : When you're ready, click the Convert button to convert NEF to DNG. After that, you can manage photos or edit RAW files in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Warning : Adobe DNG Converter is just a NEF to DNG converter. It does not provide other features such as photo management.

Part 3: Best alternative to convert NEF to DNG

If you need to edit NEF files, you can choose JPEG or TIFF file instead of DNG as they are used in all photo editors. What's more, you can keep the original photo quality. WidsMob Viewer Pro is one of the best alternatives to NEF to DNG Converter to view NEF/DNG files and convert photo formats.

1. Convert NEF or DNG format to JPEG / TIFF / BMP files without quality loss.

2. Batch process to convert multiple NEF / CR2 / DNG / HEIC files at the same time.

3. View NEF in various modes and even manage your photos easily.

4. Provide extensive additional tools such as photo editing, filters and slideshows.