.NEF extension?

DH
Posted By
Darrel_Hoffman
Aug 22, 2006
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341
Replies
3
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Closed
A client just sent me a large number of images with an .NEF extension. Photoshop 7 doesn’t seem to want to read them, nor does anything else I have. I know they’re image files. (From some kind of digital camera, not sure which.) Does anyone know of a (preferably free) converter that will make these readable? Or is there some other trick I can use? (Renaming as ..RAW didn’t work. Maybe if I knew the pixel dimensions it might, but I don’t.) Only thing I could find in an online search was a reference to PaintShopPro, which I’m not about to get just for this.
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DH
Darrel_Hoffman
Aug 22, 2006
Okay, I was trying out different file extensions randomly, and when I tried it as a .TIF, I got an image, but it was tiny, 160×120. Now, the files are over 5MB each, so I seriously doubt those 5MB are being used just for a thumbnail size image. I’m guessing it’s some sort of multi-res format, like ..DDS. Possibly the thumbnail is what displays on the camera’s viewscreen? Don’t know if that information helps at all…
AC
Art Campbell
Aug 22, 2006
The Nikon Electronic Format is from a Nikon camera (slight possiblity it’s from a Nikon scanner, but let’s keep it simple)…

Bottom line is that you’re two Photoshop releases behind current, the file is also newer than PS7, and Adobe doesn’t backward-support RAW files. So with your current set up, nothing is going to work. ;- )

Moving forward, I think your choices are:
* Upgrade to PC CS2 and then download and install the free Adobe Camera Raw converter to open the files in RAW format and then save as .PSDs. There is a free 30-day eval version of CS2 you could play with.
* Download Nikon View from the Nikon site and convert the .NEF to another format — which will discard some RAW info, but it may not matter to you.
* You may be able to download Adobe’s DNG converter that converts some RAW file formats to Adobe’s Digital Neg format. However, make sure that your PS7 supports .DNG before you bother.

Art
MD
Michael_D_Sullivan
Aug 23, 2006
PS7 doesn’t support DNG by itself; it may, if the camera raw module was purchased and installed, but I’m not sure about that since I think DNG postdated PS7.

Nikon View should work.

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