What to Know
- An NEF record is an uncompressed photo taken by using a Nikon digicam.
- Open one Microsoft Photos, Apple Preview, Nikon’s NX Studio, or any other photograph viewer.
- Convert to JPG, PNG, DNG, and many others. With some of the ones packages and others like Photoshop.
This article describes what an NEF record is, a way to open one on all of your gadgets, and which applications can convert one to a extra not unusual image format like JPG or PNG.
What Is an NEF File?
An NEF report is a Nikon raw photo report. It is an abbreviation for Nikon Electronic Format, and is used solely on Nikon cameras.
Like different uncooked picture files, NEF files keep the entirety captured with the aid of the digicam earlier than any processing is undergone, together with the metadata like the digital camera and lens model.
The NEF document layout is based on TIFF.
Note: This document format is every now and then known as Nikon Electronic File. The identical acronym is utilized by other technology terms, too, like network efficiency aspect.
How to Open an NEF File
Photos in Windows and Preview in macOS have to be capable of show NEF files. If your pc’s default photograph viewer does not open the record, provide Nikon’s NX Studio software a attempt. Other popular photograph and pix tools must paintings as nicely, like Able RAWer, Adobe Photoshop, IrfanView, GIMP, and AfterShot Pro.
Note: If you are a Photoshop consumer however nevertheless can not open NEF files, you may want to install the ultra-modern model of the Camera Raw plugin that your model of Photoshop helps.
To open an NEF report online so that you do not have to download any of those programs, attempt Pics.Io. Mobile gadgets can open NEF files as properly. Google Snapseed and Photosop Express are examples that could view NEF files on Android and iOS.
How to Convert an NEF File
An NEF record can be transformed to some of codecs using both a unfastened document converter or by means of establishing the report in an picture viewer/editor and saving it to a unique layout.
For instance, if you’re the usage of Photoshop, you may keep the open document back on your pc in codecs like JPG, RAW, PXR, PNG, TIF/TIFF, GIF, PSD, etc.
IrfanView converts NEF to comparable formats, inclusive of PCX, TGA, PXM, PPM, PGM, PBM, JP2, and DCX.
Adobe’s DNG Converter is a free RAW converter for Windows and macOS that supports conversions like NEF to DNG.
Yet every other alternative is to convert the NEF document with Filestar, a laptop document converter that supports dozens of export codecs for NEF documents.
One of the above gear ought to be sufficient, however you could use a unfastened on line NEF converter if you need another method. In addition to Pics.Io is Zamzar, which converts NEF to BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, PDF, TGA, and other comparable codecs.
Still Can’t Open Your File?
The NEF report extension maximum in all likelihood means that you’re handling a Nikon photograph record, however you must be careful while studying the extension to make certain that you’re simply managing a Nikon document.
Some files use an extension spelled plenty like “.NEF” however surely has nothing to do with the format. If you have one of these documents, there’s a actually suitable chance that none of the NEF openers above will work to open or edit the file.
For example, an NEX record is probably effortlessly stressed for an NEF record however it’s now not related to an image format at all however is as an alternative a Navigator document utilized by internet browsers as an add-on document.
It’s a comparable case with NET, NES, NEU, and NEXE files. If you have any report apart from an NEF record, research the file extension (on Google or here on Lifewire) to examine what programs aid commencing that unique record or changing it to a distinctive format.
More Information on NEF Files
Due to how photos are written to a Nikon’s memory card, no processing is finished to the NEF report itself. Instead, changes made to an NEF file alter a set of commands, that means any variety of edits to the NEF file can be made without ever negatively affecting the image.
Nikon has a few extra specifics approximately this file format on their Nikon Electronic Format (NEF) web page.
