Nikon D50 + NEF + PhotoshopCS = NO GO

photodoug

My research indicates that the Adobe Raw Plugin that includes the Nikon D50 is not available for PhotoshopCS, but rather only works on PhotoshopCS2. Izzis correct? What's a boy to do?

Matthew Saville

photodoug wrote:

My research indicates that the Adobe Raw Plugin that includes the Nikon D50 is not available for PhotoshopCS, but rather only works on PhotoshopCS2. Izzis correct? What's a boy to do?

I wouldn't put it past Nikon to make their D50 NEF's incompatible with all but the latest third party software. It's always an uphill battle to gain NEF compatibility with new cameras and old software.

You can download all sorts of raw converters for CS and ACR, it might be possible to get the D50's NEF's to work. I wouldn't know though, sorry!


Although I can highly, HIGHLY recommend the upgrade to CS2! It's the best $130 I EVER spent on software, hands down...

LASTLY, have you checked out the FREE [beta] version of the new Adobe "Lightroom"? It's the Photoshop comeback to Apple "Apeture", pretty much.

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/

Visit the link; the Mac version is already available and the PC version should be out any day now. Soon it will be published, at which point the trial versions will expire and you will have to pay for a real version. Hopefully it won't cost too much!

Take care,
-Matt-

Bakat

I couldn't get PS 7.0 to see my NEF's either until I installed the goofy little program that Nikon sends with the camera and then *viola* like magic PS 7.0 recognized my NEF's.

Good luck!
Kat

flyingdutchie

photodoug wrote:

My research indicates that the Adobe Raw Plugin that includes the Nikon D50 is not available for PhotoshopCS, but rather only works on PhotoshopCS2. Izzis correct? What's a boy to do?

The latest Adobe Camera Raw, ACR3.3 and higher, are compatible only with CS2... not CS. And, yes, you need the higher versions of ACR for D50-s' NEFs.:uhoh

However, Nikon Software comes with a simple NEF plugin for Photoshop (7 and up?). When you have installed some Nikon imaging software, this plugin will be available for your Photoshop installation. Note that this plugin is waaaaaaaay simpler and much less sophisticated that the ACR from Adobe.

Oakley

I use a FREE program called RawShooter (Essentails) to convert my RAW files to JPEG. It's a great program with bulk conversion. Very handy.

Then I use PSE4 to tweak to taste.

Just thought I'd throw out another option for ya.

photodoug

Matthew Saville wrote:

LASTLY, have you checked out the FREE [beta] version of the new Adobe "Lightroom"? It's the Photoshop comeback to Apple "Apeture", pretty much.

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/
-Matt-

that will be sweet: win beta signup

Matthew Saville

photodoug wrote:

that will be sweet: win beta signup

Hi Photodoug,

I'm already on the "waiting list" for the win version, but thanks for linking it for others! My only fear is that we won't even get to try it at all, because Adobe kept saying the beta would "expire" around May or June when they would release the real version, and that time is fast approaching. The Mac users on the other hand have had months and months of free trial...

____________________________________________

I've paid attention to the direction this thread, concerning making NEF's compatible with older versions of Photoshop, and I have a really strong opinion on this subject...

I think it's almost entirely not worth it to shoot in RAW if you don't have the latest-and-greatest RAW software, such ast one of those "newcomer" softwares from Bibble or Phase One etc, or Nikon Capture / Photoshop CS2.

Without these programs RAW workflow becomes VERY restricted, MUCH more time-consuming than shooting JPG, and quite frustrating overall. With Photoshop 7 for example, You have to open each NEF file individaully, and you are given only VERY limited adjustments to exposure and white balance, nothing else. For a 1000-2000 picture nature expedition, that is just NOT going to happen.

You're much better off spending the time to master your in-camera processing settings and shooting JPG. JPG is a powerful, high-quality image format if left relatively un-edited. In fact it's been prooven many times that if you print a straight, un-edited JPG image it will look better than an un-processed RAW image. So if you use an automated program that simply takes the RAW image and outputs it to a JPG, you're starting with LESS. Sure, the TIFF-like image will withstand a bit more post processing, but ALL post-processing is "damaging" and doesn't compare to RAW, un-damaging processing. You're better off shooting RAW and doing ALL processing directly to RAW image, or just shooting JPG and getting things right the first time.

This is what I did, until I could save up for CS2. I spent a lot of time testing all the different in-camera settings of my D70, and drew many conclusions about which was best used in which situation. I've been able to print wonderful 20x30" prints from JPG images as a result.

I shot RAW from time to time if a particular image was "important", because I knew RAW was the "best format". Having 16-bit data was nice and enabled the images to withstand some pretty hefty photoshopping, but in the end I found that I spent weeks editing all my RAW shots while JPGs were good-to-go after just a few hours and some pre-saved actions.

After buying CS2 and having so much RAW adjustment power at my fingertips, my eyes have opened the rest of the way, and I see just how round-about and constraining it is to use any lesser RAW software. You spend much more time and get almost no discernible advantage in return.


This is of course JUST my opinion. What I've said is truth for me, but does not need to be taken as fact by you.

To be honest, now that I have CS2 I'm glad I shot RAW every now and then "back in the day", because now I can bring up those old DVDs and give new life to so many images I never really had enough processing power to do justice to. So it's a catch-22.

All I can do is to recommend these two things as items every digital photographer MUST eventually do:

- Learn to master the in-camera processing settings.

- Save up for CS2. (or similar)

I still find myself in situations where I need both. For example if I'm with a client and they want me to download images directly to THEIR computer, I have no choice but to shoot in JPG and deliver the highest-quality image straight from the camera.

But when you finally have top-of-the-line RAW processing at your disposal, a whole new world is opened up. That is the world of being able to shoot as we did with film: worry about exposure and NOTHING else, saving yourself much time and frustration in the field by not having to fight with white balance / color space / sharpnes / contrast / saturation BEFORE you take the "keeper" shot, and all from a tiny, highly in-accurate LCD screen... You have to know the capabilities and limitations of your camera, you cannot just blindly shoot RAW and think that everything can be made right on the computer. You must still master the camera before you master the computer. But once you master both, whether you shoot in RAW or JPG, your images will improve while your computer time decreases. In fact shooting RAW in CS2, I hardly ever go into the actual CS2 program anymore- I spend most of my time in Adobe Bridge and the ACR converter, directly outputting from un-damaged RAW data to JPG. My processing time has been more than halved.

Take care,
-Matt-

photodoug

Matthew Saville wrote:

Hi Photodoug,
Take care,
-Matt-

bravo. nicely put opinion....and cool to hear your thought processes. difficult to do a vulcan mind-meld via tcp/ip. points taken and considered.

herion

I have Photoshop CS and ran into the same problem with the 30D. I'm happy with CS and really didn't feel the need to move to CS2.

My trick worked with the 30D CR2 format and may work for you.

Download the latest version of the free Adobe DNG converter.

I converted the CR2 to DNG format and then had no problems whatsoever.

It will probably work with the NEF, but I doubt it will work with anything less than Adobe CS.

Matthew Saville

PhotoDoug, thanks and you're welcome!

Herion, you bring up something I didn't really mention: The differences between CS and CS2 are almost negligible besides the RAW capabilities. In fact there's really nothing I use in the actual CS2 program (other than smart sharpen) that CS doesn't have. The entire advantage to me is in "Bridge", Adobe's new browser that is now a completely stand-alone program that you can open separately from CS2. I can view, process, and output NEFs without even opening CS2!

But like you said, it's a tough call whether or not to upgrade to CS2 if you already have CS and a camera that shoots a "friendly" RAW format.

-Matt-

jthomas

I have PS/CS and both a D70 and a D70s. ACR 2.4 update (the latest one compatible with CS) provides support for the D70 NEF's but not those from the D70s. Following a tip I picked up here or at the Nikon Cafe, I downloaded a free HEX editor and used it to make a very minor change to Camera Raw.8bi: replaced the "D70" with "D70s" in one line, and now it works for both the D70 and D70s NEF's.

I'll be getting a D200 this week, and I plan to try the same trick for it, but I don't really expect it to work.

jthomas

It didn't work, of course, because the D200 NEFs are different from those created by the D70/D70s.

It works for both D70 and D70s because the NEFs are identical.

photodoug

jthomas wrote:

It didn't work, of course, because the D200 NEFs are different from those created by the D70/D70s.

It works for both D70 and D70s because the NEFs are identical.

but a very fine hacker attempt. applause!

ScottMcLeod

Matthew Saville wrote:

I've paid attention to the direction this thread, concerning making NEF's compatible with older versions of Photoshop, and I have a really strong opinion on this subject...

I think it's almost entirely not worth it to shoot in RAW if you don't have the latest-and-greatest RAW software, such ast one of those "newcomer" softwares from Bibble or Phase One etc, or Nikon Capture / Photoshop CS2.

Without these programs RAW workflow becomes VERY restricted, MUCH more time-consuming than shooting JPG, and quite frustrating overall. With Photoshop 7 for example, You have to open each NEF file individaully, and you are given only VERY limited adjustments to exposure and white balance, nothing else. For a 1000-2000 picture nature expedition, that is just NOT going to happen.

You're much better off spending the time to master your in-camera processing settings and shooting JPG. JPG is a powerful, high-quality image format if left relatively un-edited. In fact it's been prooven many times that if you print a straight, un-edited JPG image it will look better than an un-processed RAW image. So if you use an automated program that simply takes the RAW image and outputs it to a JPG, you're starting with LESS. Sure, the TIFF-like image will withstand a bit more post processing, but ALL post-processing is "damaging" and doesn't compare to RAW, un-damaging processing. You're better off shooting RAW and doing ALL processing directly to RAW image, or just shooting JPG and getting things right the first time.

I strongly disagree about the JPEG shooting, but I completely agree with the mastering of in-camera skills. Sometimes I find myself thinking "oh, I'll just fix it later in RAW conversion", which is a BAD HABIT. I need to get away from that, except in situations where I Have no choice.

With software like RawShooter Essentials available for free, and RawShooter pro at a measley 79.99$USD, There's no excuse for not shooting RAW, other than lack of space on memory cards (which has happened to me before).

Just my $0.02, from experiences where i've screwed myself over by shooting JPEG.

photodoug

photodoug wrote:

My research indicates that the Adobe Raw Plugin that includes the Nikon D50 is not available for PhotoshopCS, but rather only works on PhotoshopCS2. Izzis correct? What's a boy to do?

Adobe updated Raw support this month: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html