Convert NEF to JPG
A Pro feature: develop Nikon RAW files in the browser and share the result.
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How it works
Add your images
Drag and drop, paste, or pick files. They upload over an encrypted connection.
Pick a quality or a target size
Use the quality slider, or tell it exactly how many KB or MB you need.
Download
Save each file, or grab them all at once as a ZIP.
NEF, the Nikon Electronic Format, is what Nikon cameras save when you shoot RAW. A NEF holds twelve or fourteen bits of sensor data per pixel, far more than a JPG can show, which is why photographers keep them. It is also why you cannot just attach one to a message: almost nothing outside Nikon's software and RAW editors will display it.
Add a NEF here and it is developed into a JPG at the camera's full resolution, with the white balance the camera measured and the orientation it recorded. A portrait-format file from a D70 that we used for testing came back upright and correctly coloured in under a second.
Nikon's Picture Control settings (Standard, Vivid, Portrait and the rest) and Active D-Lighting are instructions for Nikon's own processing, so they are not applied; the result is a neutral rendering. Raise contrast or saturation in the editor if you want it livelier, or choose a smaller size for sending. The page also accepts NRW files from Coolpix cameras. RAW development belongs to the Pro plan. NEF uploads travel encrypted and are removed from our servers within one hour.
The NEF variants your camera menu offers
Under NEF (RAW) recording, a Nikon lets you choose how the sensor data is packed, and the names are confusing. Uncompressed stores every value as it is and gives the largest files. Lossless compressed gives exactly the same data in about half the space, and there is no reason not to use it. Compressed, on older bodies, drops a little precision in the brightest tones and saves a bit more. You also choose 12 or 14 bits per pixel. All of these develop here in the same way and you will not see a difference in the JPG.
The newest Z bodies add high-efficiency variants built on a different compression. If the developer cannot read one of those, you receive the full-size preview stored in the file, with a note that says so.
The preview inside every NEF
Each NEF carries a complete JPEG made by the camera at the moment of the shot, with the Picture Control, D-Lighting and lens corrections of that moment baked in. It is what you see on the camera's screen. The picture developed here is a different thing: it is built fresh from the sensor data and ignores those settings.
That explains the commonest surprise. A shot taken in Vivid or Monochrome looks punchy, or black and white, on the camera and arrives here in neutral colour. Nothing has gone wrong. The RAW data never was monochrome; only the preview was. To get the look back, raise contrast and saturation in the editor, or switch on Black and white.
From a D70 to a Z8: what to expect in megabytes
File size follows megapixels. A six-megapixel NEF from a D70 is around 5 MB. A 24-megapixel file from a D750 or a Z6 runs from 25 to 30 MB with lossless compression. The 45-megapixel files of the D850, Z7 and Z8 reach 50 MB compressed and 90 MB or more uncompressed, still well inside the 200 MB allowed. All of these are under the 50-megapixel ceiling and are developed at full resolution. A batch of large files takes a while to upload, so start it on a good connection.
Frequently asked questions
Are Picture Control settings applied?
No. They are processing instructions for Nikon's software. The picture is developed neutrally from the sensor data.
Will a portrait shot be turned the right way?
Yes. The orientation the camera recorded is applied.
Do I lose quality compared with the NEF?
A JPG holds eight bits per colour and is compressed, so it has less room for later editing. For viewing and sharing, the difference is not visible.
Can I convert many NEF files together?
Yes, add them as a batch: up to 500 files of up to 200 MB each. RAW conversion is part of the Pro plan.
Are edits from NX Studio or Capture NX-D included?
No. Adjustments made in Nikon's software are saved as instructions, not as changed sensor data. The picture is developed as it was shot.
What is an NRW file?
The RAW format of Nikon's Coolpix compact cameras, such as the P7000 series. It is accepted on this page and developed in the same way as a NEF.