Will Nikon NEF files ever be supported in Lightroom?

[haleyp31027075]

I'm a new Nikon user and I recently purchased the Nikon D7500. I had no idea that the RAW file format used by Nikon (NEF) would not be compatible with Lightroom, my one-and-only post-processing software.

The Adobe DNG Converter says it can convert any RAW file to DNG which can then be read by Lightroom, but that's not the case - the converter cannot read the NEF files from my camera. Luckily, I found a workaround using the image browser, Lyn, but it is a huge pain to convert all of my photos to the TIFF format before importing them into Lightroom ( I don't even know if the conversion to TIFF negatively impacts the photos in some way). 

My questions are these: Will Lightroom ever be able to read NEF files without having to convert them to TIFF or DNG? Or is this something I'll just have to do as long as I'm a Nikon user? Why are NEF files not supported? Or is there actually some way to edit NEF files in Lightroom that I don't know about?

Anyone who has some advice or answers for me, please post! 

Signed,

I've had it with technology...

[dj_paige]

and just so everyone is aware, there is no guarantee that this gives you the right result (although it might work fine). The issue is not that the D7500 and D500 have the same sensor and processor, the issue is that the file formats may not be the same and the in-camera processing might not be the same. If that's the case, you could wind up with a relatively poor conversion of the RAW sensor image (or not as good as the final Adobe software release that supports this camera will have), and in rare cases, worse things might happen.

[Akash Sharma]

Hi All,

Lightroom CC2015.12/6.12 has been released and this camera is now supported. Please update your Lightroom to the latest version and let us know if you continue to see the issue. Thank you for your patience.

See Lightroom CC 2015.12 now available

Thanks,

Akash

[haleyp31027075]

Wonderful news, Akash! Thanks for the update and for providing the link - I was just looking into it this morning to see if the update had been released.

Has this update been released in a stand-alone Lightroom version too, in addition to part of the CC? I don't have a subscription to the CC and so would have to buy an updated version of the program, I believe.

Much appreciated!

[F. McLion]

The update is identical for both versions.

[guyv26117032]

It does not appear in my Lightroom 5. Is that normal?

[AxelMatt]

What doesn't appear in LR5?

[guyv26117032]

The update for Nikon D7500. (Raw -NEF)

Is the version of LR too old?

(I want to import my NEF files to LR 5. )

[John Waller]

Cameras supported by Camera Raw

The D7500 was first supported in Lightroom 6.12.

You'll have to use the DNG converter to convert D7500 Raw files to DNG format. Then edit the DNG files in Lightroom 5.

Digital Negative (DNG), Adobe DNG Converter | Adobe Photoshop CC

[haleyp31027075]

Hi there, I had the same issue as you with Lightroom 5. Since I did not want to convert my NEF files to DNG any longer, which is what Lightroom 5 can read, I purchased the stand alone Lightroom 6 application and updated it with the newest one released, 6.12, which is what was mentioned above. Now Lightroom 6 works seamlessly with my NEF files without having to convert. I found that converting my files drastically reduced the quality of my photos in the interim (not sure why), so I would definitely recommend upgrading if you can to the newer software and getting that update. Hope that helps! It took me a long while to figure this out, phew!

[JP Hess]

There must've been some other contributing factor. Converting to DNG has no effect on the quality of the raw image data. It is the same data that was in the original file. The DNG file is just a new container. However, I'm glad you are happy with Lightroom 6.

[haleyp31027075]

Thanks, Jim. I'm not sure what the issue was exactly, but it was most pronounced when I converted to TIFF. I wasn't able to convert most of them to DNG at the beginning because the Adobe converter didn't work for me or the NEF files (who knows!). I didn't think quality should have been affected, but something definitely happened once I changed the file type...? Anyways, all's well now! I'll stick to NEF.

[geb01]

When will Lightroom CC support camera profiles for the Nikon D850?  The DNG converter work-around is only good for so long, its a controverted and time consuming process.  Camera RAW has already been update, its just a matter of integrating that update into Lightroom CC.  When will this finally happen?

[F. McLion]

As mentioned at many places already ... nobody here knows and Adobe doesn't tell.

As a matter of fact, there's only one thing you can do: Wait.

[mymangodfrey]

My 2 cents worth. As if this date, September 25th ,You can open files from the D850 in Bridge, and you can open them via Camera Raw in P.hotoshop . What yo cannot do is import NEF files into LR and edit them. This sucks.

[DaveStanard]

Adobe's Customer Support is one of the most infuriating I have ever encountered. I used to be able to at least text/chat with an Adobe rep. Now, it is a circle back to the same BS forums that tell you nothing about what Adobe is doing or, most importantly, not doing.

[geb01]

Totally agree about that and about the long delay in supporting this new highly popular camera. The D850 Facebook page has 10,000 members. Every day there are posts about the failure of LR to support the D850.

Glenn

[JP Hess]

And every day the answer is the same. Adobe will roll out the update or the upgrade for Lightroom that will support the Nikon D850 when it is ready. Until then, the DNG converter is the only solution.

[geb01]

Are you an Adobe employee, is that your best insight. Past new camera profiles have not taken 6 weeks, especially given ACR was updated within days of the camera’s release.

[JP Hess]

geb01  wrote

Are you an Adobe employee, is that your best insight.  Past new camera profiles have not taken 6 weeks, especially given ACR was updated within days of the camera’s release.

No, I am not an Adobe employee. You know as much about the inner workings of Adobe as I do. That is why the DNG converter IS my best insight for the time being. This really isn't Adobe's fault. If Nikon would offer DNG as a viable file format alternative then you wouldn't have to wait for support. I don't know why it's taking so long for the next release of Lightroom. But it is. I understand you're angry. Those who purchased one of the recent Canon models experienced the same frustration.

[geb01]

Not angry, I don’t get angry about such things. Just frustrated.

[john beardsworth]

Make sure you complain to Nikon about their failure to offer DNG as an option alongside NEF and JPEG. Had they done so, the camera would have been supported on day one.

[geb01]

I’m not aware, do Canon, Sony, and Fuji do that? If so then I agree with you.

The DNG Converter is a work around, but a very awkward one.

[john beardsworth]

Pentax do, Leica do/did. Perfectly possible - it's only a business decision.

This is always the luck of the draw. Some of the most recent Fuji cameras were supported in LR on the day they were released. Maybe Fuji got production bodies and firmware to Adobe faster than Nikon?

[geb01]

So were past Nikon cameras (supported almost immediately after release) - even the consumer level ones.

[JP Hess]

It depended on the timing of their release in conjunction with the timing of the release of Lightroom. It's just the luck of the draw, really.