Lightroom + .NEF files?

[CSJXX]

Hello,

As im a complete newbie im looking for help. At first I was shooting in .JPG format on my D300, but now i want to progress into RAW format (.NEF?) as im starting to edit my photos more and more in Adobe Lightroom V2.4.

For some reason when I try to import .NEF files into Lightroom it does not allow me to. Am i doing something wrong?

At the moment I use a card reader, then I use Nikon software to import the images onto my hard drive. From these imported files im trying to import them into Lightroom. Im not sure if this would make a difference?

Also, what is the best way to back up images onto my external... am i better off backing up my original files from my SD card direct to my external or is there a better way?

Thanks in advance, sorry if this is a repost but i searched existing threads and could not find anything.

[muppetdave]

CSJXX said:

Hello,

As im a complete newbie im looking for help. At first I was shooting in .JPG format on my D300, but now i want to progress into RAW format (.NEF?) as im starting to edit my photos more and more in Adobe Lightroom V2.4.

For some reason when I try to import .NEF files into Lightroom it does not allow me to. Am i doing something wrong?

At the moment I use a card reader, then I use Nikon software to import the images onto my hard drive. From these imported files im trying to import them into Lightroom. Im not sure if this would make a difference?

Also, what is the best way to back up images onto my external... am i better off backing up my original files from my SD card direct to my external or is there a better way?

I don't know definitively, but I am guessing that you might need to update Lightroom to view that particular .NEF. In which case go to Help>check for updates (when I upgraded to a Canon 50D I had to do this as Canon make subtle changes in their RAW format, and I would imagine Nikon possibly do the same).

Hopefully this will then let you open the RAW files in LR. In which case you can dispense with Nikon's software and use File>import from device and take the images straight from the camera/reader in to Lightroom. When you import like this you can add metatags, descriptions etc in a block fashion saving time.

You need to set your LR up with regards to where to store the pictures, I think you can automate backups also. I then do all of my edits, clicking through to CS4 as necessary, and then save a low-res and high-res copy each time to relevant LR and HR folders for easy access.

[K12beano]

CSJXX said:

For some reason when I try to import .NEF files into Lightroom it does not allow me to. Am i doing something wrong?

At the moment I use a card reader, then I use Nikon software to import the images onto my hard drive. From these imported files im trying to import them into Lightroom. Im not sure if this would make a difference?

Hmm!? Not sure if it'll make a difference because the Nikon software will carry the sidecar files too. Have you tried just COPYING the files on the card to your location on your hard drive? (If you're going to be using LR, you won't need the Nikon software to mess 'em about at all....)

Also what, if anything, does Lightroom actually say or do when you try to import. Presumably you are now trying to "import as is" without moving the files?

[rhubarb]

I have a D300 and use lightroom too - I think its 2.4 will check tonight. I don't use the Nikon software at all, I just take the CF card from the camera stick it in the card reader, then in Lightroom, Import from Disk (sorry cannot remember the exact name of the option as its not in front of me). It then pops up a dialogue for you to locate the disk - go find the card reader, then when you get to the folder with your NEFs in go one folder back and at the bottom hit the button that says something along the lines of Import Entire Folders Contents. Then another window pops up allowing you to select specific dates, and also what you want to do with he files - you can move them from your card, or copy them convert to DNG etc etc.

For me I load them onto a mirrored NAS drive and then backup to an external USB drive on a weekly or more frequent basis.

HTH

[gary71]

I needed to update Lightroom when I bought my D300s, not sure which one I'm running now, but it works perfectly!

[Major Bloodnok]

Latest release version is 2.7

[Simpo Two]

I used LR2 to process D300 NEFs.

Ditch the Nikon software, that's my bet. I fail to understand why anyone needs extra software just to move files from one place to another! (still less Nikon software). Make a new folder. Copy. Paste. Then open LR and import. After that you're on your own, I find the logic behind LR most peculiar.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 7th June 17:58

[krusty]

Simpo Two said:

I used LR2 to process D300 NEFs.

Ditch the Nikon software, that's my bet. I fail to understand why anyone needs extra software just to move files from one place to another! (still less Nikon software). Make a new folder. Copy. Paste. Then open LR and import. After that you're on your own, I find the logic behind LR most peculiar.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 7th June 17:58

+1

[CSJXX]

Hey,

Thanks for the help. I guess i just used the Nikon Software because it automatically starts every time I insert the card reader.

I tried importing these directly into Lightroom without using the Nikon Software and the same problem occurred. So I tried updating the software and downloaded the latest 2.7 upgrade. Now I can import the .NEF files without any problems.

So before I updated, I was importing them into Iphoto and then importing them into Lightroom, does anyone know if this kept the photos in RAW format or was it converting them into jpg? Thus making all the previous shot RAW files pointless?

Thanks for the help again.

Edited by CSJXX on Tuesday 8th June 10:49

[Simpo Two]

CSJXX said:

Thanks for the help. I guess i just used the Nikon Software because it automatically starts every time I insert the card reader.

Fair point, installing it must have seemed like a good idea at the time!

CSJXX said:

I tried importing these directly into Lightroom without using the Nikon Software and the same problem occurred. So I tried updating the software and downloaded the latest 2.7 upgrade. Now I can import the .NEF files without any problems.

Good news! As someone mentioned before, every camera produces slightly different RAW files, which often leads to such problems.

CSJXX said:

So before I updated, I was importing them into Iphoto and then importing them into Lightroom, does anyone know if this kept the photos in RAW format or was it converting them into jpg? Thus making all the previous shot RAW files pointless?

Converting RAW to JPG takes time (on my machine about 10 seconds per image), so I think you'd know about it if it was. I just think LR is too clever for its own good; it does complicated things I don't need but not simple things I do. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, but I was alarmed to discover that when I thought I was only deleting thumbnails I was unknowingly deleting the source files