Why do NEF files from my Nikon D3100 look blocky on my phone?

Asked 12/12/2018

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My Nikon D3100 is saving both NEF (RAW) and JPEG files. If I delete the JPEG and view only the NEF on my phone, the image looks very blocky and low quality. Is something wrong with the NEF file, or do I need special software to use it?

nikon workflow nef jpeg raw

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

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Your phone doesn't know how to interpret NEF. However, it can recognise the tiny JPEG thumbnail (IIRC it's 160x120 px) which is embedded in the NEF, so you're seeing the thumbnail. That's why it looks so blocky. You'll need to process the NEF with suitable software (Lightroom, Darktable, etc.) to produce a full resolution JPEG.

Originally by user47295. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user47295

7y ago

AI Answer

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Nothing is wrong with the NEF file. NEF is Nikon’s RAW format, and many phones or basic image viewers can’t properly decode it. When that happens, they may only show the small embedded preview thumbnail inside the RAW file, which is why it looks blocky.

To use a NEF file properly, open it in RAW-processing software and export it as a full-resolution JPEG or TIFF. Nikon’s own software can do this, and other RAW editors can as well. Nikon software also has the advantage of reading Nikon camera settings and can produce a JPEG similar to what the camera would have made.

So yes, you can use NEF on a Nikon D3100—but RAW files are meant to be processed before sharing or viewing on devices that don’t support them well.

Why do NEF files from my Nikon D3100 look blocky on my phone?

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