For Nikon NEF Users using Win7 that are tired of not seeing your thumbnails
Here is the solution to being able to see your NEF thumbnails in Windows
I assume many know of this – but it is free and works well.
Here is the solution to being able to see your NEF thumbnails in Windows
I assume many know of this – but it is free and works well.
thanks!
Had mixed success with this when I tried it a while back. You're better off getting Nikon's ViewNX. It's free and you can do all the first major tweaks to RAW files you need if Photoshop is your next stage. ViewNX first part of all my Nikon RAW workflow.
+Alfie Goodrich this is just for thumb display.. I only use it for a super fast overview in windows folders… Does view NX enable thumb viewing in windows folders or only in the view nx app
Thanks +Brent Burzycki . Totally understand what it's for. No, ViewNX doesnt allow thumbnail views in Windows folders but this codec I found to be so slow that it was easier to open ViewNX and view everything as thumbnails there, with the added ability to give ratings, labels etc etc.. than it was to wait for Windows to chug through and rez-up the thumbnails. 🙂
So you are using viewnx instead of lightroom
I developed a workflow before LR came along. And I dont like the fact that all third-party software reads my Nikon files badly in comparison to the View NX software: flatter colours especially from all Adobe Camera Raw products. Not their fault, as Nikon doesnt give its algorithm away. Plus, I obviously shoot RAW al the time but I shoot in a lot of custom colour and mono settings – as that gives me a chance to run a 'look' past the client at the time of the shoot. LR shows me the RAWs in 'standard' colour despite my having shot them in a custom picture control. No good for me. All the main tools for RAW prep are there in ViewNX. Then it's into Photoshop for the rest of the editing.
The audio is a bit low on this screencapture video but it gives you a general idea of what my workflow is…
http://japanorama.co.uk/2011/04/19/basic-digital-workflow-nikon-viewnx/
Great thanks… I cannot disagree I used to use view and even their editing program when I started before lr also and was always happy with the results… Part of me wishes they would give away those secrets so LR could be better mainly for the organization LR brings to my work flow…. But I also understand why they do not…
Brent… I love you… if this works, I'll give you my first born son for free….
+Sandra Parlow Oh just what I have wanted….. thats like my friend who told me they were going to give me a puppy… I need to learn how to take care of myself first….. 🙂
+Brent Burzycki I gather this fix allows NEF files to be viewed as thumbnails in Windows file-explorer, etc. Not the problem for me. The PROBLEM is that PhotoShop and Bridge cannot properly view NEF files over a network or under a variety of other conditions when Win7 indeed shows NEF thumbnails for those same files. Now, you would think that Adobe could handle NEF file th;umbnails in any condition. NOPE. Thumbnails of images in the camera card show in File Explorer but not in Bridge. Now, is that unacceptable or what? Basically, as far as I can tell, Adobe does not handle NEF files well at all unless they are already in a local directory. VERY STRANGE. But Win 7 works every time. Ideas?
+Daryl Butcher when you say network as in a network attached storage or a server machine etc?
Brent, he is now trained to empty the dish washer without being told…. Does that help?
+Sandra Parlow got anyone that will go to the dentist for me? I might take you up on that…
For those that want Nikon ViewNX2 – http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Imaging-Software/NVNX/ViewNX.html
Lol. Sorry. Have a dentist phobia. Can't help you with that one…
+Sandra Parlow After my 8 cavities the other day getting filled I might never go back 🙂
Jeez, Brent.. it's been a while then, hey? maybe you need to go more often!!!! spread it out a little…
+Sandra Parlow thats no fun…
yeah – you're right.. 8 at once sounds like a party in your mouth…..
+Brent Burzycki If I plug my Nikons into a machine via USB, Windows will show thumbnails. Bridge does not. I have three machines netted through a router using ethernet. I also have a 4-bay USB memory. Bridge has trouble showing thumbnails in several situations. However, if I drag and drop files from anywhere to a local drive Bridge will show thumbnails. The irritating thing is Adobe screws up the thumbnails when Windows does not. As you might think, when there are eight drives and three machines involved there are a whole lot of possibilities. But Windows CONSISTENTLY handles thumbnails better than Bridge unless the files are on the local drive where Bridge resides. I have both 32 and 64-bit versions of everything and run on XP and Win7. More possibilities yet. But Windows wins HANDS DOWN on handling NEF thumbnails while Adobe flunks out.
Well,………… I installed it.. and it didn't work…… 🙁
you can still have my kid though.
+Daryl Butcher interesting – without this codec – I cannot see NEF thumbnails on my WIN7 Ultimate 64bit machines at all.. are you saying you can see them without and codec …. well when not looking at them in Bridge or across a network?
+Brent Burzycki Erase, erase. I had my mouth in operation before my brain was engaged. Here is the interesting situation. Others are just more mass confusion. If I plug my Nikon into my 64-bit Win7 machine through the USB port, Windows File Explorer (or whatever they call it now) shows THUMBNAILS (believe it or not). File explorer ONLY shows a NEF thumbnail when the file resides in the camera storage card. It DOES NOT show a NEF thumbnail for any other memory location. (Believe it or not.) If I go to the same path from Bridge it neither sees thumbnails or can handle the files in the camera in the camera card. The file names are shown with zero file size in Bridge. They cannot be moved from the memory card to a location using Bridge. However, if the files are moved using file explorer in Windows, Bridge then shows thumbnails and the files can be manipulated as usual. This, of course is hugely disconcerting because it means that the entire work flow has to be interrupted because Adobe cannot handle NEF files residing in the camera card. I find that just amazing. Imagine how confused I was when I brought up the Win7 64-bit machine at the same time as a D3X and had a Compact Flash reader pin bent in my XP machine. I didn't know if it was a Win7 machine, XP machine, D3X problem or what. That combined with Bridge not showing thumbnails had me chasing my tail for two days until I finally used a magnifying glass to examine the card reader slot and saw a bent pin. I have NEVER used memory cards from a camera to transport images since then. The last thing I want to have is a bent memory card pin in a D3X body. CONNECTORS are the least reliable part of any of these systems. Other points of mass confusion have shown up where what was supposed to be a blank card from a camera still showed files in a card reader but did not show any files in the camera. Nikon is NOT QUITE as compatible as they think they are. Sorry about all of the confusions but I tried to distill it down to something simple. When all of the permissions and junk from two operating systems and three machines and two cameras get in the act, things get REALLY confusing.
+Daryl Butcher so are we sure this is not an issue with Adobe being able to possible see a NEF and jpg set of images your camera might be making across the network?
This is a strange issue… I will need to try it the next time I shoot – I never deal with direct from camera to workflow images…
I pull the card and transfer them to the desktop – then copy them to my NAS – then edit from Lightroom using the NAS copy – then later go back and erase the desktop folder and then format the Card… by that time my NAS has backed up to the cloud so I always have a couple copies of images in different places…
+Brent Burzycki This is not a network issue. Bridge does NOT see NEF files properly in a Nikon D3X connected via USB and does not generate a thumbnail. It shows the file name at zero file length. Getting files into the computer is a matter of drag-and-drop using File Manager in the Win7 machine. Oddly enough File Manager DOES show thumbnails of the contents of the card in the camera WITHOUT the codec program. (Does NOT show thumbnails of NEF images in general until the codec is installed.) I USED to follow your work flow until I bent a CF memory reader pin. Scared me to death that it would happen in an expensive camera body so now I exclusively use a USB connection … those connectors are a bit more sturdy although very poorly designed (on both ends). There are network issues as well but I think just because of the monstrous treatment of permissions across various versions of Windows. PS: NAS via Drobo was my method until Drobo died and left me with a five drive boat anchor. NO MORE NAS. I am now using a 4 bay USB memory so the file format is NOT PROPRIETARY and I can plug a drive into any computer and read it.