Uneditable NEF files from my D800...

[David H. Hartman]

I have found four NEF from my D800 that I cannot edit in NX Studio on my MAC or Capture NX-D on my Windows 10 computers. There is a small icon of a camera with a paintbrush over-laying it shown with thumbnails in NX Studio on the MAC. I have no idea what may have edited these NEF(s). To my knowledge these four NEF are unique among all of the NEF I currently have in my various D800 NEF backups.

I find I can export these NEF files with NX Studio as 16bit TIFF files and edit the TIFF files within the limitations of that format from within NX Studio. They aren't particularly important images but what if something more important to me gets similarly "locked." Please note these files are not write protected.

Does anyone have any idea what may be causing this?

Dave

Please note the small icon in the lower right corner of the attached image.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Interesting. Have you used any non-Nikon software to edit the files?

It sounds like a glitch in the Nikon software though, or corruption in the image file.

[Gone]

What are the permissions set on the files? Do they differ from other NEF files in the directory?

[Fons Baerken]

Have you tried downloading or saving the nef again, will that make a difference?!

[David H. Hartman]

What are the permissions set on the files? Do they differ from other NEF files in the directory?

I'll have to look into this when I get to a computer that can run NX Studio. I have these files on three HDD(S) and one SSD but I think they are all identical. I can check permissions on both Win10 and macOS Monterey.

Dave

[David H. Hartman]

Have you tried downloading or saving the nef again, will that make a difference?!

This file is not on any original media (camera memory cards). I might have a copy on a 1TB HD that was never edited, i.e. a pristine out of camera NEF.

I would very much like to know what the anomaly is with these files. The are photos I created for a friend for an eBay sale. As such they are low priority. The High Priority for me is to never do what I did to these on more important image and never, never to one of my favorited images.

Dave

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My best guess is these files were edited in Capture NX2 but I've never had a problem opening and editing a Capture NX2 image before if that is what these are. I've done a lot of searching hoping to find a method of stripping Capture NX2 changes from an NEF but never found a way.

[David H. Hartman]

And Now This...

Error Messages from Nikon ViewNX 2, ver.2.10.3 64bit on macOS High Sierra

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Optional Picture Controls missing

These images can neither be displayed as a RAW image nor edited because the optional Picture Controls used on them are not found.

Please download the required optional Picture Controls from the Nikon Web Site and install them in the application. You need to restart the application after installation.

(Close) (Show Download Site)

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These images can neither be displayed as a RAW image nor edited because the distortion control lens profiles used on them are not found.

(OK)

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I do not have Capture NX2 installed on any computer. I'm not sure I can install it on my PC with Capture NX-D and NX Studio installed.

Now this idea comes to me from musing on the error messages above...

I may have created custom Picture Controls using Picture Control Utility (ver. 1.x.x or ver 2.4.7) and installed them on my D800 and applied them in camera. If this is the case I'm quite sure I don't have copies of these Picture Controls on any HD and I would not know what I named them.

Also if this is the case this is EXTREMELY STUPID on NIKON'S PART!

Dave

[Øivind Tøien]

Perhaps try to change picture control of the offending files to one of the standard picture controls in NX studio, if it will let you do even that?

[David H. Hartman]

Perhaps try to change picture control of the offending files to one of the standard picture controls in NX studio, if it will let you do even that?

Neither NX Studio nor Capture NX-D will allow any RAW adjustments so switching to a standard Picture Control is not possible. It begins to seem like finding one of the customs PC if one is hiding on one of my HD(s) will be the only way.

Dave

[David H. Hartman]

From additional reading I may be able to change the Picture Control using Capture NX2. I've got a 500GB, 2.5" HD so I think I'll swap this HD out in my Windows 10 box and install a disk image with an old installation of Windows 7 on it. I may have CNX2 installed on the old image. I'll try that and report back.

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There are two take-a-ways for me here...

First is Archive! I have 5 drives with my NEF files starting from my D2H to date but no true archive so I have 5 copies each of 8 uneditable NEF files. Use contribute to add files to the archive but never sync as a good NEF might be over-written with a corrupted one.

Second is don't save adjustments in camera or in software to an NEF file. To date I only know of these 8 NEF though there could be more.

Again this is really stupid, irresponsible on Nikon's part: Both NX Studio and Capture NX-D should ignore the in camera PC(s) and in Capture NX2 adjustments and open the NEF files as original, unedited NEF.

I though the problem was just my lack of knowledge. Now I'll contact Nikon and expect little to nothing.

Dave

[Gone]

The only way to make software foolproof is to have a fool break it.....

[David H. Hartman]

The only way to make software foolproof is to have a fool break it.....

...and I'm just the fool to do it!