YOUR FILES
Look first. Convert when you are sure.
Every card shows the JPEG your camera embedded. Click one to open the viewer. Convert when the settings are right.
Reads the sensor data and renders it fresh at full size. Best quality, a few seconds a file.
METADATA
Click any frame to open the viewer: 100% zoom, histogram, camera settings, and exposure, white balance and contrast sliders. Everything clears when you close the tab.
ABOUT NEF
What a NEF file is,
and the variants you will meet.
NEF is a TIFF based container that has stayed remarkably stable for twenty years, with a few compression options that changed along the way.
01
A TIFF container with the preview in a sub directory
The full size JPEG a Nikon writes at capture sits in a sub image directory, with a small thumbnail up front. This tool finds the largest JPEG in the file and shows it in under a second. On most bodies it is full sensor resolution.
02
Lossless and lossy compressed, 12 and 14 bit
Nikon offers uncompressed, lossless compressed and lossy compressed NEF, in 12 or 14 bit. All of them decode. Lossy compressed files use a visually lossless curve that costs you a little in deep shadow recovery, not in a develop like this.
03
High Efficiency RAW from the Z 8 and Z 9
The Z 9 introduced HE and HE* modes that use a different codec. Support for those depends on the LibRaw build; if a file develops with an error, the camera preview path still opens it because that path reads the embedded JPEG only.
04
NRW is the compact camera cousin
Coolpix bodies wrote NRW, a close relative. It opens and develops the same way.
Not a NEF? The same tool opens every major RAW format: RAW to JPG converter for all formats →
HOW IT WORKS
A real RAW developer,
running on your machine.
Not a thumbnail puller dressed up as a converter. The same decoding library behind desktop RAW tools, compiled to run in your browser.
01
It shows you what the camera already made
Every RAW holds a JPEG your camera wrote at capture. The tool finds it in the file and shows it in under a second, so a card of 40 frames is browsable before you have finished reading this sentence.
02
It develops the real thing when you ask
Full develop reads the sensor data with LibRaw: demosaic, camera white balance, color matrix, full size. A neutral, honest render with room to push exposure. Two to ten seconds a file depending on megapixels.
03
It never leaves your machine
The decoder is WebAssembly running in your browser. Files go from your disk into memory and back out as JPGs. No server touches them, which is also why it keeps working with the wifi off.
04
It writes a JPG that still tells its story
Camera, lens, shutter, aperture, ISO and capture date go into the JPG so Lightroom and your gallery still read them. GPS is never copied. Untick one box for a file with no metadata at all.
ONE RAW FILE · WHAT YOU GET
This toolA cloud converter
A desktop RAW app
Time to the first look
Under a second
Upload first · minutes per file
Install, import, wait for previews
Has to upload your files
Never
Every file, every time
No
True develop from sensor data
Yes · LibRaw
Sometimes · often the embedded JPEG
Yes
Works with no signal
Yes
No
Yes
Needs an account or install
No
Usually
Yes · and a license
Batch to one ZIP
Yes · 40 a batch
Paid tiers
Export dialog
Speed depends on megapixels and your machine. The camera preview of a 24 megapixel file shows in well under a second; a full develop takes a few seconds on a recent laptop. A phone works, a laptop is more comfortable.
FORMATS
Every brand.
Twenty six extensions.
Decoding follows LibRaw releases. If a brand new body is not read yet, the camera preview still works because it does not depend on the sensor format.
BRAND
EXTENSIONS
NOTES
Canon
CR2CR3CRWCR3 from the EOS R series and newer bodies included.
Nikon
NEFNRWLossless and lossy compressed NEF, Z series included.
Sony
ARWSR2SRFCompressed, uncompressed and lossless compressed ARW.
Fujifilm
RAFX-Trans and Bayer sensors, compressed and uncompressed.
Olympus · OM System
ORFPanasonic · Leica
RW2RWLDNGPentax · Ricoh
PEFDNGHasselblad · Phase One
3FRFFFIIQVery large files, allow a little time.
Samsung · Sigma · others
SRWX3FMEFMOSERFKDCDCRMRWOlder Sigma Foveon X3F reads; Quattro does not.
Any camera or phone
DNGiPhone ProRAW and Android RAW captures included.
RAW decoding by LibRaw, © LibRaw LLC, used under the LGPL 2.1 license through the open source LibRaw-Wasm build. License notice.
KEEP READING
RAW files, explained without the jargon.
Eight short guides on what is inside a RAW, how to get a JPG out of one, and when each route is the right one.
How to convert RAW to JPG, every way →Open RAW files without Photoshop or Lightroom →RAW vs JPEG, what is actually inside each file →The JPEG hiding inside your RAW file →Canon CR3 vs CR2, what changed →Is it safe to upload RAW files to an online converter? →A client wants one photo tonight →JPG quality and size settings that matter →
COMMON QUESTIONS
NEF questions, answered.
Something we missed?
A body that does not read, a file that renders wrong: send it over and we will look at the actual file. Contact →
Can I open NEF files on a Mac without Nikon software?
Yes. Drop them here. Nothing to install, no NX Studio, no Adobe subscription. Files stay on your machine.
Why does the develop look flatter than the camera JPEG?
The camera preview carries your Picture Control, Active D-Lighting and in camera sharpening. The develop is neutral: camera white balance and the Nikon color matrix. The exposure and contrast sliders are there for that reason.
Does it read NEF from older bodies like the D70 or D200?
Yes. LibRaw decodes NEF back to the first digital Nikons. The oldest bodies used a lossy curve and 12 bit data; they open normally.
Does it read the Z 9 High Efficiency RAW?
HE and HE* files use a licensed codec, and support follows LibRaw releases. The camera preview opens on every NEF regardless.
Are my RAW files uploaded?
No. The converter runs entirely inside your browser. Files never leave your device, Kepla never sees them, and nothing persists after you close the tab. Turn the wifi off after the page loads and it keeps working.
How does the develop compare to Lightroom?
It is an honest, neutral render with the camera white balance and color matrix applied, close to a RAW editor at default settings before any profile or preset. It is not an edit. It is the fastest way to a clean full size JPG without installing anything.
What does "Keep camera info" do?
Writes camera, lens, exposure settings and capture date into the JPG so the file still tells its story. GPS is never copied. Untick it for a JPG with no metadata at all.
