How Do I Open .Nef Files in Photoshop Elements 5.0?

NEF files maintain higher image quality than alternatives such as JPEG files.

Nikon digital cameras natively save photos as Nikon Electronic Format (NEF) files. These files are saved in an uncompressed, lossless manner designed to preserve every pixel of an image. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and other graphic design software may not open NEF files by default, but installing the latest Adobe Camera Raw update will allow you to open NEF and many other raw digital image files within Elements.

Instructions

1. Close out of Photoshop Elements 5.0 completely.

2. Download the Camera Raw 4.6 update from the Adobe website (see Resources). The downloaded file will be a ZIP file.

3. Double-click on "My Computer." Navigate to the following directory:

   Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 5.0\Plug-Ins\File Formats

4. Right-click on the "Camera Raw.8bi" in this folder. Choose "Cut."

5. Right-click anywhere on your computer desktop. Choose "Paste." You are pasting the old file here for safe-keeping in case there is a problem with the new file.

6. Double-click on the ZIP file you downloaded to open it. You should see a file called "Camera Raw.8bi" inside it.

7. Right-click on the "Camera Raw.8bi" file within your downloaded ZIP file. Choose "Copy."

8. Return to the following directory:

   Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 5.0\Plug-Ins\File Formats

9. Choose "Paste" from the "Edit" menu. You should now see a "Camera Raw.8bi" file in this directory.

10. Open Photoshop Elements 5.0.

11. Choose "Open" from the "File" menu. Double-click on any NEF file to open it.

References

• Nikon USA: Nikon Electronic Format (NEF)
• Adobe: Camera Raw-compatible Adobe applications

Resources

• Adobe: Camera Raw 4.6 Update