How to convert NEF to JPG

Nikon's free desktop program NX Studio exports NEF files to JPEG. You sign in once with a Nikon ID, and it then works offline for 30 days.

If the photos are for a client, upload the NEF files to a shoots.page gallery instead. It makes a full-size JPEG of each one in the background and gives your client a download link, with no account needed. One exception: shoots.page cannot decode Nikon's High Efficiency NEFs yet.

NX Studio 1.10.1 is a free download from Nikon for Windows 11 and macOS 26, 15, 14 and 13. It opens Nikon NEF and NRW RAW files. The first time you launch it, you must sign in with a Nikon ID; after that it works offline for 30 days.

To convert NEF files to JPEG:

1. Select the pictures you want to convert. Whole folders work too, which helps when you batch convert RAW to JPG.
2. Click Export in the toolbar.
3. Under Export as, choose JPEG.
4. Set the Quality slider.
5. If you like, change the image size by long edge and turn on conversion to sRGB.
6. Choose where to save: next to the originals or in a folder you pick, with an optional new subfolder for each export.
7. Start the export.

The Nikon Z 8 offers three NEF compression options. From the largest files to the smallest, they are Lossless compression, High efficiency star and High efficiency. Nikon says High efficiency star produces pictures that compare favorably in quality to Lossless compression.

shoots.page cannot decode High efficiency NEFs yet, and High efficiency star files are untested: files that fail processing have to be removed before you publish. darktable lists Nikon high efficiency NEFs as unsupported too. Convert them to JPEG in NX Studio, Nikon's own software, and upload those JPEGs. For shoots you want to deliver as RAW through shoots.page, set the camera to Lossless compression before you shoot.

More routes are in the RAW to JPG overview:

• Photos on a Mac: select the images, choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos, set Photo Kind to JPEG, pick JPEG Quality and Size, and click Export. Apple's RAW list for macOS 27 includes the Nikon D850, Z8 and Z9.
• Windows: Microsoft's free Raw Image Extension, for Windows 10 version 1903 or later, lets File Explorer and the Photos app show NEF files. It does not convert them.
• darktable: open source, for Windows, Linux and macOS 13.5 or later (no Intel Mac builds). Its export module writes selected images to JPEG in the background.
• RawTherapee: a free, cross-platform RAW processing program under GPLv3, now at version 5.13.
• Adobe Lightroom Classic: paid, on an Adobe plan with a free trial. In Grid view, choose File > Export, pick Export To Hard Drive, select JPEG under File Settings, set Image Sizing and click Export.

When the JPEGs are for a client, you can skip the conversion step on your computer:

1. Select your NEF files on the shoots.page homepage.
2. Sign in with Google. It's free.
3. Upload. Files go up in resumable 8 MiB parts, so an interrupted upload picks up where it stopped.
4. Once the previews are ready, publish and share the unlisted link (https://shoots.page/g/...), with an optional password or expiry date.

The full-size JPEGs are made in the background. Measured on one processor core, a Nikon Z 6II file took 2.6 seconds and a D850 file 4.7 seconds. The Originals switch is on by default, so DSC_0001.NEF downloads as DSC_0001.jpg, one by one or as a ZIP. To get the full-size JPEGs yourself, open the published link and choose Download all photos.

The Free plan's 2 GB holds about 80 RAWs at 25 MB each. Only the files you upload count toward storage.

• No edits: shoots.page reads no catalog edits, refuses .xmp sidecars and applies no Picture Control. LibRaw 0.22.1 renders the RAW with the camera's recorded white balance, or uses the camera's embedded JPEG if it is at least 90% of full size. If you edited, export JPEGs from Lightroom or your editor and upload those.
• Fixed output: full size, quality 92, sRGB with an embedded profile. No quality or size options.
• Trimmed EXIF: the JPEG keeps camera make, model and capture date and time. Exposure, lens and GPS data are removed.
• Processing time: until a file's full-size JPEG is ready, its download is the 2000 px preview under the same name.

If your client needs the untouched camera files, turn on the RAW switch to send the NEF files themselves.

Nikon NX Studio download, Nikon NX Studio (Japan), NX Studio supported formats, NX Studio workflow, NX Studio file conversion, Nikon Z 8 RAW recording, Apple Photos export, Apple RAW formats, Microsoft Raw Image Extension, darktable camera support, darktable export, RawTherapee, Adobe Lightroom Classic export. Checked 29 October 2026.