Nikon D3500 RAW at a glance
| RAW format | NEF — Nikon Electronic Format (.NEF) |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 24 MP APS-C |
| Resolution | 24 megapixels |
| Typical RAW size | about 22-28 MB |
| Released | 2018 |
| RAW options | 12-bit or 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless-compressed, compressed, and uncompressed options. |
Editing D3500 files with imagic
imagic opens .NEF files from the Nikon D3500 natively on Windows and macOS. Point it at a card or shoot folder and it builds previews, scores every frame for sharpness, closed eyes, and composition, and groups near-duplicate bursts — so a full shoot collapses to its keepers before you edit anything.
Processing runs through the bundled RawTherapee engine, entirely on your machine: batch-apply one look across the keepers and export JPEGs in a single pass. Nothing uploads, which matters at about 22-28 MB per frame. The 7-day trial is full-featured and needs no card; licenses are one-time, from €19.
Frequently asked questions
What RAW format does the Nikon D3500 use?
The Nikon D3500 writes NEF files with the .NEF extension. 12-bit or 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless-compressed, compressed, and uncompressed options.
How big are Nikon D3500 RAW files?
Expect about 22-28 MB per frame from the 24 MP APS-C sensor, depending on compression settings and scene detail. A full shoot adds up quickly, which is why culling before editing matters on this body.
How can I open Nikon D3500 .NEF files for free?
imagic opens NEF files from the Nikon D3500 natively on Windows and macOS — the 7-day trial needs no card. It culls the shoot with AI quality scoring, groups duplicates, and batch-processes keepers locally through its RawTherapee engine.
More about NEF
The D3500's .NEF files share their structure with every Nikon body using NEF — the full NEF guide covers compression variants, free openers, and conversion options in depth.
Other Nikon bodies
Cull a D3500 shoot before your coffee cools
AI quality scoring, duplicate grouping, and local batch processing for .NEF — free for 7 days, no card required.