FAQ: Nikon Z8, Z9, Zf and Z6III files (High-Efficiency NEF)

A few Nikon shooters wrote in that their RAW files opened but the editor sliders did nothing.

What was going on. Nikon's High-Efficiency NEF, the default on several Z bodies (Z8, Z9, Zf, Z6III, Z50II), uses a compression the RAW decoder could not read. imagic fell back to the JPEG preview embedded in the file, so culling worked but editing did not.

Fixed in 1.4.2. High-Efficiency NEF files now decode and edit properly, and if the editor cannot process a photo for any reason it now shows an error instead of silently doing nothing.

If it still happens to you

1. Check your version in Settings, About. You need 1.4.2 or later (1.4.6 is current).
2. If you are up to date and a file still will not edit, reply here with the camera model, the file type and your version.