Unable to uplaod RAW NEF files taken on D5300

JasonF_86

New member
Hi All,
Got a bit of a problem thats been driving me mad.


I have a Nikon D5300 with the standard 18-55mm Lens, and a Tamrom USD 70-300. The below happens regardless of which lens I use.


After Ive been on a shoot, I transer the RAW NEF files from my SD Card to my iPhone 6s via an Apple SD Adapter. On my phone they display perfectly, but when I try to upload them to Instragram or Facebook, they become extremely blurry. I haven't tried anywhere else, but when they upload to OneDrive, it fails to generate the preview and just shows an empty placeholder.


Let me use Instagram as an example.


Using the Instagram app on my phone I can select an image to upload:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_3FErpIhU2RejRlU3ZrbjJabjQ


When I click "Next" it asks me to select a filter. At this point I have NO FILTER selected but the preview becomes extremely blurry:


https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_3FErpIhU2RbUktUmpGc0QzSVE


If I continue with the upload then the blurry image is how it looks when its uploaded.


If I use my cameras built in WiFi to transfer them to my phone then it works fine, but these are a lower quality JPEG image.


A mate of mine has recently bought a D5500. If I follow the same import process to my phone, and upload the Instagram, the images are fine and do not have the above problem.


My camera is shooting in RAW only and is in sRGB colour mode.


Has anyone else had this issue? Not a massive problem, just annoying because it means I have to convert to JPEG before I can share them.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Raw files normally need converting to jpeg before sharing,they also need some editing normally to get the best out of them.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Hi All,

Got a bit of a problem thats been driving me mad.
You need to convert the raw file to .jpg before uploading it. The image you're seeing on your phone, and uploading to Instagram, is a teeny-tiny .jpg image embedded in the raw file, not the actual raw file itself. Raw files are really data files that are meant to be post-processed and converted to an image-file format like .JPG or .BMP or what have you. If you're not post-processing your shots you'd be better off not using raw at all; simply shoot in .JPG to begin with.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Howdy and welcome to Nikonites!

@Horoscope Fish has your answer ... the social sharing sites don't understand raw NEF files, so you need to convert/export from raw to jpg before uploading. The other option is to have your camera shoot in jpg (or raw+jpg) so that you have the jpg available.
 

JasonF_86

New member
I get what you're all saying about converting the JPEG first. It he issue doesn't happen when using the equivalent RAW file taken on a D5500.

I'm not very well practised in post editing- I'm only just starting out which is why I shoot in RAW but I like to post the odd picture while I'm out and about.

Oh well... Looks like I'll just have to wait until the conversion.
 

aroy

Senior Member
Most professionals who have to upload as fast as possible, shoot JPEG, as that is understood by most applications.

In your case you can shoot RAW+JPEG. That way you upload jpeg and when you want to post process you have RAW.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I get what you're all saying about converting the JPEG first. It he issue doesn't happen when using the equivalent RAW file taken on a D5500.
I don't have enough information to explain what's happening but I can tell you with 100% certainty you're NOT posting a raw file for online display because raw files aren't image files, they're digital data files that must be converted into a viewable image-file format. Raw files do contain small, embedded .jpg's, used for previewing purposes and, most likely, that's what you're posting. One explanation would be that the D5500 simply embeds a better quality .jpg into its raw files. Just one possibility.
 

Number Six

New member
When you post to Instagram, Facebook, or any site where it be displayed in a small window on a computer screen does not need to be a full resolution raw file. Read the recommended file size for the site(s) you are posting to. If you are only posting to the web or social media, you could even lower the resolution in the camera to shorten download times and save SD card space.

I know that starting out you want the best possible quality for your pictures. Today's jpegs, especially out of your Nikon will be more than good enough for any posts on the net and will give you a great print. Magazines accept jpegs.
 
Shoot RAW + JPEG and that way when you want to shortcut and go directly to the phone and instagram or Facebook then use the JPEG. Only use the RAW when going to the computer and being processed with Lightroom or Photoshop or other post processing program.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
The reason they're blurry when you can upload them is they're still not .NEF files. It's a thumbnail that is embedded into the .NEF files, and they're extremely low-resolution files. This is the JPEG you see on your camera monitor. It doesn't need to be very large as your monitors' resolution is very very low.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Welcome to the forum. Some good info has been discussed here to aid in determining a solution. As far as your friend able to do it with the D5500, I am going to guess that he is possibly shooting .jpg and Nef/Raw as has been suggested to you for a solution.
 

Patrick M

Senior Member
Can the D5300 process photos? If so the process makes a jpeg copy of the original raw file. I use this feature ... I use resize and just save, to post images on line. Otherwise I transfer to my pc and convert.
 
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