Nikon NEF file content and conversion

[ludwig]

I have run into an interesting difference in what the histograms show for Nikon NEF file. A file I have shows the red channel as obviously overexposed when using the Nikon tools NX Studio and Capture NX-D, but in PaintShop Pro 2022 there is no indication of overexposure. When converted to either TIFF or JPG files the Nikon outputs clearly show overexposure - while PSP results in clean images.

My question is, how does PSP get data from the NEF file that the Nikon tools cannot?

When taking the subject NEF file into ON1 Photo RAW 2022 it also shows the red channel overexposed and the output is obviously overexposed (flat areas in red areas).

Does anybobe have any insights? I can provide screen captures and files if anyone is interested.

[LeviFiction]

A sample file might be nice. I'm used to people complaining about PSP not properly reading a file.

Do you open the NEF file in RAW LAB or direct into PSP? Have you tried Corel's AfterShot to see if it also reads the file the way One1 and Nikon do? Or any of the open source RAW eidtors like RawTherapee or Darktable?

[ludwig]

Thank you LeviFiction. Here are four images that show screen captures of results from PaintShop Pro, ON1, Nikon NX Studio, and Nikon Capture NX-D.
What I am showing is the TIFF exports as subsequently displayed in PSP. The histograms are pretty much the same as what the individual tools showed when the NEF file was loaded - no adjustments made. The file opened in Camera RAW Lab in PSP. I made no adjustments and OKed.

[ludwig]

Some additional answers to LeviFictions questions.
Aftershot gives the same results as PSP Camera RAW Lab.
I downloaded RAWTherapee5.8 and loaded the NEF into the newly installed program. The screen capture is below. As is the resulting JPG file as seen in PSP. Here again there is just the slightest bit of overexposure in the red channel.



It seems that PSP and RAWTherapee are getting it right and the Nikon tools and ON1 are getting something wrong.

[LeviFiction]

It's probably just the default profiles in each software, since RAW data has to be interpreted. The Nikon software has the most extreme shift in the red. You'll also notice the blues are far more compressed in PSP. Judging only by how much brighter everything is in every other software they're clearly doing something on import possibly some form of highlight recovery. By default PSP usually has highlight recovery set to none.