Unable to preview images in some folders.

[Venkat]

Hi,

I am running Photo Mechanic version 5 (Build 18359) on macOS Sierra (10.12.4)

I am noticing some weird behavior when I try and preview images in some folders. When I double click the thumbnail in the Contact Sheet window, nothing happens. There is no magnifying glass icon when I hover over the thumbnail. I am unable to preview the image. When I drag the image to Photoshop, it launches Adobe Camera Raw and I am able to zoom in on the image there. It does appear that there is nothing wrong with the image file.

This happens only in a couple of folders that are 2004 and older. Other folders work fine.

Thanks in advance,
Venkat

[Kirk Baker]

Venkat,

I am running Photo Mechanic version 5 (Build 18359) on macOS Sierra (10.12.4)

I am noticing some weird behavior when I try and preview images in some folders. When I double click the thumbnail in the Contact Sheet window, nothing happens. There is no magnifying glass icon when I hover over the thumbnail. I am unable to preview the image. When I drag the image to Photoshop, it launches Adobe Camera Raw and I am able to zoom in on the image there. It does appear that there is nothing wrong with the image file.

This happens only in a couple of folders that are 2004 and older. Other folders work fine.

What kind of files aren't working?  If they're RAW files that don't have embedded previews then this is expected behavior.

-Kirk

[Venkat]

Hi Kirk,

Thanks for the response. They are indeed RAW files from Nikon D2H. I have RAW files from the same camera in other folders where I can preview them. How do I tell if there are embedded previews to my RAW files? Is this something set in the camera?

-Venkat

[Kirk Baker]

Thanks for the response. They are indeed RAW files from Nikon D2H. I have RAW files from the same camera in other folders where I can preview them. How do I tell if there are embedded previews to my RAW files? Is this something set in the camera?

I'm not very familiar with that camera so I don't know if it had an option to choose whether the NEFs it produced embedded a JPEG preview.  But even if it did, there won't be a way to embed a preview after the NEF was created.

I suggest converting these older NEF files to DNG files with Adobe's free DNG converter.  When you do that, set it to embed a large preview.  PM will be able to view and crop those DNGs.

-Kirk

[Hayo Baan]

They are indeed RAW files from Nikon D2H. I have RAW files from the same camera in other folders where I can preview them. How do I tell if there are embedded previews to my RAW files? Is this something set in the camera?

To my knowledge all Nikon files have a preview so if you are unable to view them with PM, something is likely wrong with the files. Can you send me a sample file (one that does, and one that doesn't show the preview in PM)?

You can send a mail to info@hayobaan.nl (I think the D2H files won't be too big to send directly, otherwise use a file transerfer service, e.g. WeTransfer).

[Venkat]

Hi Hayo,

Thanks for your offer to help. I just emailed you a sample file from the folder. Would appreciate your looking into it.

Thanks,
Venkat

[Hayo Baan]

Hi Venkat,

I had a look at your file and while it has another embedded preview which is slightly better than what PM is showing, but still way off a full sized preview that the camera normally embeds. (Technical: PM is showing the 105x160 pixels TiffThumbnail Image in the EXIF metadata, but the PreviewImage in the Makernotes is actiually better: 377x570 pixels)

The problem is that the software you used (Nikon Capture 4.0.0) basically removed any usable preview. I used Capture in the past too and if I remember correctly there was a setting that you could change that would enable a full sized preview. So other than re-saving the images in Capture (or as e.g. DNG, but then you lose all your Capture edits), there is no way to get PM to show you the full size preview like you are used to with your other file
Other than that there seems to be nothing wrong with the image and I could open it just fine in Camera Raw and Nikon Capture NX2.

[Venkat]

Thanks for researching this, Hayo. I do remember using Nikon Capture in my early days as a digital photographer before I started using Adobe products. I don't have many pictures from those days - so I can live with not seeing the full previews.

Thanks again.

Venkat

[Bob Russell]

  Some of your old NEF files might have been updated with Nikon's Preview creator utility, NPrevCreator. This utility came with Nikon View 6 and would create a 1600 pixel wide preview for all old NEF files. This utility was no longer needed once the D70 was released since all NEFs now come with full sized previews. See the attached file for more info on the Preview creator utility.  If you will be creating DNG files and you have older versions of Photoshop and Lightroom, then make sure to set the DNG Converter Preferences to create backwards compatible DNG files. The v2.4 option will let the DNG files open in PS CS and later. Make sure to convert one file with the DNG Converter as a stand alone, to make the new preference changes stick.

--Bob