Here is SEO-optimized content focused on — aimed at photographers and Adobe users who are trying to open modern Nikon RAW files (NEF) in the older Adobe Photoshop CS4 (Creative Suite 4). How to Open Modern Nikon NEF Files in Adobe Photoshop CS4 (The Compatibility Guide) The Short Answer: You cannot open newer Nikon NEF files directly in CS4 without conversion. Adobe discontinued Camera Raw updates for CS4 in February 2010 . Any Nikon camera released after mid-2010 (D3100, D7000, D5100, etc.) will produce an incompatible NEF file.

Always keep a copy of the original NEF. Convert a copy to DNG for CS4, never overwrite your original raw file.