Apple Photos raw processing Nikon poor highlights

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Apple Photos raw processing Nikon poor highlights

When loading RAW files from Nikon Z9 (uncompressed RAW), Apple Photos imports normally. Comparing the images to NX Studio, On1 2025, Luminar Neo, Dx0 2025, Capture1 2023, and Photomater, there are problems around the highlights.

As you lift the exposure, highlights blow out way faster than any of the others tested. As you bring down highlights, less detail is recovered. This is not even close. I would think that Photomater and Photos use the same Apple profile for the camera at the very least, but how they handle this is very different.

Compare these to regions from the same photo both with significant exposure lift (photo was underexposed). +1.5 in Apple Photos, +200% in Photomator. NX Studio says about 1.5 stops. You can clearly see the highlights already starting to clip in Apple Photos. macOS Tahoe, 26.0.1 Calibrated LG Monitor.

Posted on Oct 8, 2025 8:55 AM

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Answer 1

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v3rlon Author

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13 points

Oct 10, 2025 2:44 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

I saw something comparing C1 Pro to LR and talking about making LR look more like C1 with Sharpening adjustment, and camera settings might include some extra jpg sharpening (though if you're shooting on a Z8, I would think you already checked that).

This makes it seem it might be the importing that is the issue. So went with another test.

I took the same image through NX Studio, and exported as a TIFF, then imported THAT into Photos. The highlights are not blowing up the same way. The problem seems to stem from Photos importing a NEF.

Are there any hidden setting for photos than can be adjusted?

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Answer 2

Oct 8, 2025 9:05 AM in response to v3rlon

Was there a question? Or are you just pointing out that the free app doesn't do all that the expensive apps do?

I process NEF files in Lightroom when I need it. I use Photos for jpgs, including the jpgs that Lightroom exports.

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Answer 3

Oct 10, 2025 7:18 AM in response to v3rlon

I compared a NEF file (which I normally don't import to Photos) to a jpg of the same image produced by the Nikon Z8, both in Photos. The Nikon jpg was a bit sharper, which surprised me a bit.

I have the camera save both NEF and jpg files, and I do much of the editing with the jpgs in Photos. When I think that a picture will benefit from extra care, I edit it in Lightroom Classic and import its exported jpg to Photos. Ultimately, it's jpgs that get transferred around to other devices, but I keep certainly the edited NEF files in Lightroom's catalog.

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Answer 4

v3rlon Author

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13 points

Oct 9, 2025 3:50 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Is anyone else seeing this behavior with highlights using Exposure slider or Highlights/shadows slider?

Is there some obscure setting I am missing that is causing this issue?

Given the Photomator doesn't do the same thing, it seems unlikely that Apple Core RAW is the problem, but could there be something wrong with the importer?

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Answer 5

Yer_Man

Level 10

165,834 points

Oct 11, 2025 12:05 AM in response to v3rlon

Are there any hidden setting for photos than can be adjusted?

No.

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