Inside Nikon Sidecar file

NX Studio (and the previous software as View-NX2, ViewNX-i, Capture NX-D) may save image adjustments to sidecar files in an NKSC_PARAM folder within the same folder as the original image [nksave].

A sidecar file is a file based on the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) specification from Adobe. XMP data are serialized using the RDF/XML Syntax Specification [adxmp1].

Note

Adobe provide a free of charge SDK written in C++, but as the script focuses on Nikon sidecar file, I don’t use this SDK to avoid to have additional software to install.

In a nutshell, a sidecar file is a XMP packet with the image metadata serialized as XMP properties. Each property have a name and a value. A value may a simple value as XML text element, or a structured value (named resource).

These properties are grouped per set identified by a namespace [adxmp1], a Nikon sidecar file contains the following sets:

  • sdc (http://ns.nikon.com/sdc/1.0/): identify the software which created the image (here NX Studio 1.10W) and the version of the sidecar file format (here nikon sidecar/1.0).

  • ast (http://ns.nikon.com/asteroid/1.0/): contains image’s metadata serialized in a RDF packet encoded in Base64. These metadata are a subset of Dublin Core Metadata Initiative and IPTC metadata.

  • astype (http://ns.nikon.com/asteroid/Types/1.0/): contains the localisation data (GPS) and a copy of above metadata encoded in binary.

  • nine (http://ns.nikon.com/nine/1.0/): contains the image adjustments history in XML format with escaped characters (<..). Theses image processing modules are proprietary and cannot be transferred in an other software except for format filter as cropping.

No public specifications are available from Nikon, so the attributes were discovered by reading .nsks files and the help of ExifTool by Phil Harvey [phniktag].

Transferable filter

Todo

list the tansferable filter. The below list are for memory

  • nikon::ColorShift

  • nikon::DLightingHS

  • nikon::WhiteBalance

  • nik::Straighten

  • nikon::PictureControl

  • nikon::QuickFixToneCurve

  • nik::GaussianBlur

  • nikon::LEGeneral

  • nikon::FishEye

  • nikon::Dehaze

  • nikon::ColorBalance

  • nikon::Flare

  • nikon::SkinTone

  • nikon::Vignette

  • nikon::Perspective

  • nikon::ChrAb

  • nikon::UnsharpMask

  • nikon::ColorBooster

  • nikon::NXHistory

  • nikon::SkinSoftening

  • nik::LevelsCurves

  • nikon::RedEye

  • nikon::Diffraction

  • nikon::Distortion

  • nikon::ApplicationData

  • nikon::LongChrAb

  • nikon::ExposureSettings

  • nik::LCH

  • nikon::QuickFixContrast

  • nik::GrainNoise

  • nikon::DustOff

  • nikon::transform

  • nikon::SizeRes

  • nikon::PhotoEffects

  • nikon::Brightness

  • nikon::ActiveDLighting

  • nikon::NoiseReduction

  • nikon::PixelShiftNoiseReduction

  • nikon::DLightingHQ

nikon::ColorShift

nikon::DLightingHS

nikon::WhiteBalance

nik::Straighten

nikon::PictureControl

nikon::QuickFixToneCurve

nik::GaussianBlur

nikon::LEGeneral

nikon::FishEye

nikon::Dehaze

nikon::ColorBalance

nikon::Flare

nikon::SkinTone

nikon::Vignette

nikon::Perspective

nikon::ChrAb

nikon::UnsharpMask

nikon::ColorBooster

nikon::NXHistory

nikon::SkinSoftening

nik::LevelsCurves

nikon::RedEye

nikon::Diffraction

nikon::Distortion

nikon::ApplicationData

nikon::LongChrAb

nikon::ExposureSettings

nik::LCH

nikon::QuickFixContrast

nik::GrainNoise

nikon::DustOff

nikon::transform

nikon::SizeRes

nikon::PhotoEffects

nikon::Brightness

nikon::ActiveDLighting

nikon::NoiseReduction

nikon::PixelShiftNoiseReduction

nikon::DLightingHQ

References

[nksave]

Nikon, NX Studio Help, Options > [Save]

[phniktag]

Phil Harvey, Nikon Tags , Tag Names > Nikon

[adxmp1] (1,2)

Adobe, XMP Specification Part 1, pp. 5-9