Efficient Workflow

Reuse the work you have already done

RAW decoding is often a major cost when preparing high-resolution scans. Reusing a valid decoded image avoids repeating that step; conversion, rendering, disk access and other work can still take time.

Ordinary processing may evict older temporary data when the cache fills. Revisiting a photo can then require another decode if no valid adjacent NRC or reusable editing data is available. A larger working cache can reduce this repeated work.

Start with 30–50 GB, then size your working set

For a substantial RAW session, roughly 30–50 GB is a practical starting range for the temporary disk cache limit. Adjust it for decoded resolution, photo count and the work you do. It is not a guarantee that the whole session will remain cached.

The configured limit is a ceiling, not reserved disk space. Check actual free storage separately and leave headroom for cache growth, saved proxies, adjacent NRCs, exports and the operating system. The app keeps a 1 GB admission reserve; that minimum is not a comfortable working-space target.

Preferences → Cache → Disk cache limit controls temporary storage for each open window. The default is 10 GB; the accepted range is 0–10,000 GB. Zero disables temporary disk caching. Multiple windows can each use their own quota.

Use the app’s cache calculator

Open Preferences → Cache and choose Calculate… beside Disk cache limit. Enter Sensor resolution in megapixels and Photos to cache. Use estimate fills the draft limit; Apply in Preferences saves it.

The estimate uses decoded RGB-float data: 12 MB per megapixel per photo, with 50% extra for source copies and temporary previews, rounded upward to 0.01 GB. Compressed RAW file size alone does not describe this expanded representation.

Actual compressed cache sizes and processing buffers vary. Saved proxies and source thumbnails are separate, and the calculator does not check free disk space or size RAM.

Keep decoded data beside scans you revisit

Preferences → Processing → Decode storage → Beside Original (.nrc) saves requested native decoded data beside supported originals. A valid managed NRC can be copied there without decoding again. The Decode… dialog also allows a per-action destination choice.

New adjacent filenames remove the source’s final extension and add a leading dot. For example, DSCF1425.RAF produces .DSCF1425.nrc. These files survive window close and are outside the temporary cache quota and its automatic cleanup.

This is useful for returning to the same scans in later sessions. Storage grows beside your photos; new writes need a writable folder and enough free space. Changing the preference itself does not decode everything already imported or move existing files.

Reuse still depends on valid source and decoder identity. An original, interpretation or decoder-policy change can require regeneration. The NRC is not an original-image backup or an editing document.

Clear the cache you mean to clear

Wait until processing, decoding and export have finished. Use the app’s targeted cleanup controls when possible and review their confirmation scope. NRC caches can be regenerated when the compatible original is available; removing them may cause decoding again.

1. Adjacent NRCs: check the relevant photos, open Decode…, then choose Clear N .nrc. This targets the validated NRC files beside those checked originals.
2. Temporary managed NRCs: Preferences → Cache → Clear cached decodes… clears decoded NRCs in the current window, including unchecked photos. Adjacent files and saved proxies are kept.
3. Saved editing proxies: Preferences → Cache → Clear saved proxies… manages the separate persistent reduced-resolution editing data. These proxies do not automatically expire under the temporary quota.