Artifacts in Nikon raw image (NEF) after import - no edits

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2022-09-01 14:45:43

Hi,

I'm trying to setup my raw image editing workflow using Pixelmator Pro.
My camera is the Nikon Z7 II with the latest firmware installed and I'm shooting 14-bit RAW lossless compressed images (NEF).

When importing the following raw image with Nikon's own NX Studio (v1.2.1) using Nikon sRGB color space I get the image as I expect:

Image

However importing the same exact raw image using Pixelmator Pro (Version 2.4.6 Odesa) using Nikon sRGB color space (or any other color space) I get some very visible artifacts as seen here:

Image

This is an unedited raw image.
I've tried adjusting the color space, no effect.
I've tried different displays - same artifacts.

Is this a bug or am I doing something wrong?

Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Update

I do get the same issue when using the Preview and QuickLook app on macOS Monterey 12.5.1 (21G83).

Image

This seems to point to a macOS bug. I've filed an issue with Apple for that https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/11432453.

Is there anyway to mitigate the issue in Pixelmator Pro?
Thank you.
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2022-09-08 13:40:04

Hi Christian! Could you send a sample RAW file from your camera over to us at support@pixelmator.com so we could take a closer look?
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2022-09-08 15:14:00

by simonasd Hi Christian! Could you send a sample RAW file from your camera over to us at support@pixelmator.com so we could take a closer look?
Sure thing, definitely! I'll send you the exact raw image that I used here.
I'm an app developer myself so I know how hard these issues are to track and reproduce. I'd be happy to help in anyway I can.
Just let me know.
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2022-09-15 14:35:37

Thanks for sharing some samples with us! It looks like these are artifacts of Apple's Color Noise Reduction. Unfortunately this doesn't look like it's going to be a quick fix from our side, but we'll do our best to get this sorted as soon as possible in one of the upcoming Pixelmator Pro updates. :pray:
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2022-09-15 14:41:56

Thank you very much 😊👌🏻