diff --git a/components/nif/data.cpp b/components/nif/data.cpp
index eb707e1bfd..2c5568397d 100644
--- a/components/nif/data.cpp
+++ b/components/nif/data.cpp
@@ -163,11 +163,8 @@ void NiPixelData::read(NIFStream *nif)
 {
     fmt = (Format)nif->getUInt();
 
-    rmask = nif->getUInt(); // usually 0xff
-    gmask = nif->getUInt(); // usually 0xff00
-    bmask = nif->getUInt(); // usually 0xff0000
-    amask = nif->getUInt(); // usually 0xff000000 or zero
-
+    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < 4; ++i)
+        colorMask[i] = nif->getUInt();
     bpp = nif->getUInt();
 
     // 8 bytes of "Old Fast Compare". Whatever that means.
@@ -190,10 +187,9 @@ void NiPixelData::read(NIFStream *nif)
     }
 
     // Read the data
-    unsigned int dataSize = nif->getUInt();
-    data.reserve(dataSize);
-    for (unsigned i=0; i<dataSize; ++i)
-        data.push_back((unsigned char)nif->getChar());
+    unsigned int numPixels = nif->getUInt();
+    if (numPixels)
+        nif->getUChars(data, numPixels);
 }
 
 void NiPixelData::post(NIFFile *nif)
diff --git a/components/nif/data.hpp b/components/nif/data.hpp
index a0d4960e08..39901b5840 100644
--- a/components/nif/data.hpp
+++ b/components/nif/data.hpp
@@ -124,7 +124,8 @@ public:
     };
     Format fmt;
 
-    unsigned int rmask, gmask, bmask, amask, bpp;
+    unsigned int colorMask[4];
+    unsigned int bpp;
 
     NiPalettePtr palette;
     unsigned int numberOfMipmaps;
diff --git a/components/nif/nifstream.hpp b/components/nif/nifstream.hpp
index c783774485..97075c288c 100644
--- a/components/nif/nifstream.hpp
+++ b/components/nif/nifstream.hpp
@@ -200,6 +200,18 @@ public:
         return result;
     }
 
+    void getChars(std::vector<char> &vec, size_t size)
+    {
+        vec.resize(size);
+        readLittleEndianDynamicBufferOfType<char,char>(inp, vec.data(), size);
+    }
+
+    void getUChars(std::vector<unsigned char> &vec, size_t size)
+    {
+        vec.resize(size);
+        readLittleEndianDynamicBufferOfType<unsigned char,unsigned char>(inp, vec.data(), size);
+    }
+
     void getUShorts(std::vector<unsigned short> &vec, size_t size)
     {
         vec.resize(size);