Nikon Capture and or Photoshop?

[spanishbayonet]

I have Nikon view which is worse than useless. I understand where Photoshop falls in the picture, but do you really use Capture? For what?
Why? Would you get them together, or Capture first then Photoshop ?
Or do you have another suggestion. I use a D2H and windows XP. Any thoughts would be appreciated. CS Dayan

 

[Flew]

SB,

I'm Ron Reznick trained, so I use both. I use NC (4.3 right now) to convert the RAW image, add enough USM to overcome the AA filter softness, usually add a little gamma in the curves applet, adjust WB if required, set the black point, and do EV comp adjustments. On rare occasions, I also use the D-Lighting applet to bring out dark areas, but it is rare. I save the results as a 16-bit TIFF.

In PS CS I have an action that takes me through a standard process that includes:

- Shadows / Highlights (sometimes I set everything to 0 here)
- Hue / Saturation (also sometimes set everything to 0)
- Crop
- Resize (using the FM Resize Pro which I love)
- Add borders and sig
- Final fine tuning USM pass (using FM Intellisharpen II which I also love)
- Final levels adjustment
- Save results as a JPG

This process has given me by far the best results that I've ever gotten. I used to envy the results that Yves and Mike Mac (and of course Ron R) got when they processed for web presentation. While my shots don't come close to theirs, I am no longer jealous of their process. ;-)

Hope this helps.

 

[spanishbayonet]

Frank my head is spinning! I am going to have to ease into this. I was trying to get an idea of how far capture will take you. Resizing, signature... I am sure I will get better with time, but at this point I don't work in raw. Although I am aware the software is proprietary to the manufacturer for raw conversion. Thanks for the reply, Christopher Dayan

 

[Gale]

I use nikon view. PSCS2 and NC3.4..
All have good uses for images. Depends on the image for me, or how I wish to view.
To me they are all good.

I shoot only raw.....To me only way to go.

I do not batch,if that make a difference to you. I am mainly a birder. Every shot is different and every setting is different. so I have to use different tools.

I also want to get my head around Rawmagick..... All really good stuff.

Just my 1/2 cent

 

[spanishbayonet]

Thanks Gale, I guess I will consider Capture, try it , then move on to Photoshop. I just can't find any in depth descriptions of what is in Capture.
Christopher Dayan

 

[Gale]

Re-read I added some stuff.. sorry I didn't think of it when i first posted.

Here we go again with an edit. Sorry.

Learning curve take a bunch of time. Read the manuals..

RTFM LOLOL

Ron Reznick is another to consider, one of the best as well as far as how to aquire images and process. Big learning curve for me. But I do have his cd. But that may be a bit later...

 

[spanishbayonet]

Gale I wish I had more time, for all of photography,
I guess this will be a long process. Christopher Dayan

 

[Flew]

Christopher,

If you really want to learn how to get the absolute best out of your images, buy Ron's ebook. As has been stated many times, it is not a light read, but if you go through it patiently, you will learn and understand the entire work flow process so much better. I took two classes with Ron, and I can truly say that my results improved as much or more than if I had shot regularly every week for 2 - 3 years, and just kind of muddled through the processing.

Go here to read more:

http://www.digital-images.net/

I totally agree with Gale on the RAW processing issue. If you really want the best images that you can get, shoot RAW. Now having said that, I probably took 12,000 shots in JPG only before I converted over. I mean, I had to learn how to point and focus the cam first. Once I did though, I could never go back. You can get excellent images shooting just JPG. You just won't get the best that you can get. :wink:

 

[Gale]

Yes you are absolutely right. Time time time..

Devotion..

PS stay off internet forums.. Buttttt We learn so much here.. this is such a great place.

I just love all the friends here.

 

[Gale]

Her is another PS: for ya.

I also check into the retouching forum on DPR almost every day.

They are the greatest and photo shop gurus.

Great folks.

Tough keeping up..

If I weren't single..Someone would divorce me.

 

[Flew]

If I weren't single..Someone would divorce me.

Gale, you are a riot, and, you know what comes next.... :twisted:

 

[spanishbayonet]

Thanks Gale and Frank, The book sounds like a good idea, then at least I am not poking around in the dark. Christopher Dayan

 

[Flew]

Exactly.

 

[Gale]

oh noooooooooo

The riot police again !!!!!!!!!

 

[hillrg]

I have Nikon view which is worse than useless. I understand where Photoshop falls in the picture, but do you really use Capture? For what?
Why? Would you get them together, or Capture first then Photoshop ?
Or do you have another suggestion. I use a D2H and windows XP. Any thoughts would be appreciated. CS Dayan

Hi Chris

Just a few thoughts to add. I would not discount nikon view too quickly. It is a pretty good browser / image culler - and the price is right.

Since you are starting, I would suggest you get comfortable shooting JPG first. You will need an image editor, such as photoshop or something cheaper, like adobe elements.

After you feel comfortable editing the JPGs, and start to wonder how to correct whtie balance and exposure you will want to start shooting RAW and converting the file yourself (rather than having the camera convert to JPG for you). This is when you will need a raw converter, such as nikon capture, adobe capture raw, bibble... This will move you towards the workflow Frank was describing.

 

[Flew]

I have Nikon view which is worse than useless. I understand where Photoshop falls in the picture, but do you really use Capture? For what?
Why? Would you get them together, or Capture first then Photoshop ?
Or do you have another suggestion. I use a D2H and windows XP. Any thoughts would be appreciated. CS Dayan

Hi Chris

Just a few thoughts to add. I would not discount nikon view too quickly. It is a pretty good browser / image culler - and the price is right.

Since you are starting, I would suggest you get comfortable shooting JPG first. You will need an image editor, such as photoshop or something cheaper, like adobe elements.

After you feel comfortable editing the JPGs, and start to wonder how to correct white balance and exposure you will want to start shooting RAW and converting the file yourself (rather than having the camera convert to JPG for you). This is when you will need a raw converter, such as nikon capture, adobe capture raw, bibble... This will move you towards the workflow Frank was describing.

I agree with Rory, and in fact that's what I did. I was so lost when I started that I certainly didn't want to worry about the gory details until I had the basics down. As I mentioned above, I shot over 10K shots with my Sony 828 and then the D70 before I converted to RAW. Even when I did convert, I was more or less lost for a while. There are still many, many features of PS CS that I still don't know how to use properly (can we say layers....;-)).

 

[andreasb]

I pretty much only use NC 4.3.
If you want to see what it can do, download the trial version and ask some people to send you some ready made "SET's" Nikon Captures version of macros or actions as PS calls it. to see the difference it can make to your pictures, I will be glad to send mine for the D2x is you want.

I have started slowly to learn PS CS but I'm not comfortable in it. I mainly use PS for getting rid of dust bunnies and cropping.

Having said that I agree with Rory, try out NikonViews Editor on a picture, on the right upper hand side are two menu's auto contrast and Sharpening, play with them both, or ignore the auto contrast and add +10 on the contrast slider to see the haze dissapear to your picures

 

[Retief]

My 49.5 cents worth....

First off, the combo of Capture and PS-CS(2) is a real killer. I will, too often, use Nikon View to browse my images and then open a NEF directly in PS, which for the D2H does a decent job in Adobe Camera Raw. This step is somewhat analogous to what Ron does, yes, I have been 'Ron'd" as well, first in Capture. THe main use for PS is the final edits, crop/resize/convert to JPG. However, when I am ready to really prepare a picture, first step in Capture, as to my eye it renders a NEF better than PS-Adobe Camera Raw. Now, there is one exception to this, I find the PS can do a better job of recovering blown highlights in some cases, so try both.

THis is really not such a daunting task, you just learn the 6 or 8 things you do regularly. In Capture I would suggest getting familiar with the curves editor, advanced raw where you can modify exposure, white balance and D-lighting.

RawMagick is looking awesome, but the interface is quite different.

Frank, why do you bother to save to TIFF out of Capture rather than just transferring straight to PS?

 

[Flew]

Re: My 49.5 cents worth....

Frank, why do you bother to save to TIFF out of Capture rather than just transferring straight to PS?

Bill,

First of all, I sometimes do all of my NC processing, then do PS CS processing on the ones that I like the best. In addition, I sometimes fiddle with my PS process and settings, and I don't want to have to go back a redo the image in NC if I want to try something different (like a different crop) in PS. And finally, I like the naming convention that I use, and I don't want NC renaming my files (which I believe happens when you go straight to PS).

Does that make sense?

 

[Retief]

Re: My 49.5 cents worth....

Frank, why do you bother to save to TIFF out of Capture rather than just transferring straight to PS?

Bill,

First of all, I sometimes do all of my NC processing, then do PS CS processing on the ones that I like the best. In addition, I sometimes fiddle with my PS process and settings, and I don't want to have to go back a redo the image in NC if I want to try something different (like a different crop) in PS. And finally, I like the naming convention that I use, and I don't want NC renaming my files (which I believe happens when you go straight to PS).

Does that make sense?

I'm leaving all of the quoting so I don't have to remember who said what when :wink: .

Most of it does make sense, I just hate saving YAFF (Yet Another File Format) when I won't use it for anything specific. But given your workflow it does make sense.

As to the "rename" bit, the problem isn't that NC renames the file when it sends it, it is that PS has NO file name associated whatsoever. My convention, because I am one lazy son-of-a-gun, is to use the Nikon name "_DSC9999.ext", and then use the extension and folder location tell me the rest. So when I transfer I have to remember the image number, a pain in itself.

I have heard of folks who do a batch, saving everything in TIFF as an intermediate and that doesn't make nearly as much sense as you do. Gee, did I actually say the YOU MADE SENSE :?: :?: :?: Sorry, folks, must have been a slip-of-the-finger there :lol:

Thanks, Frank, good description of a slightly different workflow. I am going to actually give this a try as one thing I notice is that memory really seems to go haywire after I have done 5 or 6 workups in NC and then transferred to PS.