PS and NX Capture

[Jared Lloyd]

I was wondering if anyone could explain why Photoshop and Nikon Capture handled files so differently. Capture handles colors - especially yellow and reds - in a more realistic way than does PS it would seem. When I pull up my raw files, quite often there is little to no adjustments that need to be made in Capture where as with PS I always have to make adjustments. It just seems that Capture imeadiately renders files the way that I see them on the back of my camera.

Any help with this matter would be great.

Jared

[Nancy A Elwood]

Jared, NX reads all your in camera settings, where as CS only reads the WB and then just puts whatever settings you have pre set into the program. I find NX, after setting up my presets, to render much better than CS. I use NX only for my RAW processor then save as TIFF for any other adjustments in CS. Once you save as jpeg or tiff in NX all other program can read the adjustments made in NX. Hope this helps.

[Alfred Forns]

Thanks for the info Nancy

I only do a few conversions in NX partly to the convenience of LR. Have been given ideas for a workflow with NX but none have been as simple as LR.

[Jared Lloyd]

Nancy,
so far that has been what Ive done as well. I open with Capture and make basic adjustments and then save as tiff to work on in PS. WHy would PS ignore the camera settings? Is CS4 the same way?
thanks,
Jared

[Nancy A Elwood]

Jared nikon software is the only programs that can read in camera settings of nikons. NO other software can read them.

[Nancy A Elwood]

Thanks for the info Nancy

I only do a few conversions in NX partly to the convenience of LR. Have been given ideas for a workflow with NX but none have been as simple as LR.

Al, I really learned with NX and not Photoshop so I guess I am just more comfortable with it. But, I have found getting the right amount of contrast so much easier with NX, looking at lost shadows and lost highlights and adjusting either opacity of the levels and curves or decrease the exposure or brightness level. But, I have a set set up like for nature, birds let say, of the standard control, but set contrast to -1, sharpness to 4 or 3, and saturation to either +1 or default. Then go to the levels and curves and check there with the lost highlights or lost shadows in the view menu at the top. Then check my black point and white point with the double threshold. Then save as TIF. I then crop in CS3 and use any of my plug ins like Viveza or nik define if needed. Take the final tif back to NX for high pass selective sharpening. Anyway it has become fairly routine, but I am always learning:).

[Alfred Forns]

Fully agree Nancy its really good !!!

I think over the last few years other programs has come up to the level of NX (close) The newest LR has lots of the features like control points and gradients and now CS4 has made it even closer.

Since I got used to importing to LR doing some adjustments and just leaving there unless I had to print, post, send etc sure is convenient, plus being able to use the same program for cataloging, also does a fine job printing, all my originals are there stacked with TIFF versions .... makes a compelling reason for using.

One other program I have found good for converting is Capture One which will use on occasion along with NX.

[Ed Grella]

With the new CS4, do you still prefer to make adjustments in NX then save as a TIFF? Or is it as effective to save as RAW, then make final adjustments to the RAW immage in CS4?
Thanks, ed

[Nancy A Elwood]

With the new CS4, do you still prefer to make adjustments in NX then save as a TIFF? Or is it as effective to save as RAW, then make final adjustments to the RAW immage in CS4?
Thanks, ed

No version of photoshop will see the adjustments made in NX unless you save as a tiff or jpeg. So, to answer your question No. I did not update to CS4, for CS3 does most all I need for the time being. I just prefer NX for 95% of my PP. I use CS3 for the different plug ins I have, mostly Niksoftware plug ins, all done with the tiff image.

[Ed Grella]

Thank you Nancy.