Does Nikon Capture NX2 apply in-camera sharpening to images without the option for adjustment?

[Dan Brown]

I have recently started attempting to use NX2 for PP and conversion of the my raw files. I have my in-camera sharpening set high so that I can see sharpness in the field on the display. This sharpening is not applied to the raw file (only the jpeg) when opened in ACR but with NX2 it seems to be and seems to be locked in, as the settings show in the right hand panel but are not adjustable. Is there a way to set a default to 0 sharpening when opened with NX2?

[allanrube]

Not that I know of. What I would do, well I do not use in camera sharpening, in your case is run a batch process to set sharpening to 0.

I really would get away from in camera sharpening. It would take a while to get used to that, but you would soon be able to tell if an image was "sharp."

[Dan Brown]

Not that I know of. What I would do, well I do not use in camera sharpening, in your case is run a batch process to set sharpening to 0.

I really would get away from in camera sharpening. It would take a while to get used to that, but you would soon be able to tell if an image was "sharp."
Thanks for the info Allan. I can't seem to accomplish doing the batch process for sharpening?

As for the in-camera sharpening, if it doesn't effect the raw file, then way do you recommend not doing it? I like the instant gratification in the field!

[allanrube]

I am just used to it that way. I use the lcd to check exposure and weed out grossly bad shots. I look at the rest on my computer. Just me.

Open one image, go to camera settings. About half way down go to advanced under picture control. If that is not set at 0, cna you set it back to 0. (I am assuming that is where in camera sharpening would show up.) Then under the batch menu - save adjustments. In the dialog box just check camera settings. Now run a batch using that settings file and see if sharpness is gone.

[Dan Brown]

Open one image, go to camera settings. About half way down go to advanced under picture control. If that is not set at 0, cna you set it back to 0. (I am assuming that is where in camera sharpening would show up.)
Thanks Allan. I have tried to reset the sharpening under advanced picture control and it is not possible as the sliders will not move. Maybe NX2 does apply this sharpening, but you would think one could undo it here! In ACR, one can set the sharpening default to 0 and when the raw is opened, the sharpening is 0. Interesting!:o

[allanrube]

Hmm. What picture control are you using? It should work on standard; it doesn't work on linear flat.

[Jon Saperia]

Thanks Allan. I have tried to reset the sharpening under advanced picture control and it is not possible as the sliders will not move. Maybe NX2 does apply this sharpening, but you would think one could undo it here! In ACR, one can set the sharpening default to 0 and when the raw is opened, the sharpening is 0. Interesting!:o
In NX2 - be sure that you have moved the dialog from 'unchanged' to "Standard" in the picture control setting.I think someone after me pointed this out while I was trying to get a series of images posted to show the controls. I was only able to upload one per message :-)
In any case once you change from unchanged to Standard you should be good to go. As an FYI, this is a default behavior for NX2. For example, you can not change the color temperature of an image until you first change away from the recorded value to something else light daylight (even if that is what you set the camera to)

[Dan Brown]

Hmm. What picture control are you using? It should work on standard; it doesn't work on linear flat.
Ah Ha! That's the key! I had the picture control set to "unchanged" which applied 9 for sharpening and wouldn't move, but set to "standard" the in-camera setting of 3 is applied and the sliders are live! Great! Thanks Allan!

[Jon Saperia]

Ah Ha! That's the key! I had the picture control set to "unchanged" which applied 9 for sharpening and wouldn't move, but set to "standard" the in-camera setting of 3 is applied and the sliders are live! Great! Thanks Allan!
Yikes!!!! Unchanged is what the camera has it set for AFAIK. The default is usually 3 for most bodies I know. 9 Seems like quite a lot.

[Dan Brown]

Yikes!!!! Unchanged is what the camera has it set for AFAIK. The default is usually 3 for most bodies I know. 9 Seems like quite a lot.
I Think you are right Jon. I do have the in-camera set to 9 and as long as I can undo it, I like this as I feel that it gives me a preview that sort of mimics a sharpened end product. I may have to eliminate this practice if I continue to use NX2 for converting and PP. I don't want to have to undo the setting for every image! In ACR, the in-camera settings can be automatically eliminated!

[allanrube]

Dan, before I even look at my images I do a batch with NX. It includes changing the wb from uni-wb to what I want and to add a bit of usm to overcome the AA filter. If I were in your situation, I would just add to my batch the undoing of incamera sharpening.

[Jon Saperia]

I Think you are right Jon. I do have the in-camera set to 9 and as long as I can undo it, I like this as I feel that it gives me a preview that sort of mimics a sharpened end product. I may have to eliminate this practice if I continue to use NX2 for converting and PP. I don't want to have to undo the setting for every image! In ACR, the in-camera settings can be automatically eliminated!
It is not my place to say how to do this as I have only been at it or a couple years. What I have found is that the default or plus 1 (4) on bodies I know, is plenty. The back of the camera is pretty hard to use as a fine tuning guide for sharpness (or anything else - but my eyes are not great). You could have a bunch of settings you could load that either reset all images to 3 or move them up to nine if you wanted to in NX2. I have also found that generally speaking a good image may need some but not the extreme amount of sharpening that 9 would produce so I think 9 would cause you to have more editing this way than using a default sharpening in the camera.

One reason I do not use ACR (not to start a food fight) (aside from better color rendition) is that it does not read all the RAW info in NEFs.

[Dan Brown]

Thanks Allan and Jon! Lots of good advice. I have only just started playing with NX2 and did so for the reasons that Jon states. One complaint that I have at this point is that the program is slooooow! and with my slow machine, it has crashed a couple times. I will have to add some ram I thnik!

[Jon Saperia]

They are working on the crash issues. They are generally related to use of the brush in rapid succession. The speed is not likely to improve until there is substantially redone version. It is true that CS* is faster. I have occasionally thought of going back to it, each time I do, I decide that the NX2 issues are worth putting up with in exchange for its benefits. All that said, you probably want a fair amount of memory. My laptop is maxed at 3 GB which is OK. Most of my work is done on my desktop that has a lot more memory. All this is on macs. on Windows, YMMV.
/jon

[Robert Amoruso]

Dan,

Having any of the in-camera JPG settings set high will influence the histogram. Just so long as you realize that no problem with sharpening to see in the LCD, but I would do some test images of the same subject with and w/o sharpening and check the histograms to see what the affect might be.