NikonNX-i advice

[cj4now]

I've downloaded this software (along with the add on package for converting files) as I want to start tinkering around with editing RAW files. Ok, I know I'm a complete novice to photography and should concentrate on taking photos for now (which I will be doing). However, I've always been an 'in at the deep end' type of person and reckon it wont hurt to footer around with this on the side whilst I get to grips with my camera. I do like the programmed settings but I want to get the most out of my camera so shooting RAW files and learning to use the camera manually seems to make sense to me.

That said I have a couple of wee questions to ask and would appreciate any advice I can get.

1) Will this software be able to do isolate the colour on a subject whilst leaving the surroundings black and white?
2) I have an idea for a project when I get a bit more proficient and wondered if I would be able to 'black out' subjects (as if cutting them out and leaving a silhouette) ?
3) If the software wont be capable of doing this would it make more sense to download software that would, even if it will be a bit trickier to get to grips with?

I don't really see the point in learning an 'easier' program if I'll be ditching it further down the line. Does that make sense?

Again, thanks in advance for any advice and tips.

 

[Retune]

I prefer Nikon's other package, Capture NX-D, for working with their files. There's a fair bit of overlap between the packages - both can be used for previewing and selecting files for further processing, and both do raw processing. The image viewer in ViewNX-i is maybe snappier than the rather slow one in Capture NX-D, and ViewNX-i also does some simple movie editing. But Capture NX-D has much more control over raw processing, and can be used for many of the same tasks as a program like Lightroom, albeit with a clunkier interface. On the plus side, Nikon's raw conversions are high quality (they know their own files and the profiles of their cameras), the default settings give pleasing results, and the converter honours some in-camera settings that third party converters ignore.

However, programs like this aren't intended for the sort of editing you describe (neither is Lightroom). For this, you want an image editor like Photoshop (now only available for rental as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud), Affinity Photo (a powerful and keenly-priced competitor, especially with the current special offer) or GIMP (free). But these editors don't necessarily make programs like Capture NX-D redundant, especially if you shoot raw. e.g., Affinity's built-in raw converter isn't its strong point and it doesn't have the multi-image preview/selection/culling capabilities of the Nikon software. I also find Capture NX-D preferable to the UFRaw GIMP plugin. The most common Creative Cloud package includes both Photoshop and Lightroom, so in this case you can do without the Nikon software, though it's still worth comparing the Adobe and Nikon raw conversions to see which you prefer.

 

[cj4now]

@Retune So, I could quite happily use ViewNX-i for basic processing and storing files (is that what's meant by cataloguing btw?), their knowledge of their own files and cameras being a plus point in that respect. But I'd need to look elsewhere for a more advanced editing suite further down the line, such as GIMP (I'll give free ones a go first to see how I get on with things) to carry out more complicated edits?

If I'm reading it correctly I should probably stick with ViewNX-i for now (culling, basic editing and saving) as I'd still be able to use it in conjunction with the more advanced options later?

There are files scattered all over my laptop at the moment and I need to get them all in one place (before I cull 95% of them!). I've got night classes scheduled for photography, maybe need to have a look and see if there are any for editing as well, I think it might be more complicated than I first thought.

 

[droj]

There are files scattered all over ...

I'd think up some sort of folder structure for your picture files. You can always change it later.

When you process image files (jpgs or tiffs, say), the processing has a cost in that it tends to degrade the files, so if you save them with the same name you're losing something forever, and if you process and save any file multiple times this is compounded.

A raw file remains the same (it can't be re-saved, only 'exported' as an image file such as jpg or tif). But a given raw processor can normally 'remember' the edits that you've made. Different raw processors, though, aren't compatible in that one won't be able to read the edits you made in another.

Not everyone keeps their raws, though, once they've processed and exported them as images.

 

[cj4now]

@droj Does that mean when I edit a RAW file and save the changes to file it on my hard drive, or upload to Flikr for example, I have lost that RAW file and cant work on it again?

After spending half the day on NX-i I'm thinking I need to download the manual !! lol

 

[Retune]

@Retune So, I could quite happily use ViewNX-i for basic processing and storing files (is that what's meant by cataloguing btw?), their knowledge of their own files and cameras being a plus point in that respect. But I'd need to look elsewhere for a more advanced editing suite further down the line, such as GIMP (I'll give free ones a go first to see how I get on with things) to carry out more complicated edits?

If I'm reading it correctly I should probably stick with ViewNX-i for now (culling, basic editing and saving) as I'd still be able to use it in conjunction with the more advanced options later?

There are files scattered all over my laptop at the moment and I need to get them all in one place (before I cull 95% of them!). I've got night classes scheduled for photography, maybe need to have a look and see if there are any for editing as well, I think it might be more complicated than I first thought.

The Nikon packages don't have the sophisticated cataloguing of Lightroom, which has a database that can keep track of and organise your photos even if they are scattered over your hard disk, and allows searching by keywords, etc. With View or Capture you'll need to organise the folder structure yourself. But they can both be used for selection, rating and culling, and do high quality raw conversions. Capture has many more options than View for the latter (some adjustments are better made at the raw conversion stage), but yes, you'll need a more advanced editor for more complex downstream stuff (after raw conversion).

Current Nikon packages don't write back to the raw NEF files, which remain intact - instead, raw adjustments are saved in separate 'sidecar' files until raw conversion happens, at which point the adjustments are baked into the output files. If you need to do further work downstream in something like GIMP, it's best to export as a tiff (ideally 16-bit) initially. The type of tiff exported by the Nikon packages doesn't suffer from image degradation every time you save the file, since it will either be uncompressed, or use lossless LZW compression. Jpegs, on the other hand, are usually recompressed using a lossy algorithm whenever you save the file from within an image editor, losing a bit of fidelity every time, and are always 8-bit. The upshot of this is that you should only save as a jpeg (if you need a jpeg) at the every end of your editing process, either directly from the raw converter (if it needs no further editing) or from the downstream editor. That way, the lossy compression algorithm is only run once, and loss of bit depth only happens when you have finished editing.

@droj Does that mean when I edit a RAW file and save the changes to file it on my hard drive, or upload to Flikr for example, I have lost that RAW file and cant work on it again?

No, the exported files are separate and will have different extensions to their names, unless you do something wrong and overwrite them by mistake! Make backups of the originals in any case.

 

[droj]

Does that mean when I edit a RAW file and save the changes to file it on my hard drive, or upload to Flikr for example, I have lost that RAW file and cant work on it again?

No, raws always stay the same, until you delete them. Distinguish between raws (not themselves viewable images but just sets of camera-generated information) and the viewable image files that they can be converted into - commonly jpg or tif.

 

[cj4now]

Thanks for the information, it's much appreciated.

 

[droj]

The type of tiff exported by the Nikon packages doesn't suffer from image degradation every time you save the file

That overlooks the fact that working on a tif file, never mind a jpg, (making tonal adjustments etc) degrades it, and if it is then re-saved with the same file name rather than as a version, you've lost something that might be useful in any future processing ...

That would be more crucial of course if you had by then deleted (as many people do, maybe for reasons of disc space) your original raws.