Nikon Capture NX, first look

Shot with Nikon D200. All editing done in Nikon Capture NX.

hile we were at Acadia NP Maine preparing for our next workshop there, we were discussing image workflow.

With film cameras the workflow centered around Photoshop, with digital camera raw files, the workflow centers around the raw converter. Although we were currently using Adobe ACR, we decided that we should check out other raw converters for comparison. Our first to try was Nikon Capture NX.

Background

Transitioning from shooting film to digital has made us totally rethink the processes of our image workflow.

In the past we shot slide film, 35mm and 6 x 7 medium format. We scanned the slides to digitize them and edited in the computer, having used Photoshop since version 3. Photoshop was and still is the king of pixel based image editors.

With the advent of digital cameras the raw image format was created. Raw can be thought of as the raw data file from the camera, not an image or picture file, as a jpg is. Photoshop is a pixel based editor not a raw editor; it cannot by itself process a raw file. Software to convert the raw data to an image file was needed. The programs that can do this are simply called “Raw Converters”. There are several competing raw converters now available. Adobe created a companion app to Photoshop called ACR, Adobe Camera Raw. ACR converts the raw data allowing the user to control basic color and light adjustments and then converts it to a pixel based image and hands it off to Photoshop where more advanced editing can be done.

The raw converter I believe will become increasingly more important. Eventually raw converters will become so robust in their image enhancing features that the need for a pixel based editor such as Photoshop will not be required. Nikon Capture NX is a first step towards this end.

Capture NX is an evolutionary rather revolutionary product. Nikon Capture just prior to the release of NX was on it’s 4th revision as a raw converter. NX could have been just renamed to version 5, but by using the NX name Nikon made it clear that there was something new in this release. NIK Software co developed NX with Nikon, perhaps another reason for the name. Regardless, NX has had several functions that take it on its first step towards becoming the all in one image editor.

Why Capture NX

First, we are Nikon users. Our camera as this article is being written is a Nikon D200. We would like to think the company that makes the camera knows best how to make the raw converter for it. This may or may not the true, as this first look will show.

Second, nik Software co developed NX. We have been a long time user of the nik Photoshop plugins, nik Color Efex Pro and nik Sharpener Pro.

Criteria

We are landscape photographers. Our prime concern is image quality. We already use ACR and Photoshop, will NX increase our image quality over ACR. What follows are our first impressions, this is not meant to be a review. These are our opinions as we try to decide if we should add NX to our workflow.

Noise

Several D200 raw images were converted both in ACR and NX. Images that required only moderate adjustments were noise free out of both converters. We thought that because the D200 images at ISO 100 are noise free that it wasn’t a valid test, so we tried a couple of D70 images. Again, not enough difference to be noticeable.

Next, we took a D200 image with a white sky and used the U point feature in NX to selectively darken and add color to the sky. We then used the same image in ACR. ACR does not have the ability to selectively enhance just a portion of the image, so after the raw conversion in ACR, the image was opened in Photoshop in 16bit mode. Levels and hue/saturation adjustment layers were used to match the sky in the NX version. We were curious if there was an advantage to editing in the raw converter verses editing in 16 bit in Photoshop. The NX image did have less noise in the sky, but the difference was still small. With a little bit of noise reduction in Photoshop the two images again looked similar.

White Balance

There has been a lot of talk about Nikon and the “as shot” white balance, is it hidden from other software developers? If its hidden Adobe found it, because we could not see major differences between the white balance in ACR and NX. There were of course differences between the two converters, but not enough to declare either one a winner.

Overall Color

Color is very subjective. It is hard to decide what is right and what is wrong. For example I can’t remember if the rocks at the beach had a yellow or magenta cast to them, so I adjust to make them to the way I think they should look. That said, after processing several raw files in both ACR and NX, we found that in the majority of the images, we like the overall color of the NX ones better.

The primary reason is NX has more power. Capture NX has more and better tools than ACR, the most exciting being U Point Technology. U Point allows the user to make color and light enhancements to just specific areas in an image. They are easy to use and very effective. Just click in the image to place a control point. Then adjust the sliders to achieve the look you want. Want to add blue to the sky without adding any tint to the clouds, no problem, want to saturate the green in the trees without spilling over to the sky, no problem. Nikon and nik have created a new paradigm in image editing, once you get the hang of it, you can accomplish more in less time than with other methods. See the example:

Nikon D200 raw file. Color to black and white conversion in Nikon Capture NX without using control points. See image below for improvement in tonal range by using control points.

Nikon D200 raw file. Color to black and white conversion in Nikon Capture NX. Control points added to improve tonal range.

Control point placed in image but no adjustments made.

Workflow

There is much talk on the net about the interface or GUI being unintuitive. That is not our impression; we get along with it fine. In my opinion, many don’t like it only because it is different than that which they are accustomed to using.

The speed of this initial release of NX 1.0 is another story. We have two workstations, NX is stable on both (no crashes, no missing palettes, etc.). But NX is slow on some tasks on both machines. Moving a control point around the image, the control point lags behind the mouse curser. Turning on or off an edit list item by mouse clicking sometimes takes a second or two. Still, most functions in NX work as expected. I have even been running Capture NX, Bridge, and Photoshop at the same time with no mishaps. Stability is good, speed on select functions needs improving.

Final Thoughts

Photoshop has been the gold standard for image editing for several years. It is the best tool available for editing jpeg or tiff files from your scans. Today digital cameras are replacing film cameras, and jpg files are being replaced by raw, a file type Photoshop alone cannot work with. Raw converters now can perform basic adjustments to raw files then convert the image to a file that Photoshop can use. So at present we need both a raw converter and pixel based editor like Photoshop to edit our images.

What is needed is a raw converter with an extensive enough set of imaging tools that a second program like Photoshop is not required.

Nikon Capture NX is a first step towards that end. NX can import a raw file, make all necessary basic corrections and output to your printer. Its U Point technology can compete with Photoshops layer masking, and in my opinion is faster, more powerful, and easier to understand and use. If you are a photographer that uses adjustment layers and their associated layer masks, using Capture NX with U Points will seem like a gift from the photo gods. On the other hand if adjustments layers and masking is not part of your workflow Capture NX might just be another raw converter.

As I said Capture NX is a good first step. Am I ready to give up Photoshop, absolutely not. Am I ready to trade ACR for Capture NX? If Nikon fixed the speed issues, an unqualified yes, as it stands right now, the jury is still out.

Control point values adjusted to enhance sky. Notice the ability to enhance the sky without the effect bleeding into other areas of the image.