Nikon Capture NX

HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
edited August 3, 2006 in Finishing School
The trial version is now available for download
http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_sid=kaBFdWbi&p_lva=61&p_li=&p_accessibility=0&p_page=1&p_cv=1.185&p_pv=2.298&p_prods=42%2C298&p_cats=185&p_hidden_prods=&prod_lvl1=42&prod_lvl2=298&cat_lvl1=185&p_search_text=&p_new_search=1&p_search_type=answers.search_nl
Harry
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"

Comments

  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    You can save time downloading
    This was my experience with the NX Trial download.

    I didn’t have Microsoft.Net on my machine, and Nikon says NX requires the DotNet Framework, so I chose the NX with DotNet option, which is 172MB in size – a large download. It started its download at around 7KB and after a few minutes gradually got up to 14KB. The download was calculated to take in excess of 6-hours. The computed time was bouncing around between six-something and seven-something hours.

    I canceled the down load and went to Microsoft.com and downloaded DotNet ver. 2.0. I had a download speed of 759KB and the download took less than half a minute. It did however take about 10-minutes to installed. I went back to Nikon and download the NX option without DotNet which is 13.4KB. The download speed started out at 17KB but quickly began dropping. The download speed at the halfway mark was at 12.3KB. ended up taking about 25 minutes. Nikonusa.com needs to upgrade connect speed.

    Next task is to download the manual.
  • JohnRJohnR Registered Users Posts: 732 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    Why is this in gear and not photoshop essentials or whatever? eek7.gif

    I downloaded the version for mac and the manual.
  • JohnRJohnR Registered Users Posts: 732 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    Capture NX demo released
    Nikon has made available the demo version of Capture NX. I downloaded it and the manuals this morning. I hear that their servers are getting hit hard so the downloads are slow?

    Mac: http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14019&p_created=1151426607&p_sid=X6hTeXbi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=61&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTAmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1ueA**&p_li=&p_topview=1


    Windows: http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14016&p_created=1151420849&p_sid=X6hTeXbi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=61&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTAmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1ueA**&p_li=&p_topview=1
  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    I didn't start the thread, but my guess is because it is not Photoshop.
  • JohnRJohnR Registered Users Posts: 732 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    Aahh..but it's not all just photoshop!

    Photoshop Shenanigans (13 Viewing)
    Photoshop, PSP, The Gimp, Workflow. It's all here.
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    JohnR wrote:
    Why is this in gear and not photoshop essentials or whatever? eek7.gif

    I downloaded the version for mac and the manual.

    Excellent point, I'm moving my thread and merging it with yours in the proper forum.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • Dick on ArubaDick on Aruba Registered Users Posts: 3,484 Major grins
    edited July 7, 2006
    I downloaded it (Windows), installed it and play with it.

    It's far from "fast" but it's a hell of a editing tool. Although by far not bug-less, it does his job much better and nicer than NC 4.4

    They surely have to come with an (or couple of) upgrades before my I register but I will surely.

    If you used to NC 4.4, the switch is not a big issue. In less than a hour you know where to find everything and can produce great results.

    I recommend to download this trial.

    Dick.
    "Nothing sharpens sight like envy."
    Thomas Fuller.

    SmugMug account.
    Website.
  • TomaSTomaS Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    Not sure why this thread is not getting much response - this is a very interesting proogram - especially for NIkon RAW shooters.

    I had no problem downloading to my desktop and again to my laptop.

    It is irritatingly slow on both machines. My desktop is a Pentium D so it is no slug. Looking for Ver 1.1 to fix that. I will not purchase until then.

    Some essential tools (like clone) seem to be missing. Outstanding tools for RAW workflow if you not already locked into PS.

    Would love to see more feedfack on this program. Perhaps on Nikonians? Here is some: http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototip-archives.html
    Tomas
    TomsProPhoto
  • flyingdutchieflyingdutchie Registered Users Posts: 1,286 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    I downloaded it and have mixed results.

    I already had .NET2.0 installed and this is being used instead of .NET1.1

    1. I found some bugs: sometimes the dockable windows look odd. The bar with which you can drag the undocked windows around (on the left side of these windows) disappears sometimes. Temporarily docking these windows fixes that, though.

    2. Sometimes, loading the first pic makes NX hang: I load the pic; pic is being shown; then any interaction with NX will make NX unresponsive for a couple of minutes (CPU --> 100%; NX 'not responding') and then everything starts running much better.

    3. Making selections using UPoints is a little learning curve, to say the least. I still need to figure out a way to select, for example, the blue sky so that the effect i'm aiming for is applied fully for the entire sky; UPoints select circular areas. The center of a UPoint has the effect effective for a full 100%, the farther from the UPoint, the less effect(/'coverage') it has. Multiple UPoints help, but you've still got gaps with less than 100% 'coverage'.

    But i just found this link:
    http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capturenx/nxsp/tutorials.htm

    I'm going to give these tutorials a try. :D
    -- Anton
    I can't grasp the notion of time.

    When I hear the earth will melt into the sun,
    in two billion years,
    all I can think is:
        "Will that be on a Monday?"
    ==========================
    http://www.streetsofboston.com
    http://blog.antonspaans.com
  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    You can use Control Points to protect an area so that other control points don’t effect it. Here are three pictures that show an example of using the Control Points.

    Test Picture.
    85132055-L.jpg

    Control points. Three in the sky to turn it blue. Three on the bird so it won’t turn blue, and one on the feeder to protect it. I don’t know that I really need the one on the feeder. I created one in the sky and duplicated it twice, moving the duplicates across the image. The same with the three on the bird, created one, duplicated the other two. Duplicated a fourth and dragged it to the feeder. Total time involved, maybe thirty seconds. While the zone of influence is a circle, the NX program is pretty good at selecting what will actually be affected.
    85135432-L.jpg

    The results.
    85132056-L.jpg


    This was a real quick application of control points. If I was actually working on the picture I would take a little more time, but this shows that the bird is not turning blue along with the sky.
  • flyingdutchieflyingdutchie Registered Users Posts: 1,286 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    But the sky is not the same blue all over its area. It turns more and more white/gray the further it is away from the Control points. Multiple control pionts fix this, but you still get parts of the sky that not affected for a 100% by all control points (unless you put a LOT of duplicate control points in your pic)
    I can't grasp the notion of time.

    When I hear the earth will melt into the sun,
    in two billion years,
    all I can think is:
        "Will that be on a Monday?"
    ==========================
    http://www.streetsofboston.com
    http://blog.antonspaans.com
  • TomaSTomaS Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    flyingdutchie wrote:
    But the sky is not the same blue all over its area. It turns more and more white/gray the further it is away from the Control points. Multiple control pionts fix this, but you still get parts of the sky that not affected for a 100% by all control points (unless you put a LOT of duplicate control points in your pic)

    I see what you mean Dutchie. But there are tools to selct an area. You can also make the zone of influence of the control point larger (or smaller) to cover the whole selection. I have not actuallyt done this, but should work better than multiple control points for things like the sky in the example above.
    Tomas
    TomsProPhoto
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited July 31, 2006
    Ayy, Harry!

    I really am trying to get some QUAIL shots but the durned things aren't getting close enough to my house just yet. And that catclaw is way too thick for me to crawl through!

    I did download Capture NX, THEN I downloaded .NET Framework 1.1 (gotta do it even if you have Framework 2.0, which I didn't).

    But I was also--FINALLY--able to upload the Version 1.4 firmware for my camera, after a whole mess of failed attempts. So I can finally shoot RAW/NEF now!

    I was really getting wise to the limitations of PhotoShop, PhotoExpression, and other ArcSoft products, but I'm trying to save up for a DSLR, so forget buying PhotoShop. But at around $150, Capture NX is surprisingly affordable.

    Thanks for the hot tip, Harry. Try not to sweat too much down there in the Everglades!
    Steve-o
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    Yes, I discovered today this "zone of influence" of yours; as a dashed circle, you can expand or contract it with ease, but sometimes it influences an area you'd rather leave alone. So it takes a little practice!

    TomaS wrote:
    I see what you mean Dutchie. But there are tools to selct an area. You can also make the zone of influence of the control point larger (or smaller) to cover the whole selection. I have not actuallyt done this, but should work better than multiple control points for things like the sky in the example above.
    Steve-o
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    But for reasons not quite beknownst to me, the download instructions insist that you also download .NET Framework 1.1--even if you have 2.0 (which wasn't my problem).
    flyingdutchie wrote:
    I downloaded it and have mixed results.

    I already had .NET2.0 installed and this is being used instead of .NET1.1

    1. I found some bugs: sometimes the dockable windows look odd. The bar with which you can drag the undocked windows around (on the left side of these windows) disappears sometimes. Temporarily docking these windows fixes that, though.

    2. Sometimes, loading the first pic makes NX hang: I load the pic; pic is being shown; then any interaction with NX will make NX unresponsive for a couple of minutes (CPU --> 100%; NX 'not responding') and then everything starts running much better.

    3. Making selections using UPoints is a little learning curve, to say the least. I still need to figure out a way to select, for example, the blue sky so that the effect i'm aiming for is applied fully for the entire sky; UPoints select circular areas. The center of a UPoint has the effect effective for a full 100%, the farther from the UPoint, the less effect(/'coverage') it has. Multiple UPoints help, but you've still got gaps with less than 100% 'coverage'.

    But i just found this link:
    http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capturenx/nxsp/tutorials.htm

    I'm going to give these tutorials a try. :D
    -- Anton
    Steve-o
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    You're tellin' ME! Downloading NX was so slow--as I had to download with .Net Framework 1.1--that I downloaded NX first (about 50 minutes), then .Net 1.1 (another 45 minutes, but it's about three times bigger than NX).

    Along the way, I found that I can't send pictures from NikonView 6 to Capture NX, but that I'm supposed to be able to with Picture Project (which supposedly replaces NikonView 6).

    So I downloaded the 84+MB Picture Project. Though I have 1-meg satellite internet, the download speed was almost a FLAT 5.6kbps (I think my FAX machine transmits faster than that!) and, after only 4 1/2 hours, I was finally able to install it :bash

    I haven't yet been able to figure out how to send pictures from Picture Project to Capture NX. I have to go into NX and call up the file I want to edit until I "get a clue"! ne_nau.gif
    JohnR wrote:
    Nikon has made available the demo version of Capture NX. I downloaded it and the manuals this morning. I hear that their servers are getting hit hard so the downloads are slow?

    Mac: http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14019&p_created=1151426607&p_sid=X6hTeXbi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=61&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTAmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1ueA**&p_li=&p_topview=1


    Windows: http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14016&p_created=1151420849&p_sid=X6hTeXbi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=61&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTAmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1ueA**&p_li=&p_topview=1
    Steve-o
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    A wealth of info on NX can be found here

    http://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/forumdisplay.php?f=138&order=desc
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • Brooks PBrooks P Registered Users Posts: 190 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    Forehead wrote:
    You're tellin' ME! Downloading NX was so slow--as I had to download with .Net Framework 1.1--that I downloaded NX first (about 50 minutes), then .Net 1.1 (another 45 minutes, but it's about three times bigger than NX).

    Along the way, I found that I can't send pictures from NikonView 6 to Capture NX, but that I'm supposed to be able to with Picture Project (which supposedly replaces NikonView 6).

    So I downloaded the 84+MB Picture Project. Though I have 1-meg satellite internet, the download speed was almost a FLAT 5.6kbps (I think my FAX machine transmits faster than that!) and, after only 4 1/2 hours, I was finally able to install it :bash

    I haven't yet been able to figure out how to send pictures from Picture Project to Capture NX. I have to go into NX and call up the file I want to edit until I "get a clue"! ne_nau.gif

    Too late now, but the download speed of .net from Microsoft was very fast. Took me less than a minute, of course I had wasted about twenty minutes trying to download it from Nikon, before giving up.

    I have no problems sending pictures back and forth between View 6 and NX. You do have to go to the Icon Bar in View 6 and add NX to the list of Edit Programs.
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2006
    AHH! It's suddenly so clear to me now!

    A thousand thanks!
    Brooks P wrote:
    Too late now, but the download speed of .net from Microsoft was very fast. Took me less than a minute, of course I had wasted about twenty minutes trying to download it from Nikon, before giving up.

    I have no problems sending pictures back and forth between View 6 and NX. You do have to go to the Icon Bar in View 6 and add NX to the list of Edit Programs.
    Steve-o
  • TomaSTomaS Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited August 3, 2006
    Harryb wrote:
    A wealth of info on NX can be found here

    http://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/forumdisplay.php?f=138&order=desc

    Great link Harry!clap.gif One of the posts explains how to select / limit the Color Contol Points (CCP).

    Here is another link. Tutorials from Nikon....

    http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capturenx/nxsp/tutorials.htm

    On my 3Ghz Pentium D with 4GB of RAM, the program is still way slow. Maybe it is the size of my RAW files (D200,16MB)????? It also has problems with the Wacom tablet - acknowledged by Nikon support. Version 2.0 could be a keeper.
    Tomas
    TomsProPhoto
  • TomaSTomaS Registered Users Posts: 314 Major grins
    edited August 3, 2006
    The 'case studies' are helpful too...

    http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capturenx/nxsp/casestudies.htm
    Tomas
    TomsProPhoto
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