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May 13th, 2006 Although Nikon Capture NX is ideally geared towards post processing the Nikon Electronic Format (NEF) files created by such cameras as the Nikon D40x, Nikon D80 and Nikon D200 digital SLR's, for the first time, Nikon Capture version NX processing can now be applied to JPEG and TIFF images. (with some limitations compared to NEF) Nikon Capture NX for Nikon digital SLR's enables a full non-destructive image editing workflow, and provides a number of new features, including Color Control Points powered by U Point™ technology, selection tools for image adjustments, improved batch processing, and full support for ICC based color management.
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Nikon
Capture NX workspace window (beta) Nikon D50 digital SLR image being
edited
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The Power of NEF
One of the most unique and powerful features of NEF is the ability to
utilize Nikon Capture NX to process the image with the camera settings
that you assigned within the camera using Nikon processing algorithms
to produce the highest possible image quality. With Nikon Capture NX you
can alter or change the original camera settings such as, white balance,
sharpening, color mode, saturation, tone compensation, hue adjustment
and more.
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A quick edit is performed on the Nikon D50 digital SLR flower image with four easy steps. Step
1: Straighten and Crop the Image Step
2: Apply D-Lighting Step
3: Increase the Contrast Step
4: Enhance the Sky and Flowers
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Nikon
D70s with AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G
JPEG image before edit |
Nikon
D70s with AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G
JPEG image after edit |
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Step
1 First, the Crop Tool is used to crop any unwanted detail from the image. A Color Control Point is added to the lake. Using the Saturation slider, the blue of the lake can be intensified, and then using the Brightness slider, the lake can be darkened slightly. This is done without making a complex mask of the lake, and works amazingly well even around fine detail objects like hair. |
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Step
2
Using the Camera Settings Palette, the Color Mode is changed from original Mode Ia to Mode IIIa which produces more vivid colour for nature and landscape shots. Additionally within the Camera Settings Palette, the White Balance is adjusted to ensure the highest quality colour rendition throughout the image. |
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Step
3 Using Capture NX’s Color Picker in combination with a Color Control Point enables you to select an object and set a specific color for that object. In this case, the Skin Tones memory color range within the Color Picker was used to select a skin tone. |
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Step
4 Finally, the image is sharpened using the Unsharp Mask tool. This ensures the detail you saw in the original image is maintained in the final print. |
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Non-destructive Image Editing
Every tool within Nikon Capture NX offers non-destructive image editing,
enabling you to change or remove any effect or enhancement to the image
at any time without adversely affecting image quality. When images are
saved as an NEF file, the original image data is saved along with a set
of instructions to be applied to the image. JPEG and TIFF files can also
be saved as NEF files to take advantage of this non-destructive image
editing workflow.
An additional benefit
of NEF is that each enhancement within Nikon Capture NX is saved as an
instruction set thus requiring virtually no additional hard disk space.
When you use the Marker feature within Capture NX you can create multiple
versions of the same image and take up virtually the same amount of hard
disk space as the original image.
Color Control Points 
Color Control Points let you directly select and isolate an entire image
or an area within it for enhancement in a fraction of the time that other
image editing tools require. Within moments, you can choose and use any
control point to modify hue, brightness, saturation, red green, blue,
warmth, and contrast within each selected area
U Point Technology
Nikon Capture NX is the only application that contains Nik Software’s
patented U Point photo editing technology, a powerful technology for selective
image editing. U Point™ technology is revolutionary in how it uses
Control Points to help realize results envisioned in the editing process.
Using NEF files for optimal performance, Control Points allow photographers
to select and isolate an entire image or selected areas within the image
for enhancement, without the complications required by other photo editing
software. Enhancements can be instantly cancelled or added with ease,
without compromising the original quality of the image, and U Point control
is perfectly compatible with each NEF file’s Instruction Set.
With Color Control Points, a photographer can adjust any of up to nine different sliders for each respective area selected. In the default setting, four sliders are available to adjust size, brightness, contrast and hue, respectively. Additional settings are available by accessing each Control Point’s Settings box.
Other Control Points include Black and White points, both of which are convenient for setting dynamic range, Neutral Control Point to correct color casts in images even without a gray tone, and Red-Eye Reduction Control Point.
With U PointT technology, red-eye can be easily removed. Just place a Red-Eye Reduction Control Point on each of the offending eyes, and away it goes! With just a few slider adjustments, you can use a color Control Point to make blue (or any other eye color) eyes brighter, darker or more radiant. With a mere Ctrl-D click, you can duplicate your Color Control Point, so that the effect to each eye will be the same.
Selective Tools
Selective tools are a new set of features added to Nikon Capture NX. The
selective tools in Capture NX enable you to apply over 25 different enhancements.
You can use the Brush tool to paint in or paint out an enhancement, the
Lasso and Marquee tools to create traditional selections, or the Gradient
tool to gradually add or remove an effect.
Continuing the Nikon Capture Tradition
Capture NX continues to provide the high quality enhancements and controls
of Nikon Capture 4 .4 . Along with new tools and enhancements, Nikon Capture
NX contains most of the features from Capture 4.4 including:
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Image Dust Off™: A useful
tool that automatically removes the appearance of sensor dust and particles
from a NEF image. Using a reference image taken by the user, the software
maps out a sensor dust pattern and applies this to selected images, automatically
removing the effect of sensor dust.
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The following cameras support the Image Dust Off feature: Nikon D50, Nikon D70s, Nikon D200, Nikon D2Hs, Nikon D2X, Nikon D70, D1X (firmware version 5.01 or later), D1H (firmware version 1.10 or later), D100, and D2H. The Image Dust Off is not supported with Coolpix cameras, D1 cameras or with earlier versions of firmware for D1X and D1H.
D-Lighting:
Automatic 'dodge and burn' control that applies appropriate brightening
and darkening values to specific areas of a photo, bringing out the highlights
and achieving overall exposure balance. This feature is ideal for "fixing"
photos that, for example, have strongly backlit subjects, and therefore
a darkened foreground with little visible detail. In other words, "fill-flash"
effects can be applied in post processing with no noticeable loss in image
quality.
Fisheye-to-Rectilinear
Image Transformation With DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm lens:
Nikon Capture software can automatically transform an image
taken with the AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor
10.5mm f/2.8G ED lens (offering a 180º diagonal angle-of-view)
into a rectilinear image with about 110º angle-of-view. This
function allows the lens to double as a useful ultra-wide angle lens,
offering photographers both a fisheye perspective and wide-angle capabilities
in a compact, pocket-sized lens.
Nikon Camera Capture Control: Now an
optional stand alone plug-in and is not included with Nikon Capture NX.
Tethered Remote Operation with compatible Nikon D-SLR cameras. Build your
own custom hue and tone adjustment. Wireless remote operation when using
the optional WT-2A Wireless Transmitter to support the capabilities of
the Nikon D2X, Nikon D2HS and D2H digital SLRs. Control AF, Exposure Mode,
Shooting Mode, Exposure Compensation, Custom Settings and more, all from
your computer.
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From what we have been able to see from Nikon Capture NX so far, we are very impressed with the simplicity of the user interface and the intuitiveness of the editing process. We feel that Nikon Capture NX will provide the photographer with a great tool with a wide range of powerful and exclusive image processing options to maximize the image quality when using Nikon's NEF files, and also when shooting in JPEG and TIFF. Since we have only seen the results from a Beta version of Nikon Capture NX, we will not make any final comments regarding the quality, speed and overall performance of Nikon Capture NX until we have had the opportunity to properly evaluate a final release version. As a result, we have also not provided any full size image samples in the above sample workflows. |
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From our experience so far, Nikon is delivering a software package geared and designed more towards a photographer's image processing needs, while taking into consideration that not everyone is a graphics professional, and offering a solution that is professional in terms of versatility and features while still remaining user friendly. Update Aug 19th: Nikon Capture NX has won a European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Innovative Product Award for 2006/2007
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