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Nikon NX-D Software Test


Cadmium

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Quick test of Nikon NX-D software for white balance of UV shot.

I have been using Nikon's Capture NX2 to white balance UV shots for years. Nikon has a newer similar software called NX-D, currently free for download.

Andrea knows the history and info about this software.

 

Here is a link to Nikon NX-D (click on "FREE DOWNLOAD" at right on that page...):

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/imaging-software/capture-nx-d.html

 

I loaded a Dandelion NEF (RAW file) into NX-D, I set it for 'Direct Sun' (mostly to start it off looking as close to Lost Cat's new lens test shots as I could make the colors look).

post-87-0-38964600-1454982864.jpg

 

Then I used the WB tool at the top of the screen, NX-D lets you hold down the left mouse button to make a 'small square' over the dandelion leaf area.

(I could not find any way to 'marquee' the entire frame as I am able to do with CNX2, but I didn't look too long, so there may be a way to do that, or not, I don't know, but this 'small square' is good enough)

post-87-0-33152300-1454982908.jpg

 

Then I used something called 'ADL Normal' to adjust exposure in the exposure compensation +/- section, it seemed to work best. Normally I would adjust 'shadows' in CNX2, but this worked nicely.

post-87-0-77206600-1454982966.jpg

 

Last I am showing you the same final result using CNX2. Pretty close. So NX-2 is a pretty nice usable software for white balancing Nikon RAW files, and for free, so I am not going to say much bad about it. ;-)

Normally I would also load these into Photoshop to adjust levels, but I am just keeping it simple for this comparison.

post-87-0-07366900-1454982979.jpg

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Thanks for the WB tutorial for NX-D. Very useful for Nikon users.

 

NX-D does not have a full frame marquee, unfortunately. You have to choose wisely where you draw the little square. :D

It does have a Levels tool somewhere. (I can't find things easily yet in NX-D !!)

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Choose Window > Edit from the drop down menus.

 

Then on the Edit pane, the fifth step has two icons on the left which are for Tone.

The right icon brings up the Tone Detail pane which contains Shadow Protection.

 

I am not particularly liking NX-D. It is rather klunky.

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Thanks, the right menu ('dock') is klunky for sure. I had to 'undock' the tone to find it before I moved some of those 'dock' windows around.

It does seem to white balance good and the shadows protection works good too.

It's a free clunker I guess. :-)

Of course they still have CNX2 for sale, but this seems to do everything I ever used CNX2 for except full frame white balance marquee, and small square should work even better in many cases.

I can't find auto levels in NX-D, but I usually always prefer the auto levels results using Photoshop better than the auto levels results in CNX2, and adjusting auto levels in Photoshop seems easier and more versatile.

So I guess the two things I would like to see added to NX-D is full frame WB marquee and auto-levels. Maybe they will add those, etc., if this is still 'beta'. Then they will start charging for it.

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Auto-levels in NX-D as follows.

 

Choose Window > Edit from the top menus.

On the Edit pane under the 5 "steps" there is a row of icons - 6 to the left and 2 to the right.

Click on the 6th from left to bring up Levels & Curves which is a Levels tool in disguise.

There is a yin-yang circle, half-black half-white to click on for Auto-Levels.

They call it "Auto Contrast", but it is really an auto-levels which adjusts each of R, G and B separately.

You can level each channel manually if desired by selecting R, G and then B from the RGB drop-down menu.

On each channel histogram move the endpoints inward to meet the ends of the histogram.

 

**************

 

That set of instructions reinforces why I think there is a horrible klunkiness to this app.

One should not have to "count icons from the left" to find something.

My NX-D icons have no labels either. Lots of guessing what the little symbols mean.

And there is no room left for the photo by the time all those palettes get opened up.

Sigh.

 

The glory of NX2 was the colour/selection points for local selections and local edits. I did everything with colour points and selection points. They were the coolest, neatest thing ever. Select via colour point or selection point, choose the edit and bingo done.

 

Also the ability to immediately brush in any edit step only-where-wanted was an invaluable time saver. No miserable selection layers a la Photoshop.

I've never used such a nuanced, good editor as NX2.

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Andrea, Thanks for helping me find the Auto Levels / Auto Contrast in NX-D.

With my copy of both CNX2 and NX-D, these features are all 'docked' in the right side menu, which shortens the set of instructions, and makes both of them more the same klunk.

With NX-D, when I mouse over icons and such (like as the 'yin-yang' symbol for example) a name/label pops up.

So in many ways this works much like my CNX2 for me now.

 

I can understand your disappointment with the software, given your expertise with color points and more, all of which goes beyond my experience and what I have used CNX2 for.

You never know what they may add back in, before they start selling it. :-)

 

Here are some comparisons I did today between CNX2 and NX-D.

post-87-0-02196300-1455076065.jpg

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Steve, thank you for this composite showing that the two apps can equally render a Nikon file.

 

I should stop gritching about NX-D. :D :lol: :rolleyes:

 

Another app I have been trying to learn recently is the Affinity editor. Just for Mac I think? So I hope they eventually extend it to Windows and Linux because it seems like a very nice alternative to the full Photoshop. Affinity has more tools than anyone could ever need. Also has local editing, brushes, layers (their version) and a raw converter.

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The image adjustment palette also offers an Active D-Lighting menu that can be used to bring out details in highlights and shadows.

 

Active D-Lighting is available only with RAW images taken using cameras that support Active D-Lighting.

 

Looks like the D40 does not support ADL:

 

post-90-0-51830900-1455154220.jpg

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