End User: Nikon Capture NX 2 released

Nikon Capture NX 2 released

by Ryan Brenizer on June 03, 2008

Processed in NX because I wanted a brilliant warm tone

Nikon has updated their professional image-editing software Capture NX 2, bringing with it a slew of new features, including tying adjustments such as noise reduction to their U-Point selection tool, and changes the interface to what it hopes will be quicker to use and understand.

In some quick testing, these changes are promising -- U-Point is a great selection tool, and the more adjustments you tie to it, the more it works like a quicker, easier version of using adjustment layers (although, for advanced use, it cannot be as precise as a brush-based tool). The Quick Fix window actually does what it says.

The batch-editing tools are still weak compared to programs like Adobe Lightroom or Apple's Aperture, so we seem to still be left with the same basic dichotomy -- NX is often the best choice for editing an individual Nikon RAW image, getting much better color at default settings than other programs, but far more time-consuming for dealing with large amounts of images at once.

For example, I took more than 5,000 images this weekend. If I were shooting for a publication, and only 10 or fewer of those really mattered in the end, NX might be a great tool to get the absolute best quality. But since I was shooting weddings and portrait sessions, I might want 2,000-3,000 of those to be processed, and batching them with NX would still take way too long. It's something you can think about with your own work -- if you primarily want to get the absolute most out of a few images, looking for that shot you can hang on a wall, NX might be perfect for you. If you want to create large galleries of attractive photos, of a vacation or lengthy event, for example, something like Lightroom or Aperture may be a better tool.

May 2011