need advice on how best to open and process nikon raw (NEF) images

[aclearlight]

Dear Folks,

I'm so happy to see that PW is alive and well (I originally got on board with version 3 in the way back time). THANKS AND KUDOS to the development team, and yes, I will send in a donation...you totally deserve it!

I could use some advice from you more up-to-date users, however, regarding best work flow for opening and processing Nikon NEF files from my camera (I loved my old slide scanner, but hey, time to let go and move on).

thanks in advance, -Jeff C.

[MarkT]

Hello Jeff,

There's a robust discussion in an earlier topic about RAW processing and software choices, but for Nikon NEF files I find that nothing produces better results than Nikon Capture NX-D. They've added back in the "colour control points" that are in Capture NX2, so in addition to basic exposure and colour adjustments these control points allow for specific local adjustments without building selection masks.

My two cents worth. Happy to hear what others may suggest...

Mark

[Charles2]

Try Silkypix. I gave it a file from a Nikon Z7; it opened an image that looked close to the camera JPG.

But if I have a difficult file that needs careful noise reduction, or if I want a fairly flat file that leaves room for maneuver in PWP, use Raw Therapee, which is donation-only.

In both cases, you of course export a 16-bit .tif file. I like Adobe RGB for a working color space, while some people stay within sRGB all the way, and other people use ProPhotoRGB. Just be careful to set the the raw developer so that it gives you your choice.

In PWP, in addition to the usual ways of doing white balance, I often use Filter. Choose the color that the image needs to counteract its cast, vary the amount until it looks right, then boost the exposure slider to taste while checking that the blown-highlight indicator has not turned on.

[jsachs]

On the topic of color space, I recommend using Adobe RGB also. Newer flat screen monitors now support this color space which is pretty much just sRGB with some deeper greens added. Using sRGB limits the range of colors to less than these new monitors can display. Using a wide gamut space like ProPhoto RGB has a couple of serious problems:

1) The gamut contains lots of colors that can't be displayed or printed. If you can't see colors on the screen, how can you edit them?

2) The gamut is so wide that the colors in a normal scene are squeezed into the center of the color space. Unless you work in 16-bit throughout, you can lose color information.

[jsachs]

I might add that DCI-P3 which is a digital cinema standard, seems to be slowly replacing AdobeRGB as the color space whose gamut high end flat-screen displays are trying to cover. It's similar to Adobe RGB but includes some deeper reds and oranges. As yet, no digital cameras I have seen let you select this color space and I have no way or knowing if they can even capture the extra colors.

[aclearlight]

Hi Mark, Thanks for the guidance below; welcome to hear as I do indeed have access to that software. I think I should have been more specific in my question; part of what I'm wondering is how best to convert an NEF file, and to what, in order to then open it in PW and do further processing (since I already have a good feel for how to use many of the editing tools in PW). Would it best to go over to a TIFF for opening in PW once I've run the original thru NX-D for initial tweaks, or are you recommending learning how to go deeper with NX-D?

cheers and Happy New Year, -Jeff
---------------------------------------------------

Hello Jeff,

There's a robust discussion in an earlier topic about RAW processing and software choices, but for Nikon NEF files I find that nothing produces better results than Nikon Capture NX-D. They've added back in the "colour control points" that are in Capture NX2, so in addition to basic exposure and colour adjustments these control points allow for specific local adjustments without building selection masks.

My two cents worth. Happy to hear what others may suggest...

Mark

[aclearlight]

thanks! Will give this route a shot. Happy New Year, -jeff
---------------------------

Try Silkypix. I gave it a file from a Nikon Z7; it opened an image that looked close to the camera JPG.

But if I have a difficult file that needs careful noise reduction, or if I want a fairly flat file that leaves room for maneuver in PWP, use Raw Therapee, which is donation-only.

In both cases, you of course export a 16-bit .tif file. I like Adobe RGB for a working color space, while some people stay within sRGB all the way, and other people use ProPhotoRGB. Just be careful to set the the raw developer so that it gives you your choice.

In PWP, in addition to the usual ways of doing white balance, I often use Filter. Choose the color that the image needs to counteract its cast, vary the amount until it looks right, then boost the exposure slider to taste while checking that the blown-highlight indicator has not turned on.

[aclearlight]

Thanks and Happy New Year, -Jeff
------------------

On the topic of color space, I recommend using Adobe RGB also. Newer flat screen monitors now support this color space which is pretty much just sRGB with some deeper greens added. Using sRGB limits the range of colors to less than these new monitors can display. Using a wide gamut space like ProPhoto RGB has a couple of serious problems:

1) The gamut contains lots of colors that can't be displayed or printed. If you can't see colors on the screen, how can you edit them?

2) The gamut is so wide that the colors in a normal scene are squeezed into the center of the color space. Unless you work in 16-bit throughout, you can lose color information.

[MarkT]

Hi Jeff,
I shoot JPEG+raw, and only open the raw files when I think the colours need work. I have processed Nikon NEF files since 2004 in Capture NX 2 and then in Capture NX-D and have always found the output to be "cleaner" than any other software. I have my cameras set to Neutral Picture Control with sharpening set to "0", so the JPEGs can be manipulated and sharpened in PWP if the colour and exposure or okay to begin with. If things were not as I planned it, I open the NEF in Capture NX-D and I generally start with Picture Control changes, if necessary, and keep the sharpening to "0". Then adjust White Balance, if necessary, and then adjust Exposure and Contrast (in Tone options), if necessary.
The latest versions of Capture NX-D include the Colour Control Points, which can be fun to play with, and sometimes I use the Noise Reduction option (but generally wait and use Neat Image ver 8 when noise is an issue).
I then export as a 16-bit TIFF, and open in PWP for final editing adjustments.
Let me know if you have any more specific questions about the Nikon software.
Mark