Nikon CaptureNX User Guide

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5SERSS-ANUAL

Notices

© 2006 Nik Software, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form, by any means, without Nik Software, Inc.’s prior written permission.

Nikon reserves the right to change the specifications of the hardware and software described in these manuals at any time and without any prior notice.

Neither Nik Software, Inc. nor Nikon will be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this product.

Licensed under one or more US Pats. 7,016,549; 6,836,572; 6,728,421; 6,865,300; 7,031,547; and other patents pending.

© 2006 NIKON CORPORATION © 2006 Nik Software, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Trademark Information

U Point is a trademark of Nik Software, Inc. Macintosh and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium and Celeron are trademarks of Intel Corporation. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc. All other trade names mentioned in this manual or in the other documentation provided with your Nikon product are trademarks or registered trade marks of their respective holders.

Table of Contents

Introduction.................................................	1
RAW File Format Benefits..................................	2
Camera Relationship ..........................................	3
System Requirements &
Installation ..................................................	5
System Requirements.........................................	5
Installation..........................................................	5
U Point™ Technology...............................	9
The Capture NX Interface .....................	13
Getting Started.........................................	17
Opening Capture NX........................................	17
Welcome Screen ...............................................	18
Browsing and Opening Images .......................	19
Window Functionality Within Capture NX.....	20
Exiting Capture NX...........................................	20
File Format Differences....................................	21
How to Print .....................................................	23
Batch Processing...............................................	23
The Browser...............................................	29
Folder Menu .....................................................	31
Label Menu.......................................................	32
Sort Menu .........................................................	33
Batch Menu ......................................................	34
File Directory .............................................	37
Camera Settings.......................................	39
IPTC ...............................................................	41
The Edit List ...............................................	43
Base Adjustments Step.....................................	44

Camera Adjustments ........................................	45
RAW Adjustments ............................................	50
Lens Adjustments .............................................	52
Light & Color Adjustments................................	54
Detail Adjustments ...........................................	57
Enhancement Steps..........................................	59
Show/Hide Triangle...........................................	60
Apply Step Checkbox .......................................	60
Apply Enhancement Checkbox .........................	60
Link Icon...........................................................	60
Adjust & Filter Pull-Down Menu........................	61
Opacity Mixer ...................................................	61
Selection Notification Area ...............................	64
Feather Control ................................................	64
Versions Menu..................................................	65
Automatically Generated Versions ....................	65
Manually Generated Versions ...........................	65
Batch Menu .....................................................	66
New Step Button ..............................................	66
Working with Enhancements ..........................	66
Editing Steps and Enhancements ......................	66
Deleting Steps and Enhancements ....................	67
Copying and Pasting Steps and Enhancements
........................................................................	67
Linking Enhancements......................................	68
Swapping Enhancements..................................	69
Toolbar F2 - View Tools..........................	71
Direct Select Tool .............................................	71
Hand Tool ........................................................	71
Zoom Tool ........................................................	72
Toolbar F3 - Edit .......................................	75
Rotate ...............................................................	75
Straighten .........................................................	75

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Crop...................................................................	77
Toolbar F4 – Black, White, and
Neutral Control Points ...........................	81
Black Control Point ..........................................	81
White Control Point .........................................	82
Neutral Control Point.......................................	82
Toolbar F5 – U Point Technology-
based Tools ................................................	85
Color Control Point ..........................................	85
Red-Eye Control Point......................................	86
Toolbar F6 - Selection Tools..................	89
Selection Brush .................................................	89
Lasso & Marquee Tools ....................................	92
Selection Gradient............................................	93
Fill / Remove Tools............................................	94
The Bird’s Eye ............................................	97
Photo Info ..................................................	99
Histogram .........................................................	99
Watch Points...................................................	101
The Image Window...............................	105
The Color Picker .....................................	109
File Menu..................................................	113
Open Image… ................................................	113
Open With... ...................................................	113
Open Folder in Browser .................................	113
Open Recent ...................................................	114
Save.................................................................	114
Save As............................................................	115
Revert..............................................................	116
Close................................................................	116
Print Setup… ..................................................	116
Print….............................................................	117
Exit ..................................................................	122
Edit Menu .................................................	125
Undo ...............................................................	125

Redo................................................................	125
Cut...................................................................	125
Copy ................................................................	125
Paste................................................................	126
Duplicate.........................................................	126
Delete..............................................................	126
Select All .........................................................	126
Flip...................................................................	127
Rotate .............................................................	127
Size / Resolution .............................................	127
Change the Output Size (DPI) .........................	127
Change the File Size (Image Size)....................	128
Fit Photo .........................................................	128
Preferences .....................................................	128
General ..........................................................	129
Color Management ........................................	130
Levels & Grid ..................................................	131
Cache Settings ...............................................	133
Adjust Menu............................................	137
Light................................................................	137
Levels & Curves ..............................................	137
Contrast / Brightness ......................................	141
Auto Levels.....................................................	142
D-Lighting ......................................................	143
Color ...............................................................	145
LCH................................................................	145
Color Balance .................................................	150
Color Booster .................................................	151
Saturation / Warmth.......................................	151
Focus ...............................................................	152
Gaussian Blur .................................................	152
High Pass........................................................	152
Unsharp Mask ................................................	153
Correct ............................................................	154
Color Aberration Control................................	154
Distortion Control...........................................	155
Opacity Mixer .................................................	155
Noise Reduction .............................................	156
Auto Red-Eye..................................................	156

Color Profile....................................................	157
Apply Profile...................................................	157
Convert to Profile ...........................................	158
Control Points Menu.............................	161
Color Control Points… ...................................	161
Black Control Point ........................................	163
White Control Point… ...................................	165
Neutral Control Point… .................................	167
Red-Eye Control Point… ................................	171
Filter Menu...............................................	173
Photo Effects…...............................................173
Add Grain/Noise…..........................................	177
Contrast: Color Range… ................................	177
Colorize… .......................................................	178
Black and White Conversion… ......................	178
Batch Menu..............................................	181
Run Batch Process… .......................................	181
Copy Settings..................................................	181
Paste Settings .................................................	181
Save Settings… ...............................................	182
Load Settings ..................................................	183
Batch Process Alert Box ..................................	183
Processing Queue.........................................	184
File Naming dialog..........................................	186
Batch Options .................................................	187
Manage Settings Files .....................................	187
Batch Process .................................................	188
Watched Folder ..............................................	190
View Menu...............................................	195
Show All Control Points .................................	195
Show Selection ...............................................	195
Show Grid .......................................................	196
Show Lost Highlights .....................................	196
Show Lost Shadows........................................	197
Show Focus Area ............................................	197
View at 100% .................................................	198
Fit to Screen....................................................	198
Zoom In...........................................................	198

Zoom Out........................................................	198
Full Screen.......................................................	198
Hide Palettes...................................................	199
Compare .........................................................	199
Compare in Browser.......................................	199
Compare in Editor ..........................................	200
Compare With Original...................................	200
Window Menu........................................	203
Cascade ...........................................................	203
Tile...................................................................	203
Reset Palette Location ...................................	204
Bird’s Eye.........................................................	204
Browser ...........................................................	204
Camera Settings .............................................	204
Color Picker.....................................................	204
Edit List ...........................................................	204
File Directory ..................................................	204
IPTC Information ............................................	204
Photo Info.......................................................	204
Tool Bar...........................................................	204
Help Menu................................................	207
Contents..........................................................	207
Technical Support...........................................	207
Show Welcome Screen...................................	207
About Capture NX..........................................	208
Appendix: Short-cuts ...........................	211
Appendix: Supplied Color Profiles ..	214
Appendix:
Advisories & Additional Notices ......	217
Index ..........................................................	227

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Chapter 1

Table of Contents

Introduction

Capture NX™ is a powerful editing and photographic processing application designed specifically for digital photographers. Its simple, straight-forward user interface makes image enhancement easy, and exclusive features based on

U Point™ photo editing technology provide a fully non-destructive workflow, which takes the guess work out of editing.

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1 Chapter

Capture NX’s patented U Point technology gives the user a number of unique tools, the most remarkable being the Control Point, which is used to adjust tone and color in an image. Control Points allow you to work directly on the image without the need for selections or layers and to apply your enhancements globally or selectively, giving

you the power to increasingly refine your enhancements in order to create a natural-looking effect. Control Points let you apply and undo enhancements easily and quickly without compromising image integrity.

When you are ready to save and archive your images, Capture NX enables you to save your image in the NEF file format, which saves your image file without degrading your image.

Control Points are a unique editing concept that gives the user a completely different kind of control over color and tone enhancement in an image. A Control Point is placed directly on the image and its value is defined by the user. Each Control Point

operates together with the next, affecting the image progressively as more and more Control Points are applied. Select a Control Point to adjust color or to control the White, Black, and Neutral points. Because the enhancements you make are maintained separately from the original image data and without regard for the original file format, Capture NX enables you to make and change image enhancements repeatedly without degrading the quality of the image. Capture NX protects the original data as well as your enhancements when you save your image as a NEF file. With the NEF file format, you can always open the image and the enhancements, and close the image at any time without ever degrading the original image data.

Introduction

2

RAW File Format Benefits

1 Chapter
	Shooting RAW has a number of distinct
	advantages over shooting and saving
	processed files. The RAW format
	records important archival information
	about the conditions under which the
	image was captured. This information
	can be used by Capture NX to make
Introduction	unique adjustments to enhance the
	• Color Mode (Page 45)
	image. The following are some of the
	camera settings and RAW adjustments
	that can be applied within Capture NX:
	• White Balance (Page 46)
	• Tone Compensation (Page 48)
	• Saturation (Page 49)
	• Sharpening (Page 49)
	• Exposure Compensation
	(Capture NX) (Page 50)
	• Hue Adjustment (Page 50)
	• Color Moiré Reduction (Page 51)
	• Dust Off (page 51)
	• Auto Color Aberration (page 52)
	• Vignette Control (page 52)

Capture NX contains full support for Nikon RAW NEF images and can be used with any JPEG and TIFF (RGB or LAB based) files.

With JPEG and TIFF files, you can begin enhancing the files immediately by selecting one of the enhancements from the Menus.

Camera Relationship

Capture NX was designed to support all of the features of your Nikon camera, allowing you to change many of the settings that you applied to the image in your camera. After opening a RAW NEF file within Capture NX, you can view the shooting, camera, and exposure information of the file within the Camera Settings Palette.

Settings that you can edit have a pulldown Menu, which gives you access to the various controls for each of these settings. Within the Camera Settings Palette you are given access to a number of adjustments that are unique to RAW NEF files. These adjustments can be located in the RAW section of the Camera Settings Palette.

For more information regarding the various controls provided within the Camera Settings Palette, please see page 39.

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1 Chapter

Introduction

To display the contents of the Camera Settings Palette, click on the button within the Camera Settings Palette.

4

System Requirements

& Installation

System Requirements

Operating System

Windows XP Home Edition, Windows

XP Professional, Windows 2000

Professional

Mac OS X (version 10.3.9 or later)

Monitor resolution

800 × 600 pixels (1024 x 768 or higher recommended) with 16-bit color (High Color/thousands of colors) with 24-bit color (True Color/millions of colors) recommended

Processor

WINDOWS

Pentium III 1GHz or better (Pentium 4 2GHz or better recommended)

MACINTOSH

G4, G5

RAM

256 MB minimum (1GB recommended)

Hard-disk space

200 MB required for installation

Installation

To install Capture NX, place the Capture NX setup CD into your computer’s

CD or DVD drive. Open the CD either through the My Computer icon on your desktop (Windows) or by double-click- ing on the CD icon that appears on your desktop (Mac OS).

Double-click on the Setup icon that appears within the window that is displayed to begin the setup wizard.

Please note: On Windows machines, Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1 will automatically be installed if not already present on the computer. The computer must be restarted when installation is complete.

Once the setup wizard has installed the files onto your computer, you will be provided with options to setup your color management preferences. The color management settings provided within the Setup Wizard enables you to

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2 Chapter

Installation & Requirements System

6

		set the default functionality for Capture
		NX, and can be later changed within
		the Preferences.
	2Chapter	You are provided with two options to
		opened as the working color space
		set the working color space:
		Use the color space of the file to be
		This option causes Capture NX to
		always use the profile embedded in the
		image that is opened as the working
		color space.
		Please note: If Capture NX cannot
		determine the profile of the embed-
		ded image, the profile identified as the
		Default RGB color space will be used as
		the working space for that image.
	System	Always use the default RGB color
		space as the working color space
		This option enables the option Use This
		Instead of Embedded Profile within
	Requirements	the Color Management section of the
		Capture NX Preferences. This option
		causes Capture NX to automatically
		convert the image from the embedded
		profile to the profile as defined in the
		Default RGB space.
	&	You are also provided with the ability to
	Installation	select the profile to use as the Default
		RGB space:
		Default RGB Space
		Use this option to set the RGB space
		that is used for your images. This
		profile is used when the Always use
		the default RGB color space as the
		working color space option is selected,
		or if the image’s color space cannot be
		determined when the Use the color

space of the file to be opened as the working color space option is selected.

After you have selected the color management options to utilize for your copy of Capture NX, you can complete the installation process.

If prompted to supply a product key when starting Capture NX, enter your name and product key.

The product key may be found on the CD-ROM case. Do not lose this key. It is required when installing or upgrading this software and cannot be replaced if lost.

Please note: Nikon cannot guarantee the operation of Capture NX when using other Nikon software at the same time.

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8

U Point™ Technology

A key feature in Capture NX is U Point technology. The controls powered by U Point technology enable you to modify sections of a photo directly, without having to go through the time-consuming process of making a mask required in other software applications.

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3 Chapter

U Point technology powers Capture NX’s series of Control Points: The Color Control Point, the Black/White/Neutral Control Points, and the Red-Eye Control Point. These Control Points enable you to create color and tonal enhancements directly on the image, without first making selections. You can also see the effects of a Control Point immediately.

The Control Points powered by U Point technology enable you to work with your images without the need to perform a complicated series of operations in a particular order. Each Control Point works together with other Control Points of the same type. With every Control Point that you apply to the image comes greater control over specific objects in the image. The more Color Control Points you apply, for example, the greater control you have over color in the image. The additional Control Points ensure that the adjustments you make are being applied to the current object only, and placing a Control Point on an object with default settings prevents other Control Points from affecting that object.

While the Black, White, and Neutral Control Points were designed to control the entire image globally, both the Red-Eye and Color Control Points were designed to control elements locally.

The Color Control Points work by identifying an object based on a number of criteria. When you place your first Color Control Point, the U Point technology identifies the

unique elements of the object on which you place a Control Point, includ-

ing its position, color, saturation, and texture. By identifying these elements, the Color Control Point can determine the boundaries of the object in order to affect only that object and objects with like elements. Through

a unique mixing function, the effects of the Color Control Point are applied throughout the image so as to create a natural-looking, seamless result. On the next page you will find a series of steps showing the original image, the effect of the Control Point, and the selection of the Control Point.

Technology Point U

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3 Chapter

Technology Point U

Step 1. A Color Control Point is placed on the sky for greater darkness and saturation. Although this Control Point mainly affects the sky, some of the clouds are affected as well.

Step 2. Next, a Color Control Point is placed to identify the clouds in the image. This new Control Point applies only to tones in the clouds, not the sky, and prevents the first Control Point from affecting the clouds.

Step 1. Selection

Step 2. Selection

Step 3. Finally, Control Points are added for skin	Step 3. Selection
tones and foliage. A Control Point added to the
model’s face brightens and increases the vibrancy of
the skin. Another added to the foliage darkens the
leaves and draws attention to the model.

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3 Chapter

Before

Technology Point U

After

12

The Capture NX Interface

Editor ( Page 13 )	Menu Bar ( Page 113-208 )		Toolbar ( Page 71-94 )
Bird’s Eye ( Page 97 )		Edit List ( Page 43 )	Photo Info ( Page 99 )
File Directory ( Page 37 )		Camera Settings ( Page 39 )		IPTC ( Page 41 )

Browser ( Page 29 ) Image Window ( Page 105 ) Color Picker ( Page 109 )

The Capture NX Interface

Capture NX’s interface was designed to put all of the important tools for enhancing a digital photograph right at your fingertips. This section contains a brief overview of each of the main elements that make up the Capture NX interface.

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4 Chapter

Editor

The main window of Capture NX, the Editor, is the window you see when you are editing images outside of the Browser. Within the Editor you can open and close images as well as access each of the different control palettes.

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar provides access to nearly all of the features and enhancements within Capture NX. Please see chapters 20 through 28 for information on the features located within each Menu.

Toolbar

The Toolbar is made up of five smaller Toolbars, each containing tools that provide similar controls. You can use these tools to perform various edits, from zooming to rotating the image to applying enhancements selectively. Please see pages 71-94 for more information on each of the individual Toolbars.

Bird’s Eye

The Bird’s Eye Palette shows either a portion of the image that is visible in the active image window or the position of the area displayed within the Light Table mode of the Browser. The portion of the image or the Browser visible in the active image window is indicated by a red outline within the Bird’s Eye Palette. For more information on the Bird’s Eye Palette, please see page 97.

Edit List

The Edit List is the master control list for the features and enhancements of Capture NX. Anything that affects your image will have an entry within the Edit List. Every entry can be removed, altered, or duplicated from this list.

The Edit List automatically organizes each entry by Steps. This provides you with the ability to turn on or off one or more steps at any time to monitor the effect of that step on your image. You can selectively apply steps with the

selective tools found in the Toolbar, you

Interface NX Capture The

14

		can place multiple enhancements within
		one step by linking enhancements, and
		you can create batch processes based
	Chapter	on the contents of the steps. You can
		also manually create new steps using
		the New Step button.
	4	The Edit List also contains a special
		step called the Base Adjustments step.
		The Base Adjustments step contains all
		of the enhancements unique to RAW
		images, as well as enhancements that
		can be used to prepare your images.
		For more information regarding the
		Edit List and all of its uses and features,
		please see page 43.

Photo Info

	The	The Photo Info Palette displays the
		information you choose to display next
	Capture	to your image to help you determine
		the optimal settings you want to use
		for each enhancement. The Photo Info
		Palette contains a live histogram, a
	NX	graphic interactive display that reflects
		the statistical makeup of the image.
	Interface
		values in the image.	Please go to

Additionally, through the use of Watch Points, you can monitor the effects

of the changes you make to the color

page 99 for more information regarding the Photo Info Palette.

File Directory

The File Directory provides you with an easy-to-access Palette which displays the contents of an entire folder in

the Browser. Please see page 37 for a complete description of the File Directory Palette.

Camera Settings

By opening the Camera Settings Palette, you can see all of the cameragenerated data for the current image, from information regarding the camera that created the image to exposure information. Additionally, the Camera Settings Palette enables you to edit

a number of settings which were set within the camera for RAW NEF image files. For a complete description of the Camera Settings Palette, please see page 39.

IPTC

The IPTC Palette provides you with a place that you can view, add, or modify information for your images, such as the caption, keywords, categories, and copyright information. Please see page 41 for more information on the IPTC Palette.

Browser

Capture NX’s Browser enables you to browse, sort, and organize your images, as well as to rotate or apply batch processes to multiple images simultaneously. Images can be opened from the Browser into the Editor to provide additional control. Please see page 29 for information on the Browser.

Image Window

An Image Window displays an image within Capture NX, along with important information and controls for that image. Please see page 105 for information regarding the features and functionality of an Image Window.

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16

Getting Started

Opening Capture NX

Capture NX can be opened by selecting Capture NX from the Start Menu within Windows or by double-clicking on the application icon in the Applications folder within the Mac OS.

Welcome Screen

Open Recent Image Open Recent Browser New Drag an Image Here (Mac Only)

Don’t Show Again

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Started Getting

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Started Getting

Windows OS:

Click on the Start button at the bottom of your screen and select either All Programs (Windows XP) or Programs (all other Windows versions). Navigate to the Capture NX folder and select Capture NX to launch the application.

Mac OS:

Double-click on the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop and navigate to the Applications folder. Double-click on the Capture NX folder and then double-click on the Capture NX application icon to launch the application. Alternatively, if you have selected to add Capture NX to your dock, simply

click on the Capture NX icon within the dock to launch the application.

Welcome Screen

Upon launching, Capture NX will display the Welcome Screen, which lists the last files and folders that you accessed, and give you the option

to open an image or a folder in the Browser.

Open Recent Image

This section contains a list of the most recent images that were opened within Capture NX. The last image edited can be found at the top of the list, with the remaining images you have edited listed in chronological steps. Double-click

on any of these images to open them immediately within the Editor.

Open Recent Browser

This section contains a list of the

most recent folders viewed within the Browser, with the most recent folder displayed at the top. Other recently browsed folders are displayed beneath that folder in chronological order. Double-click on one of the displayed folders to open that folder immediately within the Browser.

New

This section enables you to browse for an image or folder to open within Capture NX. Click on the Open Image button to display an Open Image window. Click on the Open Folder button within the Browser to display a folder browser window, which will enable you to browse for a folder to display within Capture NX’s Browser.

Drag an Image Here Section

The Mac OS version of Capture NX contains an empty area within the Welcome Screen labeled “Drag an image here to open it.” Dragging an image into this space from the Mac OS Finder opens that image immediately within Capture NX. In the Windows OS you can drag an image into any part of the Capture NX window to open it.

Don’t Show Again

Select this checkbox to prevent the Welcome Screen from appearing when Capture NX is launched. You can navigate to the Help Menu at any time, open the Welcome Screen, and uncheck the Don’t Show Again box in order to display the Welcome Screen whenever Capture NX is launched.

Browsing and Opening

Images

Capture NX provides you with a number of ways of locating and opening images in order to enhance them: you can

use Capture NX’s Browser, you can navigate through your hard disk to locate a file with Open Image, or you can use PictureProject to send one or more images directly to Capture NX to enhance.

Using the Browser

Capture NX contains an enhanced browser that provides you with advanced labeling, sorting, and editing functions. You can use the Browser to rotate or apply batch processes directly to one or more thumbnails, or you can view multiple images and select the best image from the thumbnails to open directly within Capture NX’s Editor.

To view the Browser, click on the button of the Browser located at the top of the Browser frame. The Browser will by default display the contents of the My Pictures folder (Windows) or the Pictures (Mac OS) folder.

You can then navigate within this folder by double-clicking on any of the folders

19

displayed within the Browser. Once you have found the image you want to edit, double-click on that image.

	If you would like to navigate to a differ-		Chapter
	ent window other than the My Pictures
	(Windows) or the Pictures folder (Mac
	OS), click on the	button within the	5
	File Directory frame. This will cause the
	File Directory Palette to become visible.
	Within the File Directory Palette you
	are provided with a full directory list,
	enabling you to navigate to any folder
	on your hard drive.

Using Open Image

	By selecting Open Image from the
	File Menu, you can navigate to any
	folder on your hard drive and open
	a single photo. By default, Capture	Getting
	NX will display the My Pictures folder
	(Windows) or the Pictures folder (Mac
	OS).	Started
	Using PictureProject
	PictureProject (Version 1.6.4 and later)
	supports opening one or more images
	directly within Capture NX.
	Begin by highlighting one or more
	images within the current view of
	PictureProject and clicking on the Edit
	in Capture NX button. This will cause all
	of the images you highlighted to open
	within the Editor of Capture NX.

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Window Functionality

Within Capture NX

Each window within Capture NX provides you with a number of different controls for that window.

Minimize / Maximize Button

Minimize/Maximize

button

Docking button

Grip Edge

Resize Control

This button either expands or collapses a window. In some situations, the window cannot be collapsed until the operation within the window has been completed.

Docking Button

This button is visible only when the window has been expanded. This button enables you to undock the window, allowing that window to float freely on your desktop. This can be handy if you utilize two monitors and you want to place the window on the second monitor, or if you want to

bring one of the Toolbars closer to your image. By clicking on this button again, you can re-dock the window to its default location.

Grip Edge

This edge provides you with an area to grab and reposition the window. If the window is currently docked, clicking and dragging the window with this edge will automatically undock the window and allow you to reposition the window anywhere on your screen. To re-dock the window to its normal location, simply click on the button.

Resize Control

This part of the window enables you to resize the window to suit your needs. Simply click here and drag to change the window’s size. Some windows have a maximum and minimum size, which may prevent them from becoming larger or smaller than that maximum or minimum size.

Exiting Capture NX

To close the Capture NX window and exit Capture NX, select Exit from the File Menu (Windows) or select Exit from the Capture NX Menu (Mac OS).

If there are any unsaved images open, a warning message will remind you to save those images. If there are any images that are currently awaiting

batch processing, a message will remind you that you have unprocessed images in the Processing Queue.

File Format Differences

Capture NX supports three different file formats that can be used to save any edited image file: the NEF format, the TIFF format, and the JPEG format.

NEF

The NEF, or Nikon Electronic image Format, was designed to act as the archive file for your images. The NEF file format saves the complete contents of the Edit List along with the full image information from the original image, and all changes made to the image are stored separately within the file. The NEF format maintains the high level of quality of the original file without any loss in image quality while maintaining a relatively small image size. NEF format images remain nearly the same size as the original image file, regardless of the number of enhancements that are applied within the image.

Capture NX utilizes a new cache system with NEF files that helps increase the speed of opening NEF images that were previously edited within Capture NX. This cache system creates a cache file whenever an NEF image is saved which Capture NX can use the next time that image is opened. By utilizing the cache system, Capture NX can utilize cache file data to reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed, thereby greatly increasing the speed of opening NEF images. Please see page 133 for information on the cache system.

Please note: Previous versions of Nikon Capture and PictureProject are

not able to display enhancements that are unique to Capture NX within NEF files. If you would like to share your NEF files with someone who does not have a copy of Capture NX, it is recommended that you save a copy of your image into the TIFF or JPEG file format to ensure that all of the enhancements that you have made are available.

NEF image files are generated by all Nikon Digital SLR cameras as well as a number of COOLPIX cameras. Some of the Digital SLR cameras offer you the ability to create an uncompressed NEF image file. These uncompressed NEF image files can later be compressed within Capture NX, if you choose, to save additional hard disk space.

Please note: Compressed NEF files cannot be saved in Capture NX as uncompressed NEF image files.

RAW FILE SUPPORT

Capture NX provides RAW support to the entire line of Nikon digital cameras that produce NEF RAW files. Supported cameras include:

COOLPIX 5000	D1
COOLPIX 5400	D1X
COOLPIX 5700	D1H
COOLPIX 8400	D2X
COOLPIX 8700	D2XS
COOLPIX 8800	D2H
D50	D2HS
D70S	D70
D200	D100

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TIFF

The TIFF file format is commonly used as a standard for high-quality image reproduction. Saving your image to this format will result in a file that contains

the final state of your image as you see it on your monitor, with full image quality. Once an image is saved to the TIFF format and closed, you will not be able to access the contents of the Edit List to make any adjustments to the enhancements that were applied to the image.

Please Note: TIFF saved with CMYK data can only be saved with 8-bits per channel of color information.

JPEG

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The TIFF file format provides you with the choice to compress the image using a lossless compression, the choice to save the file as a 16-bit or an 8-bit image (RGB only), and the ability to save the image with RGB or CMYK data. The option to save the image as a 16-bit file is only provided if original image was a RAW or 16-bit file. Changing the image from 16-bit to 8- bit will make the image file smaller, but doing so may also reduce the level of

quality of the image. It is recommended that you create an 8-bit copy of your image for situations in which only 8-bit files are compatible.

One of the most widely used file formats, the JPEG file format enables you to save a greater number of images using the same amount of hard disk space as the other file formats. To create such a small file size, a form

of compression is used that irreversibly affects the quality of the image. Because of this compression, it is recommended that you only use the JPEG file format for images that will be distributed electronically, or when a small image file is required.

How to Print

Printing is very easy in Capture NX. You can select Print from the File Menu at any time to print the current image, or you can select multiple images from within the Browser to create a Print Package. Print Packages are essentially a collection of images printed at the same time, often with more than one image appearing on the same page. Print Packages make the most out of your printer and paper, enabling you to create proof sheets so that you can review and select images based on

the output, rather than the computer monitor.

Once you have selected Print from the File Menu, you can identify how to color manage your prints and whether or not you want to create a Print Package. For a complete description of the various settings within the Capture NX Print dialog, please see page 117.

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Batch Processing

	Batch Processing is the automatic appli-
	cation of one or more enhancements to
	a series of images. Typically a photogra-	Chapter
	pher will use a batch process to apply a
	predefined series of adjustments to several
	images at once. Capture NX supports a	5
	number of batch processing methods. You
	can run a traditional Batch Process, select-
	ing a folder of images and a Settings File
	to apply to those images, you can copy
	and paste your enhancements from one
	image to another, or you can select multi-
	ple images in the Browser and apply a
	Settings File or paste some enhancements
	directly to those images. One method
	of applying a batch process is to create
	a Settings File that contains a series of
	enhancements to apply to your image.	StartedGetting
	Creating a Settings File

Settings Files consist of a series of instructions that Capture NX can use to enhance one or more images in the future. Settings Files are created by identifying enhancements that you want to save from the current

image. Later, when you apply the new Settings File to an image or group of images, Capture NX will apply the same enhancements with the same settings

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to those images, just as if you had applied them to each image individually. Settings Files are often used to apply a unique series of enhancements that can work for a wide variety of images, such as applying a black and white conversion to be used as a basis for an additional enhancement, or adding a warm sepia-tone to the image.

To create a Settings File, open an image, either by using the Open Image command or by double-clicking on an image in the Browser.

Make whatever enhancements and adjustments that are necessary to the image. Once you have completed the adjustments to the image, you can start creating the Settings File.

Navigate to the Batch Menu and select Save Settings. This will call up the Save Settings dialog window, which includes a representation of the Edit List from the current image, complete with the image settings. Simply check off the different steps from this image that you want to save into the Settings File. Once you have selected all of the enhancements and steps that you would like to apply to additional images, enter a name for the Settings File. While it is recommended that you leave the Settings File in the default folder location, since this will make it easy to locate when you are ready to apply a batch process, you are given the option to select a different location to place the Settings File. For more information regarding the Save Settings command, please see page 182.

How to Apply a Batch Process With a Settings File

Once you have created a Settings File, you can begin applying the enhancements from within that Settings File to any image, either within the editor, within the Browser, or even to a folder on your computer.

To apply a batch process in the Editor or Browser, navigate to the Load Settings section of the Batch Menu and locate the Settings File that you want to apply. By selecting the Settings File from this location, you will apply those settings either to the current image in the editor or to the selected files within the Browser.

If you are applying a Settings File to multiple images in the Browser, the thumbnails for the images will automatically become updated and

a small icon will appear next to each selected image, indicating that it needs to be processed. A Processing Queue window will also appear, enabling you to begin the batch process. Click on the Start button to begin processing the images with the default settings. By default, the batch process will save the