Almost all the settings in a Nikon camera matter when you shoot JPEGs, as a JPEG is supposed to be good enough for immediate use.
When it comes to RAW/NEF files it is a little more complicated. Some settings matter a lot. Some settings do not matter at all. For some settings it really depends. There does not seem to be any exhaustive list of which settings matter and which can be ignored - probably because it is so complicated. The following list is not exhaustive.
Shutter speed is important, as it obviously cannot be changed in software.
Aperture is equally important, as it cannot be changed in software.
ISO is less obvious, but it is also important. ISO is not just a matter of how bright the picture is, but it sets the physical light sensitivity of the sensor. The incoming light is amplified by hardware. When a lot of amplification is needed (high ISO), the system is more likely to introduce noise. Even if my explanation may not be one hundred percent clear, a simple experiment can show that a NEF taken with long shutter speed (much light) and low ISO has less noise than one with short shutter speed (little light) and high ISO.
Long Exposure NR seems to matter. There is no way to undo it even in Nikon software.
White Balance can in theory be ignored, but it is practical to give it a correct value. It is visible to virtually all RAW conversion software, and it can be changed freely in most software. However, some software is unable to correctly adjust bad White Balance, like Picasa or the Finder previews in Mac OS X.
Exposure compensation does not really matter on its own. However, it affects shutter speed and aperture, so it indirectly matters what you set it to.
Active D-lighting is not clear cut. The setting seems to be ignored by Adobe software. At the same time, it cannot be switched off in Capture NX, if you use that software. Anyhow, when you switch it on, it will change images to a somewhat darker exposure by changing shutter speed or aperture, so it indirectly affects the image.
Picture Controls can safely be ignored. They can be changed freely in Capture NX and View NX, and they are not even visible to non-Nikon software like Adobe Camera RAW, Lightroom or Aperture. This is the reason why a black and white NEF file is displayed in colour in Photoshop.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
NEF - what is it?
NEF, Nikon Electronic image Format, is Nikon's format for RAW files.
This blog has a number of entries that concern NEF files.
This blog has a number of entries that concern NEF files.
Nikon's Active D-lighting - what is it?
"Nikon has gone through great pains to promote this feature without telling anybody what exactly is going on."
I have no idea who Frans Waterlander is, but I think he was spot on in a discussion forum. This blog post lists some known facts and some important guesses - if you switch Active D-Lighting (ADL) on.
ADL is a technology Nikon uses to handle pictures with big contrast - a lot of light and a lot of darkness in the same photo.
To make it work properly, use Matrix metering.
Switching on matrix metering on a Nikon D300.ADL is not the same thing as D-lighting. D-lighting does about the same thing - it reduces shadows and highlight, but it is made after the picture is taken. Active D-lighting is made while the picture is being taken.
How it is done, no one seems to know. One theory is that it is done by the camera sensor itself. Another is that it is a setting applied to the RAW camera data.
You cannot change the level of ADL in Capture NX or View NX. Normal D-lighting can be changed in those products.
It is rumoured that ADL does not work when you take pictures in Manual mode in the camera.
When you use ADL in A, P or S mode, it makes the general exposure slightly darker.
From experiments it seems like Adobe products ignore ADL in NEF files completely. In other words: if you shoot RAW and use Adobe products like Lightroom or Photoshop, Active D-lighting will serve no purpose.
Normal D-lighting can be applied in the retouch area of the camera in many models. It can also be applied in Capture NX and View NX.
My own strategy currently is to switch ADL off. It is complicated to handle, it takes time to switch on and off, there is a risk factor that you do something wrong, and life is too short to learn all the aspects. If there are high contrast images to take, they can often be handled by post processing anyhow.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
What use is Adobe Photoshop - for a photographer?
Adobe Photoshop CS4 is probably the most powerful image editing tool on the planet right now. It can do a vast number of things and integrates well with other programs like InDesign (for publishers) or Dreamweaver (for web designers).
Some basic functions that apply for photographers is described in the following.
The program Adobe Bridge, which comes with Photoshop, contains tools to display and organise photos of a wide range of formats, including RAW files from a large number of manufacturers. With Bridge one can also initiate actions in Photoshop like stitching a number of pictures together.
From Bridge, one can open RAW pictures in the program Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) which also comes with Photoshop. In ACR one can adjust RAW files, remove noise, change brightness, convert to black-and-white, fix vignetting and chromatic aberration and a ton of other things - much like one can in Aperture, Lightroom, Capture NX or DPP.
Once the image looks good, one can save it in one of several formats or open it in Photoshop. In Photoshop, one can cut and paste pieces of the different photos and mix them. One can add patterns, text and a lot of other things. The final picture may be resized and saved for use on the internet.
With smartobjects, one even mix layers of different colour spaces and file formats.
If one fully masters Photoshop, there is a good chance that one does not need any other image editing or RAW conversion software at all.
To explore Photoshop further, one can often download a trial version from Adobe.
Some basic functions that apply for photographers is described in the following.
The program Adobe Bridge, which comes with Photoshop, contains tools to display and organise photos of a wide range of formats, including RAW files from a large number of manufacturers. With Bridge one can also initiate actions in Photoshop like stitching a number of pictures together.
From Bridge, one can open RAW pictures in the program Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) which also comes with Photoshop. In ACR one can adjust RAW files, remove noise, change brightness, convert to black-and-white, fix vignetting and chromatic aberration and a ton of other things - much like one can in Aperture, Lightroom, Capture NX or DPP.
Once the image looks good, one can save it in one of several formats or open it in Photoshop. In Photoshop, one can cut and paste pieces of the different photos and mix them. One can add patterns, text and a lot of other things. The final picture may be resized and saved for use on the internet.
With smartobjects, one even mix layers of different colour spaces and file formats.
If one fully masters Photoshop, there is a good chance that one does not need any other image editing or RAW conversion software at all.
To explore Photoshop further, one can often download a trial version from Adobe.
What use is Aperture? Or Adobe Lightroom?
Apple's Aperture is a RAW converter and image management system for Mac OS X. It is a high end program with a vast amount of options and functions. It supports RAW files from a large number of manufacturers, but not as many as the competitor Adobe Lightroom.
As so often, it is very difficult to tell which program is "best". If one of the programs does not support your camera, you should clearly stay away from that program. If you have Windows, you do not have to consider Aperture, as it is Mac OS X only. If you need to batch process files, either program will do fine. If you need to script a program, Aperture can be scripted with AppleScript, but it seems like Lightroom 3 still has very limited scripting capabilities.
Aperture uses the same RAW converter as Mac OS X, which means that any image that can be opened in Aperture, also can be opened in Preview or Quick Look. Lightroom uses the same RAW converter as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw, even though the version may differ.
Both programs have the following main purposes:
Both Adobe and Apple often have trial versions of the software to download to further explore the programs.
As so often, it is very difficult to tell which program is "best". If one of the programs does not support your camera, you should clearly stay away from that program. If you have Windows, you do not have to consider Aperture, as it is Mac OS X only. If you need to batch process files, either program will do fine. If you need to script a program, Aperture can be scripted with AppleScript, but it seems like Lightroom 3 still has very limited scripting capabilities.
Aperture uses the same RAW converter as Mac OS X, which means that any image that can be opened in Aperture, also can be opened in Preview or Quick Look. Lightroom uses the same RAW converter as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw, even though the version may differ.
Both programs have the following main purposes:
- Adjust RAW files.
- Sort and manage images.
Both Adobe and Apple often have trial versions of the software to download to further explore the programs.
What use is Digital Photo Professional?
Digital Photo Professional (DPP) is Canon's RAW conversion tool. It comes for free with Canon cameras that produce RAW pictures, and once you have it, all updates are free. However, you cannot download it for free without an original copy to update. DPP opens CR2, TIFF, CRW and JPEG files.
When it comes to high end RAW converters, like DPP, Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, they all have their strengths. It is very difficult to tell which one is "best". Someone who masters any one of them, can usually do what s/he needs to do with that program. Anyone who does not fully master any one of them will probably not achieve the best possible result.
Comparing DPP with Nikon's RAW conversion programs is not easy either. DPP can do more with CR2 files than View NX can do with NEF files. Capture NX has more functions for NEF than DPP has for CR2, but what you find in DPP may be more than enough.
If you want a full blown image editing program, neither DPP nor Capture NX cuts it. You cannot use them to paste a face from one person onto another. Neither can you render patterns or add text strings to a picture. For such tasks, you need to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop or the gimp.
DPP can perform batch jobs on several pictures at once. However, it is not scriptable with any internal macros or AppleScript.
When it comes to high end RAW converters, like DPP, Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, they all have their strengths. It is very difficult to tell which one is "best". Someone who masters any one of them, can usually do what s/he needs to do with that program. Anyone who does not fully master any one of them will probably not achieve the best possible result.
Comparing DPP with Nikon's RAW conversion programs is not easy either. DPP can do more with CR2 files than View NX can do with NEF files. Capture NX has more functions for NEF than DPP has for CR2, but what you find in DPP may be more than enough.
If you want a full blown image editing program, neither DPP nor Capture NX cuts it. You cannot use them to paste a face from one person onto another. Neither can you render patterns or add text strings to a picture. For such tasks, you need to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop or the gimp.
DPP can perform batch jobs on several pictures at once. However, it is not scriptable with any internal macros or AppleScript.
What use is Capture NX?
Capture NX 2 is Nikon's high end RAW converter. It opens NEF, JPEG and TIFF files and also saves in those formats. It has many more adjustment options than View NX, and it can add and remove them in a way that is similar to Adobe Photoshop's adjustment layers.
The most unique feature of Capture NX is probably the "Control Points" that let you easily make adjustments to areas of the picture that are similar.
When it comes to high end RAW converters, like Capture NX, Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, they all have their strengths. It is very difficult to tell which one is "best". Someone who masters any one of them, can usually do what s/he needs to do with that program. Anyone who does not fully master any one of them will probably not achieve the best possible result.
Capture NX is not an image editing program. You cannot use it to paste a face from one person onto another. Neither can you render patterns or add text strings to a picture. For such tasks, you need to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop or the gimp.
Capture NX can perform batch jobs on several pictures at once. However, it is not scriptable with any internal macros or AppleScript.
The most unique feature of Capture NX is probably the "Control Points" that let you easily make adjustments to areas of the picture that are similar.
When it comes to high end RAW converters, like Capture NX, Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, they all have their strengths. It is very difficult to tell which one is "best". Someone who masters any one of them, can usually do what s/he needs to do with that program. Anyone who does not fully master any one of them will probably not achieve the best possible result.
Capture NX is not an image editing program. You cannot use it to paste a face from one person onto another. Neither can you render patterns or add text strings to a picture. For such tasks, you need to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop or the gimp.
Capture NX can perform batch jobs on several pictures at once. However, it is not scriptable with any internal macros or AppleScript.
What use is View NX?
View NX is a free picture browser from Nikon. You can use it to view NEF, JPEG and TIFF files, and you can make "Quick Adjustments" to the files, like changing white balance or exposure. You can also convert NEF files to JPEG or TIFF. If you want to make more than just simple adjustments, it is better to use a more advanced tool like Capture NX or Adobe Camera Raw, but they cost money.
One "problem" with the adjustments you make to NEF files in View NX is that they are not visible in non-Nikon products. You cannot see the modifications in Adobe products or Picasa or UFRaw for example. This is actually perfectly normal. You cannot see Adobe modifications in non-Adobe products either usually.
One more thing you can do with View NX is to upload your pictures to Mypicturetown, Nikon's web sharing site.
One "problem" with the adjustments you make to NEF files in View NX is that they are not visible in non-Nikon products. You cannot see the modifications in Adobe products or Picasa or UFRaw for example. This is actually perfectly normal. You cannot see Adobe modifications in non-Adobe products either usually.
One more thing you can do with View NX is to upload your pictures to Mypicturetown, Nikon's web sharing site.
Adobe Camera Raw "Batch conversion" of White Balance
... or other settings.
I took a number of pictures today with my Nikon D5000 with the White Balance set to "incandescent", which was silly, because all of them were taken outside on a sunny day. As I had taken only NEF pictures, I was not too concerned. I know that one easily can adjust white balance in RAW files. The only question was how.
My first attempt was using View NX. I highlighted all the pictures in the browser, clicked on "Quick Adjustments" and chose the white balance "Calculate Automatically". I then sat back with a good book and waited while View NX updated all the files. There was a progress indicator in the lower right corner, so I could see approximately how thick a book I could read. Somewhere along the line I also clicked on the Save button, when View NX prompted me to do so.
The "problem" was that View NX did not update the original setting in the NEF files, and Adobe products only read the original setting. In other words, even though they looked fine in View NX, they still looked wrong in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw.
So the solution had to be within the Adobe products themselves:
I took a number of pictures today with my Nikon D5000 with the White Balance set to "incandescent", which was silly, because all of them were taken outside on a sunny day. As I had taken only NEF pictures, I was not too concerned. I know that one easily can adjust white balance in RAW files. The only question was how.
My first attempt was using View NX. I highlighted all the pictures in the browser, clicked on "Quick Adjustments" and chose the white balance "Calculate Automatically". I then sat back with a good book and waited while View NX updated all the files. There was a progress indicator in the lower right corner, so I could see approximately how thick a book I could read. Somewhere along the line I also clicked on the Save button, when View NX prompted me to do so.
The "problem" was that View NX did not update the original setting in the NEF files, and Adobe products only read the original setting. In other words, even though they looked fine in View NX, they still looked wrong in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw.
So the solution had to be within the Adobe products themselves:
- Double click on the first image in Adobe Bridge, to open Adobe Camera Raw.
- Select the White Balance you want (for example Auto or Daylight).
- Click on Done, to close ACR.
- In Adobe Bridge, right click on the image and select Develop Settings > Copy Settings in the pop-up menu.
- Select all the other images.
- Right click on them and select Develop Settings > Paste Settings.
- In the dialogue you get, choose which settings you want to paste. To get just White Balance, you can select the Subset White Balance.
- Click on OK.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Difference between RAW converters
There is one big advantage of pictures taken in jpeg format compared to RAW: you have a fairly good idea what they will look like.
With RAW pictures, be it CR2 or NEF or any other version, it is just the raw data from the camera, and each RAW converter may interpret it in their own way. One converter may handle noise better than another. One converter may interpret the white balance or luminosity in one way, and another converter may have another idea of how things should work.
Here is an example where compensation for distortion is radically different. The pictures are taken with a Canon S90 camera.
The first picture is a CR2 file processed with Canon's own Digital Photo Professional. The lines and the tiles are pretty straight.
The next picture is the same CR2 file, processed by Picasa 3.6.1. Note the very bent lines. In the corners of the photos, there is actually more information than there is in the straight picture.
What likely is happening here is that DPP has information about how much the lens bends the picture. DPP corrects for it, and the tiles look like they should do. Picasa, however, probably takes pixel for pixel from the sensor of the camera, and the result is the bent aspect.
It is very possible that Picasa will update its converter for CR2 files from S90 in the future, so they will look closer to reality and further from the pixel data.
Note that converting to DNG is not a solution. If you convert to DNG, that does not remove the distortion, and Picasa displays the DNG as distorted as the CR2 file.
With RAW pictures, be it CR2 or NEF or any other version, it is just the raw data from the camera, and each RAW converter may interpret it in their own way. One converter may handle noise better than another. One converter may interpret the white balance or luminosity in one way, and another converter may have another idea of how things should work.
Here is an example where compensation for distortion is radically different. The pictures are taken with a Canon S90 camera.
The first picture is a CR2 file processed with Canon's own Digital Photo Professional. The lines and the tiles are pretty straight.
The next picture is the same CR2 file, processed by Picasa 3.6.1. Note the very bent lines. In the corners of the photos, there is actually more information than there is in the straight picture.
What likely is happening here is that DPP has information about how much the lens bends the picture. DPP corrects for it, and the tiles look like they should do. Picasa, however, probably takes pixel for pixel from the sensor of the camera, and the result is the bent aspect.
It is very possible that Picasa will update its converter for CR2 files from S90 in the future, so they will look closer to reality and further from the pixel data.
Note that converting to DNG is not a solution. If you convert to DNG, that does not remove the distortion, and Picasa displays the DNG as distorted as the CR2 file.
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