NX Discussion, Hits ,Tips & Tricks

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by Chris

.......Anyway in case anyone else is thinking no point in moving on from 1.2, there is, in that one might as well get used to the latest rather than invoking a partial re-learn.

I moved back to 1.1 from 1.2 as it was just too slow on my machine. It will be interesting to know how 1.3 compares and if it is worth the upgrade. I have downloaded 1.3 but not installed it.

Don

Originally Posted by Don Hoey

I moved back to 1.1 from 1.2 as it was just too slow on my machine. It will be interesting to know how 1.3 compares and if it is worth the upgrade. I have downloaded 1.3 but not installed it.

Don

Possibly 1.3 is a trifle slower than 1.2, difficult to tell as it depends on how much else is grabbing cache. But my computer is only 1GH chip and 1GB RAM....allows thinking time

Haven't seen 1.1, but as I said, worth getting used to the latest to save re-learn. There is also a whole new module "Picture control utility" for D2X Modes 1 to 3 whatever they; are Stephen will know.

[Canis Vulpes]

Capture NX v1.3.1 hot fix now available for Mac OS X Leopard users. The fix apparently solves a potential file curruption issue which only occurered with OS X Leopard.

See link -> http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/c...YWdlPTE*&p_li=
Just need Leopard now.....

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by Chris

There is also a whole new module "Picture control utility" for D2X Modes 1 to 3 whatever they; are Stephen will know.

Picture Control simulates the color reproduction of a D2X/D2Xs at three different colour mode settings on images taken with the D3 and D300.

One less reason to change the X

Don

Originally Posted by Canis Vulpes

Here is now to remove dust spots in NX, although I find it much easier to use the healing tool or clone stamp in Photoshop.

I have now taken the image of my sensor dust as prescribed in D80 manual and 'Base adjustments'>RAW>'dust off' in NX works really well if a little slowly

How to do more than 1 adjustment within a partial selection.
Simplest example is when one has painted out, say a distracting notice with colour-picked colorize, then wants to use Filter>add grain/noise - arguably easier to go elsewhere and use clone tool, but clones that look OK on screen can jump out on print. Also useful when one doesn't know what one wants to do without trying 2 or 3 tools but within the same partial selection.

Have at last found 'Linked enhancements' on p68 0f my paper manual: just press shift key when summoning up 2nd and subsequent enhancements. Each then works within a 'partly selected area' and can of course be turned on/off individually.

[Don Hoey]

Something I have never tried Chris.

Don

Thanks for the thought Don. I have amended no96 to solution.

[Don Hoey]

Brill job Chris. I will have a play.

Don

When I originally posted the Griffin

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...=24&ppuser=780

Derek suggested it deserved a plainer background and Lesley wanted me to lose part of the plinth, so having run out of current pics, thought it time to have a go - but blurring the background as if my lens had f2 rather than going for black which might imply a piece of jewellery in its case rather than a huge outdoor monster

An intricate shape to cut out. I went straight to NX, but went back to PSE4 later to make sure I wasn't being unfair. There is too much variation in shade/colour for magic wand selection (layer 1 in PSE 1) and as I used selection brush in NX, tried the PSE one - layer 2. The guess is better than with wand, but missing the front paw altogether in PSE 2 despite having specifically added it (PSE 1). If I had wanted to continue, I think it would have been by using the polygonal lasso to cut it out a bit generously then erode using eraser. However, knowing PSE polygon's flair for jumping the gun and finishing with a bold but totally inapropriate diagonal flourish, I suspect it would have to have been done in bits on several layers then consolidated.

In NX I use the gaussian blur on the whole cropped image, step 4. This is then modified using the selection brush minus and plus in alternation in LINKED step 4a 'colorize' on the same partial selection. All relevant tools open and handy to the mousework. In NX 1 there are still one or two very faint traces of the blue 'marker dye' still on the griffin and there, blurring would still occur. Missing 'blue dye' from the area to be blurred doesn't matter if it is practically black anyway; there one is just wiping out small whitish branches that could remain looking like part of the sculpture.

One can check progress by turning off the 'blue dye' by unticking step 4a at any time. But in NX 2, the colorize step 5 is shown ticked, as I have also shaded down the bits of sky showing through using 40% opacity on a grey pipetted from the trees.

NX 2 also shows steps 6 to 8 unticked which would convert to B & W, decide final crop and deal with the plinth for the pic as posted today. The B & W conversion deals with the filter colour+strength as well as mods to brightness and contrast needed to optimise as a B & W version, but turned off in NX 2 showing the colour version.

http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...500&ppuser=780

Note 11.4MB file encapsulating original 7.4MB NEF and both Modified coloured and B & W versions at full scale (and 9.3 MB temp cache). The equivalent .psd file after consolidating layers as far as possible would be at least 50MB for keeps. Reducing and saving as a forum sized .jpg is a simple further step, which need not be saved.

In case any non Nikononians are looking, everything except the 'base adjustments' are available on .tif or .jpg files. If you have say Pentax K10D or Sony Alpha 100 using the same sensor AND you have set your in-camera preferences correctly and exposed roughly correctly, you may have done extremely little in the camera and RAW steps available only for NEF anyway. There are dozens of ways of adjusting brightness in 'open' NX and I am not sure they are any less potent than the RAW exposure compensation.