D300 / D300s Picture Controls

[ian in lancs]

Techie question!

How do they work? If I shoot RAW / NEF does it affect the file stored in the camera or is it just jpeg? For example if viewing a RAW file on the camera display or printing direct from the camera will be affected? Or is the info attached to the RAW file and compatible software like Nikon NX reads the data and makes the changes to the viewed image?

In short I shoot RAW and process with Lightroom 2. Do the various picture controls work? I see Nikon have two downloadable Picture Controls - Portrait and Landscape. Has anyone tried them?

[Simpo Two]

As I understand it, the NEFs are tagged with the extra information and this is read by Nikon software. If you use other software I think the effect is lost. However, if you shoot RAW, I think it's all rather silly because you can tweak the image to your heart's content in processing

ian in lancs said:

Picture Controls - Portrait and Landscape. Has anyone tried them?

Certainly not, no more than I would use 'Cuisine Mode' for food!

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 29th October 18:58

[ian in lancs]

Simpo Two said:

As I understand it, the NEFs are tagged with the extra information and this is read by Nikon software. If you use other software I think the effect is lost. However, if you shoot RAW, I think it's all rather silly because you can tweak the image to your heart's content in processing

ian in lancs said:

Picture Controls - Portrait and Landscape. Has anyone tried them?

Certainly not, no more than I would use 'Cuisine Mode' for food!

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 29th October 18:58

ha ha I like that!

I've just taken a RAW / NEF picture in monochrome. It is B&W on the camera screen and B&W in Nikon's NX. However in Lightroom it loads as B&W but changes to full colour after a few seconds. Had the same results with a jpeg too!

I can load into NX and export as TIFF and then import into lightroom and it shows the picture control has been applied. Anyone know how I can get Lightroom to process these Picture Controls directly?

Shooting in jpeg seems to alter the file and loads into LR as a B&W file.

Edited by ian in lancs on Thursday 29th October 19:59

Edited by ian in lancs on Thursday 29th October 20:04

[andy-xr]

This is the jpeg that the camera creates on preview for the LCD isnt it? And the NEF is just the sensor dump so it'll be colour

The other modes I'm guessing are camera calibration modes in LR/Nikon software? Theres a LR plug in for finding an XRite ColourChecker Passport, so I tend to use that on stuff I care about rather than Camera Standard, Neutral, Portrait, ACR etc

[Simpo Two]

ian in lancs said:

I can load into NX and export as TIFF and then import into lightroom and it shows the picture control has been applied. Anyone know how I can get Lightroom to process these Picture Controls directly?

If you load into NX why are you bothering with Lightroom? You only need one programme to process NEFs.

To use one of my favourite phrases, I think you're smashing up a boat to make a raft. You shoot RAW, so you have all the information there is to have. Then bung it into your favourite RAW processor and do what you like to it. Farting about with the Nikon Marketing Department's presets is just clouding the issue IMHO.

And now that I have consumed a rather tough Morrison's steak, and vast quantities of red wine, I may safely tell you that Picture Controls are for girls. Throw them away and concentrate on making a great image

[ian in lancs]

Well said!

I do shoot RAW and use Lightroom after extensive testing of alternatives including Niokn's View NX and Capture NX neither of which I could get on with. In particular I think the user interface around directory management is dreadful! Anyway, I intend to carry on as before but as an engineer I was intrigued in what they are and how they work. But you're right RAW and Lightroom is an awesome combination but doesn't compensate for a bad picture!

Edited by ian in lancs on Thursday 29th October 21:51

[EdJ]

I keep reading about RAW and understand what this means. However, what is involved in the processing? Is it time consuming and if done manually, are you sure you're doing a better job than the camera (esp one as good as the D300s?)

Can you provide a link to what sort of processing software you use?

Many thanks,

Ed

[ian in lancs]

EdJ said:

I keep reading about RAW and understand what this means. However, what is involved in the processing? Is it time consuming and if done manually, are you sure you're doing a better job than the camera (esp one as good as the D300s?)

Can you provide a link to what sort of processing software you use?

Many thanks,

Ed

Here you go!

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/

Excellent file management - same as windows and changes in one are made in the other. Simple! Has good backup features too. Seems to need a decent PC.

More than adequate editing controls from simple auto fix to quite detailed changes. More I use it the more I like it and have never had to resort to the PhotoShop Elements I also have. There are loads of downloadable picture controls that can be applied. All edits can be undone in steps or straight back to original.

I didn't bother with full photoshop - too expensive and there are on line ones for free too. Not tried them with RAW though. I suspect they're just for jpegs.

Fotoflexer

Gimp

pixlr

picnik

picasa

etc

And theres this lot http://www.reviewcentre.com/products2110.html

[Simpo Two]

EdJ said:

I keep reading about RAW and understand what this means. However, what is involved in the processing? Is it time consuming and if done manually, are you sure you're doing a better job than the camera (esp one as good as the D300s?)

If you use in-camera processing (ie shoot JPG), the camera will apply preset parameters such as white-balance, sharpening, saturation and tone curve, make the JPG, then throw away the original information. That may be all you need, but if you prefer to take control of the process by setting the parameters the way you like them and for each image, then you shoot RAW and process manually. White balance, exposure correction and highlight recovery are particularly important criteria for which RAW is ideally suited and JPG is not - because one has all the starting information and one does not.

[DanH]

I have to say that I find capture NXs processing of RAW superior to lightrooms. Can never quite get the same with lightroom regardless of how much twiddling I do. NX has some really nice correction facilities too. Downside is that the workflow is shocking so lightroom it is!

[ian in lancs]

DanH said:

I have to say that I find capture NXs processing of RAW superior to lightrooms. Can never quite get the same with lightroom regardless of how much twiddling I do. NX has some really nice correction facilities too. Downside is that the workflow is shocking so lightroom it is!

X2

[ian in lancs]

DanH said:

I have to say that I find capture NXs processing of RAW superior to lightrooms. Can never quite get the same with lightroom regardless of how much twiddling I do. NX has some really nice correction facilities too. Downside is that the workflow is shocking so lightroom it is!

X2