SOFTWARE

User's Manual

En

Chapter 2

Chapters at a Glance

Chapter 1 Notices & Trademark Information

Chapter 2 Chapters at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 3 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 4 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 5 System Requirements & Installation . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 6 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 7 Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 8 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 9 The Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chapter 10 The Folders Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 11 The Metadata Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 12 Activity Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 13 The Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Chapter 14 Bird???s Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Chapter 15 Edit List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 16 Photo Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Chapter 17 The Color Picker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Chapter 18 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Chapter 19 Edit Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Chapter 20 Adjust Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Chapter 21 Filter Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Chapter 22 Batch Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Chapter 23 View Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Chapter 24 Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Chapter 25 Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Chapter 26 Appendix: Short-cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Chapter 27 Appendix: Supplied Color Profiles . . . . . . . . 247

Chapter 28 Appendix: Additional Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Chapter 29 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Chapter 2 ??? Chapters at a Glance 1

Chapter 3

Table of Contents

Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents 3

4Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents

Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents 5

6Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents

Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents 7

8Chapter 3 ??? Table of Contents

Chapter 4

Introduction

Capture NX 2 contains a wide range of improvements designed to make it an even more complete and powerful photo editing application specifically designed for photography. The interface and tools in Capture NX 2 provide you with a new intuitive approach to the art and science of image editing that saves you valuable time and effort. Capture NX 2 is the latest version in a long line of quality tools from Nikon designed to speed up workflow for photographers. With Capture NX 2 you will work with industry leading tools that deliver quality and performance you expect from a photo editing application.

RAW File Format Benefits

Unique among image editing software, Capture NX 2 provides you with the ability to achieve the highest quality results for processing NEF (Nikon Electronic Format) RAW files as well as powerful tools that can enhance any image.

Shooting RAW has a number of distinct advantages over shooting and saving processed files such as JPEG and TIFF 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 2 to make unique adjustments to enhance the image after capture. The following are some of the camera

settings and RAW adjustments that can be controlled within the Develop section of the Edit List palette:

???Color mode or Picture control (depending on the camera model)

???White balance

???Tone compensation

???Saturation

???Sharpening

???Exposure compensation

???Hue adjustment

???Color moir?? reduction

???Image Dust Off

???Auto color aberration

???Active D-Lighting (depending on the camera model)

Chapter 4 ??? Introduction | RAW File Format Benefits 9

Camera Relationship

Capture NX 2 was designed to support JPEG and TIFF files and to provide unique features that fully support Nikon digital cameras, allowing you to change many of the settings selected in your camera. After opening

a NEF RAW file within Capture NX 2, you can view the shooting, camera, and exposure information of the file within the Metadata palette.

U Point?? Technology

A key feature in Capture NX 2 is U Point technology. The controls powered by U Point technology enable you to modify sections of a photograph directly or control where an enhancement is being applied selectively, all without having to go through the time-consuming process of creating a selection normally required in other software applications.

U Point technology has been widely recognized as one of the most revolutionary technologies in the market today and now that technology powers even more tools in Capture NX 2. U Point technology provides precise and direct control to a variety of tools within Capture NX 2, providing powerful yet simple photographic manipulation. U Point technology powers Capture NX 2???s series of control points: the color control point, the black, neutral, and white control points, the red-eye control point, and the new selection control point. These control points provide you with the ability to create color and tonal enhancements, fix issues, or selectively apply photographic enhancements within any image, all being applied directly to the image and with immediate feedback.

The U Point-powered control points found within Capture NX 2 enable you to work with your images without the need to perform a complicated series of operations in a particular order.

Control points work by identifying an object based on a number of criteria. When you place your first control point, U Point technology identifies the unique elements of the object on which you place a control point, including its position, color, saturation, and texture. By identifying these elements, and in conjunction with the Size slider, the control point can determine the boundaries of the object in order to affect only that object and objects with like elements. With every control point that you apply to the image comes greater control over specific objects 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. Through a unique mixing function, the effects of the control points are applied throughout the image so as to create a natural-looking, professional result.

U Point technology powered tools are designed to make enhancements fast, professional, and of the highest quality. The results will be nothing short of amazing.

10 Chapter 4 ??? Introduction | Camera Relationship

Chapter 5

System Requirements & Installation

System Requirements

Windows

Chapter 5 ??? System Requirements & Installation | System Requirements 11

Installation

Windows

To install Capture NX 2 into the Windows operating system, follow these steps:

1Place the Capture NX 2 setup CD into your computer???s CD or DVD drive. Open the CD through the My Computer icon on your desktop, and double-click on the setup icon that appears within the

window that is displayed to begin the setup wizard.

If you downloaded Capture NX 2, locate and double-click on the setup file that was saved to your computer to begin the setup wizard. (Product keys can only be purchased over the Internet in some countries and regions.)

2Capture NX 2 will check to see if the Microsoft .NET Framework is installed and available on your computer. If not, the Capture NX 2 setup wizard will attempt to download and install the

appropriate version of the .NET Framework, which is required for Capture NX 2.

3 Follow the steps in the installer to select the appropriate location to install Capture NX 2 to.

4Once the software has been installed, follow the steps for color management found in the ???Color Management Options??? section later in this chapter.

5At the last screen, select which file types to associate with Capture NX 2. Those file types associated with Capture NX 2 that are then opened from within the Windows Explorer will be opened directly

into Capture NX 2.

Macintosh

To install Capture NX 2 into the Macintosh operating system, follow these steps:

1Place the Capture NX 2 setup CD into your computer???s CD or DVD drive. Double-click on the CD icon that appears on your desktop and double-click on the setup icon that appears within the window

that is displayed to begin the setup wizard.

If you downloaded Capture NX 2, locate and double-click on the setup file that was saved to your computer to begin the setup wizard. (Product keys can only be purchased over the Internet in some countries and regions.)

2 Follow the steps in the installer to select the appropriate location to install Capture NX 2 to.

3Once the software has been installed, follow the steps for color management found in the ???Color Management Options??? section later in this chapter.

4 Complete the installation process.

12 Chapter 5 ??? System Requirements & Installation | Installation

Color Management Options

Once the setup wizard has installed the files onto your computer, you will be provided with options to set up your color management preferences. The color management settings provided within the setup wizard enables you to set the default functionality for Capture NX 2 and can be later changed within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

To determine how Capture NX 2 manages the color of opened images, follow these steps:

1Select how the working color space is determined when a file is opened in Capture NX 2. You are provided with two options to set the working color space:

Use the color space of the file to be opened as the working color space

When selected, Capture NX 2 will always use the profile embedded in the image that is opened as the working color space.

If Capture NX 2 cannot determine the profile of the embedded image, the profile identified as the default RGB color space will be used as the working space for that image.

Always use the default RGB color space as the working color space

When selected, Capture NX 2 will automatically convert the image from the color profile embedded in the image to the color profile selected in the Default RGB Color Space pull-down menu.

2Select the color space to be used as the default working color space.

Click on the Default RGB Color Space pull-down menu and select the desired color space to be used either if Capture NX 2 cannot determine the embedded profile or if the Always use the default RGB color space as the working color space option is selected.

Complete the installation process of Capture NX 2.

Running Capture NX 2 in Trial Mode or Activating Product

Upon first launching Capture NX 2 after completing the setup process, you are presented with the Capture NX 2 splash screen. The Capture NX 2 splash screen presents you with the options of either running Capture NX 2 for 60 days with full functionality in trial mode or entering your product key.

To run Capture NX 2 in trial mode, click on the Continue Trial button from the Capture NX 2 splash screen. The Continue Trial button will be accessible for the entire 60 days of the trial mode. At the end of the 60 day trial, you will only be able to access the Purchase Product Key, Enter Product Key, and Exit buttons.

To activate Capture NX 2, click on Enter Product Key and enter your name, company (optional), and product key. You may enter a product key and active Capture NX 2 at any point.

If you purchased Capture NX 2 from a camera store or retailer, the product key may be found on the CD- ROM case. If you purchased Capture NX 2 as an electronic download, the product key will be found in the email you received as a receipt of the purchase. Do not lose this key. It is required when installing or upgrading this software and cannot be replaced if lost. (Product keys can only be purchased over the Internet in some countries and regions.)

Chapter 5 ??? System Requirements & Installation | Installation 13

Upgrading From Capture NX Version 1

When upgrading from Capture NX version 1, follow the installation instructions as listed previously in this chapter. Both Capture NX version 1 and Capture NX 2 can be installed on the same computer at the same time.

When activating an upgrade version, your Capture NX version 1 product key will be requested. First, enter your name, company (optional), and Capture NX 2 product key. You will then be prompted to enter your Capture NX version 1 product key.

After entering both the Capture NX 2 and Capture NX version 1 product keys, your copy of Capture NX 2 will be activated and the application will open.

14 Chapter 5 ??? System Requirements & Installation | Installation

Chapter 6

Getting Started

Launching Capture NX 2

In the Windows operating system, Capture NX 2 can be opened by navigating to the start menu, selecting the programs menu, rolling over the Capture NX 2 menu item, and selecting Capture NX 2.

In the Macintosh operating system, double-click on the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop and navigate to the ???Applications??? folder. Double-click on the Capture NX 2 folder, and then double-click on the Capture NX 2 application icon.

Convert Capture NX Version 1 Labels

If you labeled images on your computer using Capture NX version 1, Capture NX 2 provides you with the opportunity to convert those labels to the system used by Capture NX 2 and ViewNX. When Capture NX 2 is launched, it will check for any existing Capture NX version 1 labels stored on your

system. If Capture NX version 1 labels are found, the Convert Labels dialog is displayed.

Click on Yes to begin converting the labels used by Capture NX version 1 into labels compatible with

Capture NX 2 and ViewNX. Selecting this option will not remove the labels from your system and images labeled by Capture NX version 1 will continue to be accessible within Capture NX version 1.

APlease note: If you have many images labeled by Capture NX version 1, this process may take some time.

Click on No to prevent Capture NX 2 from converting your labels. If you do not wish to see the Convert Labels dialog the next time Capture NX 2 is launched, check the Don???t Show Again checkbox.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Launching Capture NX 2 15

Welcome Screen

Upon launching, Capture NX 2 will display the ???Welcome??? screen, which lists the last files and folders that you accessed.

r

The Open Recent Image section contains a list of the most recent images that qOpen Recent were opened within Capture NX 2. The last image edited can be found at the top of

Imagethe list, with the remaining images you have edited listed in chronological order. Click on the image name to open the image within Capture NX 2.

The Open Recent Folder section contains a list of the most recent folders

wOpen Recent accessed within the Browser palette, with the most recent folder displayed at the Foldertop. Click on one of the displayed folders to open that folder within the Browser

palette.

The Drag an image here to open it section is available only in the Macintosh rDrag an image version and enables you to open an image by dragging it from the Macintosh

here to open it Finder onto this section. In the Windows operating system, you can drag an image (Macintosh Only) from the Windows Explorer into the Capture NX 2 window to open the image

within Capture NX 2.

16 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Welcome Screen

Browsing and Opening Images

Capture NX 2 provides you with a number of ways of locating and opening images in order to enhance them.

Using the Browser

To open an image using the browser, follow these steps:

1 Open the Folders palette, the Browser palette will automatically open. Click on the folder within the Folders palette that you wish to display within the browser.

2 Locate and double-click on the image that you wish to open.

Using Open Image

To open an image using Open Image???, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the File menu and select Open Image???.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Browsing and Opening Images 17

2Within the dialog that is displayed, locate an image to open, and click on the Open button.

Using ViewNX

To open an image from ViewNX, follow these steps:

Using Nikon Transfer

To open a folder of images transferred to your computer using Nikon Transfer, follow these steps:

1 Within Nikon Transfer, navigate to the ???Preferences??? tab.

2Click on the pull-down menu for the Open destination folder with other application after transfer option.

After the next transfer is completed, the folder identified in the primary destination folder will be displayed within the Capture NX 2 browser. You can then open one or more images by double-clicking on them within the browser.

18 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Browsing and Opening Images

File Format Differences

Capture NX 2 supports three different file formats: NEF, TIFF, and JPEG.

NEF

The NEF, or Nikon Electronic Format, was designed as the archive file format for your images. The NEF file format saves the complete contents of the Edit List palette along with the original image. All changes made to the image are stored separately within the file, enabling a non-destructive image editing workflow. NEF allows for relatively small file sizes with no loss in image quality. Within Capture NX 2, NEF images remain nearly the same size as the original image file, regardless of the number of enhancements that are applied within the image.

APlease note: The file size of NEF files may increase slightly after being saved in Capture NX 2 due to the inclusion of a full resolution, high quality JPEG preview. This JPEG preview ensures that other applications can accurately display the current state of the image. This file size increase will occur only after the first save within Capture NX 2, while subsequent saves may cause small file size variations due to the inherent nature of the JPEG compression

used on the embedded JPEG preview or due to the size of the JPEG preview having been changed with the Crop or Size / Resolution tools.

There are two different types of NEF files: NEF RAW files and converted NEF files. NEF RAW files are created by a camera using the RAW file type option. Converted NEF files are files that started off as either TIFF or JPEG files, but were saved as NEF using Capture NX 2 or a previous Nikon Capture application.

Both NEF RAW files and converted NEF files benefit from the ability to store enhancements separate from the original image details.

APlease note: Only NEF RAW files support changes to settings made within the camera and other RAW specific enhancements.

NEF RAW File Support

NEF RAW files are generated by all Nikon Digital SLR cameras as well as some COOLPIX cameras.

Capture NX 2 provides support for NEF RAW files from the entire line of Nikon digital cameras that produce NEF RAW files.

TIFF

TIFF is commonly used as a standard for high-quality image reproduction. Saving your image in TIFF will result in a file that contains the final state of your image as shown within Capture NX 2, with full image quality. Once an image is saved in TIFF and closed, you will not be able to change the edits previously applied to the image within the Edit List palette.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | File Format Differences 19

JPEG

The JPEG file format is one of the most widely used file formats. This 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 when a small file size is required.

Workflow Suggestions

While there is no single workflow optimized for every image, there are some basic guidelines to consider. When using Capture NX 2 to edit images, the following order is recommended:

1Start with characteristics that affect the entire image, such as removing digital noise, fixing color casts, and reducing tonal issues (such as brightness of contrast issues).

20 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Workflow Suggestions

2Next, modify elements that affect only localized areas, such as blemishes and small distracting elements.

3 Then, apply effects that add a style or mood to the image.

4 Finally, prepare the image for output by resizing and sharpening.

Following these simple guidelines can help improve the quality of your images and provide a more structured approach to enhancing your images.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Workflow Suggestions 21

Printing

Capture NX 2 provides you with a full range of printing options. The print function is both easy and powerful, enabling you to create high quality, fully color managed prints. 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 palette 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 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 screen.

Printing a Single Image

Capture NX 2 provides you with a variety of different printing options for a single image.

Printing an Image to Fill the Current Page

To print an image so that it fills the entire page, follow these steps:

1 Navigate to the File menu and select Print???.

2Ensure the Use Output Resolution checkbox is unchecked.

22 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing

3Click on the Select Layout option and choose 1 Photo on Page.

4If the image???s orientation is different from the paper you will print to (such as when you print a landscape oriented picture), check the Rotate to Fit option.

5If desired, check the Crop Photos to Fit option to ensure the entire printable surface is utilized. If the

image???s aspect ratio is different from that of the paper, some image detail may be cropped away.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing 23

6Review the settings within the ???Color Management??? tab and then click Print.

Printing an Image Using the Settings Found Within the Size / Resolution Dialog

To print an image using the size and resolution settings made with the Size / Resolution tool, follow these steps:

1Ensure that the appropriate size and resolution are set for the image by navigating to the Edit menu and selecting Size / Resolution???. If necessary, modify the settings and click OK.

2 Navigate to the File menu and select Print???.

24 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing

3Check the Use Output Resolution option. If the image is larger than the page, click on the Page Setup button and select the appropriate paper size

that the image will fit upon.

4If the image???s orientation is different from the paper you will print to (such as when you print a landscape oriented picture), check the Rotate to Fit option.

5Review the settings within the ???Color Management??? tab and then click Print.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing 25

Printing contact sheets

To print a series of images as a contact sheet, follow these steps:

1Open the Browser palette and select the images you would like to print. To select multiple files, hold

either the Shift key and click on the first and last images of a range, or hold the Ctrl (Windows) or command (Macintosh) keys while single-clicking on

each additional file you want to add. To select all of the images in the current folder, navigate to the Edit menu and click on the Select All option, or use the

shortcut Ctrl + A (Windows) or command + A (Macintosh).

2 Navigate to the File menu and select Print???.

3Ensure the Use Output Resolution option is not selected.

26 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing

4Click on the Select Layout option, and then in the provided pull-down menu, choose the number of

images you would like to display on a single page. Alternatively, you can use the Select Picture Size

option and select the size of each picture. Capture NX 2 will automatically tile the available images to fit onto one or more pages.

For more information on the various options available in the ???Print layout??? window, please see ???Print?????? in Chapter 18, ???File Menu???.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Printing 27

Batch Processing

Batch processing is the automatic application of one or more enhancements to a series of images. Typically, a photographer will use a batch process to apply a predefined series of adjustments to several images at once. Capture NX 2 contains even more methods of batch processing than before. You can select a folder of images and select a series of enhancements to apply to those images, you can add an XMP/IPTC preset to a series of images, you can set up a live edit batch process, or you can set up a watched folder.

Applying a series of enhancements to a folder of images

1

2Navigate to the Batch menu and select Save Adjustments???. This will call up the ???Save

Adjustments??? dialog and let you create a settings file.

3Check each of the checkboxes for the enhancements that you would like to apply in the batch process and provide a name for the settings file. Click OK.

28 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Batch Processing

4Navigate to the Batch menu and select Run Batch Process???. You will then be presented with the

Batch Process dialog.

5Click on the Browse??? button in the Source section and locate the folder of images you wish to process.

6Check the Apply Settings checkbox, ensure that Use Settings File is selected, and click on the Browse??? button. Locate the settings file created in step 3 and click OK.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Batch Processing 29

7Check the Rename box if you would like to change the name of the processed files. Click on the Edit???

button to call up the File Naming dialog and determine the naming convention for the processed images.

8Use the Select File Format pull-down menu to select the file format for the processed images.

9In the Destination section, select the folder that the processed images should be placed in and click OK.

The Processing Queue will be displayed and the batch

process will start. To pause the batch process, click on the Pause button within the Processing Queue. To prevent

an image from being processed, highlight the image in the queue and then click on the Clear from list button under

the queue. To cancel the process, click on the button to stop the batch process and close the Processing Queue.

30 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Batch Processing

Adding XMP/IPTC data to a series of images using an XMP/IPTC preset

data to an image.

2Navigate to the Batch menu and select Save XMP/ IPTC Preset???. Within the dialog that is displayed,

select the checkboxes for each of the XMP/IPTC fields that you would like to apply to additional

images, add a name for the XMP/IPTC preset, and click OK.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Batch Processing 31

3Open the Browser palette and select the images you would like to apply the XMP/IPTC information to. To

select all of the images in the current folder, navigate to the Edit menu and choose Select All.

4Navigate to the Batch menu, click on the Load XMP/ IPTC Preset menu, and then locate the XMP/IPTC

preset that you saved in step 2.

The XMP/IPTC information you added to the XMP/IPTC preset will then be added to all of the selected images.

32 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Batch Processing

Converting NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files

Capture NX 2 can quickly and easily convert NEF RAW files that are produced by your Nikon digital camera into JPEG or TIFF files, which can then be opened and used by other applications. To convert your NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files, follow these steps:

To convert a folder of files from NEF RAW to JPEG or TIFF

1Navigate to the Batch menu and select Run Batch Process???.

2Within the Source section, click on the Browse??? button to select the folder you wish to convert from

NEF into JPEG or TIFF.

3 Next, ensure that the Apply settings checkbox is not checked.

4 Check the Rename box if you would like change the name of the files as they are converted from NEF to JPEG or TIFF.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Converting NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files 33

5From the Select File Format pull-down menu, select the file format to convert the images to, either TIFF

or JPEG.

6Click on the Advanced show/hide triangle to control the options for the selected file format.

7For the Destination option, choose where the new JPEG or TIFF files should be placed by using the Select folder option to place them in a new folder or using the Use source folder option to place them in

the same folder as the original NEF files.

8Click OK to add the files into the Processing Queue and start converting the files.

You can check the status of the conversion process in the Processing Queue and you can pause the process by clicking on the Details show/hide triangle in the Processing Queue and clicking on the Pause button. To

cancel the process, click on the button to stop the batch process and close the Processing Queue.

34 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Converting NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files

To convert selected files from the Browser

1Open the Browser palette and select the files you want to convert from NEF RAW to JPEG or TIFF. To

select multiple files, either hold the Shift key and click on the first and last images of a range, or hold the Ctrl key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh) while single-clicking on each additional file you want to add.

2Navigate to the File menu and select Save As???. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut of

Ctrl + Shift + S (Windows) or command + shift + S (Macintosh).

3In the Destination section, select either the Select folder option to choose a new folder to place the converted image files into or Use source folder to

place the image files into the same folder as the original NEF files.

Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Converting NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files 35

Click Start to begin converting the files.

36 Chapter 6 ??? Getting Started | Converting NEF RAW files into JPEG or TIFF files

Chapter 7

Preferences

Preferences modify the default behavior of Capture NX 2. Preferences can be found either under the Edit menu in Windows or the Capture NX 2 menu in Macintosh. There are nine different categories of

preferences:

???General

???Color Management

???Levels & Sampling

???Display

???Cache Settings

???XMP/IPTC Presets

???Labels

???Manage Settings

???Workspaces

Shortcut

Ctrl + K (Windows) command + K (Macintosh)

If Capture NX 2 displays unexpected behavior, the preferences may be damaged. Restoring preferences to their defaults may resolve this issue. To restore the preferences to the default settings, click on the Reset button within the Preferences dialog.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences 37

General

Open With Application

Choose this option to select the application you wish to use when opening files with the Open With??? command in the File menu.

Place Open With TIFF File In

The Place Open With TIFF file in option allows you to determine where to place the TIFF files created by the Open With??? command in the File menu.

Check the Same as File checkbox to place the TIFF file created by the Open With??? command in the same folder as the source file.

D1X RAW Default

Use this option to set the default size of NEF RAW images taken with the D1X. This option utilizes a unique resizing algorithm to resize D1X images to a 10 megapixel equivalent image.

Default Units

Choose from inches and millimeters.

38 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | General

Default Save As

Use this option to determine the default file type in the ???Save As?????? dialog. The following options are available:

???Same as original file

Select the Same as original file option to set the default file type in the ???Save As??? dialog to the file type of the image being saved.

???Previous file format

Select the Previous file format option to set the default file type in the ???Save As??? dialog to the file type of the image that was last saved.

???NEF

???TIFF

???JPEG

Keep all Steps Active in Edit List

Use this option to control how the editing of steps in the Edit List palette is handled. When this option is turned off, the editing of a step in the Edit List palette causes any following step to be temporarily disabled. When this option is turned on, steps will not be temporarily disabled, and you will be able to see the impact of the changes made with all steps being considered.

Please note, when this option is turned on, additional processing will be required as all enhancements will be processed in real time. Turning this option on is only recommended for computers with powerful processors.

Folder for Temporary Data

This option enables you to set the location where temporary data is stored. If possible, set this option to use a folder on a disk other than the primary startup disk.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | General 39

Color Management

Default RGB Color Space

Use this option to set the default RGB space that is used for your images.

Use This Instead of Embedded Profile

This option causes Capture NX 2 to automatically convert the image from the embedded profile to the profile as defined in the Default RGB Color Space option. This option is automatically enabled if you selected the Always use the default RGB color space as the working color space option during

installation.

CMYK Separation profile

This preference enables you to set the default separation profile to be used when saving CMYK TIFF files.

Printer Profile

This preference enables you to set the default profile to use for your printer as well as within the soft proof feature.

Use This Profile when printing

Check this option to automatically change the color profile within the color management section of the print dialog to the profile set with the Printer Profile option.

40 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Color Management

Intent

Use this preference to set the default rendering intent for the various color management features throughout Capture NX 2. The different rendering intents control how colors from your image are made to fit into the colors that your printer can produce as indicated by the printer profile.

APlease note: different printer and paper combinations, as well as the different software used to create printer profiles, benefit from different rendering intents. Experiment with the different rendering intents within your workflow to find the option that works best.

The four options are:

Perceptual

This rendering intent maintains the relationships of colors so that the printed image appears natural to the human eye. While this intent maintains the relationship of colors, the actual color values will be changed.

Saturation

This rendering intent produces highly saturated colors, but it may not produce accurate colors in a photograph.

Relative Colorimetric

This rendering intent maps all of the colors that fall outside of the gamut of the target profile to the closest reproducible color. This profile reproduces accurately all of the colors that are within the range of colors reproducible by your printer. This option preserves as many natural colors as possible and is often the best choice for printing photographs.

Absolute Colorimetric

This rendering intent is very similar to relative colorimetric, except that it maps the white point of the image to the white point of the destination profile. It is recommend that you use absolute colorimetric only if you want to proof your images for a specific print device other than your printer, since this rendering intent will attempt to reproduce the results of the output device, including the effect of a different paper color.

Use Black Point Compensation

Check this box to set the default state of the various color management options throughout Capture NX 2 to utilize black point compensation. Black point compensation ensures that the black point from the image is mapped to the black point of your printer, ensuring that the full color range of the printer is used. If your print contains either gray shadows or too little detail, try turning this option off. It is recommended that you always use this option, except when you notice problems with a specific printer and profile combination.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Color Management 41

Levels & Sampling

Levels & Curves

The options within the ???Levels & Curves??? section enable you to set the default values for controls found within the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

Set Black Point

Use this option to set the black point to a different color other than the default of 0, 0, 0 when setting a black point within the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

Set Neutral Point

Use this option to set the neutral point to a different color other than the default of 128, 128, 128 when setting a neutral point within the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

Set White Point

Use this option to set the white point to a different color other than the default of 255, 255, 255 when setting a white point within the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

Black Auto-Contrast Clip

Set this number to determine the percentage of the darkest pixels to exclude when using the Auto- Contrast option in the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

White Auto-Contrast Clip

Set this number to determine the percentage of the lightest pixels to exclude when using the Auto- Contrast option in the ???Levels & Curves??? step.

42 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Levels & Sampling

Dropper Sample Size

Use this option to set the sample size of the droppers used within the ???Color Picker???, ???Levels & Curves???, and ???Watch Point??? elements of Capture NX 2. When Point Sample is selected, a single pixel will be sampled when a dropper is used. With the 3 x 3 Average and 5 x 5 Average options, the average of the pixels

sampled will be used. Choosing a large sample size reduces precision, but also minimizes the effects of noise; choosing a small sample size has the opposite effect.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Levels & Sampling 43

Display

Grid

The options within the ???Grid??? section enable you to control what is displayed when the Show Grid option is turned on from the View menu.

Grid Color

Click on the color patch to bring up the color picker and select the color for the gridlines displayed on top of the image when the Show Grid option is enabled.

Gridline Every

Use this option to set the frequency of and the unit of frequency of the gridlines when the Show Grid option is enabled.

Subdivisions per Line

This option enables you to set the subdivisions, or smaller gridlines, that are displayed between the major gridlines defined by the Gridline Every preference.

44 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Display

Selection Overlay

The options within the ???Selection Overlay??? section enable you to control the appearance of the overlay displayed when Selection Display > Show Overlay is selected in the View menu. The options selected

within this section will determine how the current step???s selection is superimposed on top of the image.

Color

Click on the color patch to bring up the color picker and select the color of the overlay that is used to represent the current step???s selection.

Opacity

Use this option to determine the opacity of the overlay that is displayed on the image. A value of 100% will completely obscure the image???s detail, with lower values allowing more and more of the original image???s detail to be visible.

Image

Auto-Hide On-Image Elements

Use this option to automatically hide elements that appear on top of the image whenever the mouse exits the image window. Active selections, control points (that are not currently selected), watch points, and the grid will automatically be hidden when the mouse cursor exits the image window to give you a clear view of your image. These items will reappear when the mouse cursor returns into the image window. Turn this option off to always see those on-image elements.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Display 45

Cache Settings

Capture NX 2 utilizes two caching systems: a browsing cache and an editing cache. Both cache systems speed up the interaction of Capture NX 2 by storing processed information on the hard disk, enabling Capture NX 2 to use the cached information instead of reprocessing the files.

The browsing cache is used for the thumbnails created and displayed in the Browser palette, while the editing cache is used for NEF files saved during editing.

Browsing Cache

In order to increase the speed of displaying thumbnails, Capture NX 2 utilizes a thumbnail cache for the Browser palette. This cache is created after the image is first processed, making subsequent browsing of

the same folder significantly faster. You can view the amount of space used by the browsing cache as well as clear the cache to reclaim disk space using the Clear Cache button. After clearing the cache, you will not

lose any image data, however thumbnails will need to be recreated, taking additional time.

Editing Cache

The Editing Cache option enables NEF images (both NEF RAW and converted NEF files) that were previously opened within Capture NX 2 to open more quickly. Capture NX 2 provides you with different options to control how NEF images are cached, as well as how much hard disk space is dedicated to the cache files.

While the Editing Cache option is enabled, saving NEF files will automatically create a cache file in the folder specified by the Cache Location option. This cache file contains information that Capture NX 2 can

use to greatly accelerate the opening of this file in the future.

46 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Cache Settings

With the default settings, Capture NX 2 will utilize up to 2 gigabytes of hard disk space to store cache files. If all 2 gigabytes of allocated space are utilized by cache files, Capture NX 2 will begin to replace the oldest cache files with new cache files. In this manner, the files you interacted with most recently will open the fastest. It is important to note that no unique information is stored within these cache files, and if a cache file is replaced, your image will not lose any information or quality. It will simply require additional processing in order to open, which will take additional time.

You can alter the cache settings to change when cache files are created, where the cache files are placed, and how much hard disk space should be utilized for these cache files.

After a file has been added to the editing cache, a lightning bolt icon will be placed next in the image window and next to the image in the Browser palette. This icon indicates that the file is currently within the

editing cache.

Use Image Cache

Check this box to enable Capture NX 2 to utilize cache files to increase the speed of opening NEF files.

Cache files saved within the Editor

Check this box to enable Capture NX 2 to cache files when an image is saved using the Save or Save As??? options in the File menu.

Cache Files created in a Batch Process

Check this box to enable Capture NX 2 to cache files whenever a batch process is used to save images using the NEF file format. This includes both batch processes and watched folders.

Clear Cache

Click on this button to delete all editing cache files created by Capture NX 2.

Cache Location

Click on the Browse button to select a new location to place cache files.

Limit Cache Size

Check this box in order to set a limit to the amount of disk space Capture NX 2 will use for cache files.

You can then use the slider to change the amount of space available for the editing cache system. Next to the slider you will see the amount of space currently allocated to the editing cache system, along with an approximate number of images that can be stored within that space.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Cache Settings 47

XMP/IPTC Presets

XMP/IPTC presets enable you to create different sets of XMP/IPTC data that can then be applied to either a single image or to a group of images.

Available Presets

Presets that you create or save within Capture NX 2 will be displayed within the ???Available Presets??? window.

You can click on any of the available presets to display the contents in the field editor, duplicate the preset using the Duplicate button, or delete the preset using the Delete button. To create a new preset, either save a preset using the Save XMP/IPTC Preset option in the Batch menu, or click on the New button at

the bottom of the ???Available Presets??? window.

Field Editor

The field editor displays all of the available fields and contents for an XMP/IPTC preset. Enter the values you would like to automatically apply through the XMP/IPTC preset. After entering a value, the checkbox for that field as well as for the section will be turned on. Only those fields with a checkbox next to them will be added to an image when the XMP/IPTC preset is applied to an image or group of images.

To prevent a field from being modified by the XMP/IPTC preset, uncheck the box for that field.

To clear a field in an image or group of images, delete the content of that field in the field editor and check the box. This will result in a blank field with a checkbox next to it, indicating that when this XMP/IPTC preset is applied to an image, that image will have a blank field for the corresponding field. This is helpful if you would like to clear away one or more XMP/IPTC fields in an image or group of images.

48 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | XMP/IPTC Presets

New

The New button creates a new, empty XMP/IPTC preset. After clicking on this button, you will be provided with a dialog to enter the name for the XMP/IPTC preset. This name will be displayed in the Load XMP/IPTC Preset sub-menu of the Batch menu.

After creating a new XMP/IPTC preset, enter the values for that preset in the fields displayed in the field editor.

Duplicate

Clicking on this button will duplicate the contents of the XMP/IPTC preset selected in the ???Available Presets??? list and provide you with a window to enter the name for the new XMP/IPTC Preset.

Delete

Click on the Delete button to permanently delete the XMP/IPTC preset selected in the ???Available Presets??? list.

Import

Click on the Import button to import an XMP/IPTC preset from a file on your computer. You will be prompted for the location and name of the file for the XMP/IPTC preset that you wish to load. XMP/IPTC preset files use the file extension ???.XMP???.

Export

Click on the Export button to create an XMP/IPTC preset as a file with the extension ???.XMP???. You will be prompted for the location and name of the file for the XMP/IPTC preset that you wish to save.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | XMP/IPTC Presets 49

Labels

Label Compatibility

Use the Label Compatibility pull-down menu if you use another digital asset management software application to tag and sort your images. Capture NX 2 supports a number of digital asset management software applications. If you select the appropriate option from the pull-down menu, Capture NX 2 will be able to read the label and rating information added by that application.

Each option controls the maximum and default number of labels available, along with their color and label name.

The Default Settings option shows all nine labels, however you may choose to display fewer than nine labels.

The Custom option lets you determine not only the number of labels available, but also the names for each label to be used.

For example, if you use only one label to determine those images to keep, use the Custom option to select only one label and name that label accordingly.

Alternatively, if you prefer to create a variety of labels based on different types of images, use the Custom option to select the number of labels you wish to use and then name each label accordingly.

APlease note: Changing the label names can reduce compatibility with other applications, including ViewNX.

50 Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Labels

Available Labels

The maximum number of labels available depends on the selection in the Label Compatibility pull-down menu. You can choose the number of labels to display by clicking on the radio button next to the desired number of labels.

Manage Settings

The Manage Settings section enables you to determine which settings are displayed within the Load Adjustments sub-menu of the Batch menu. Use this dialog to identify which settings files to display within the Load Adjustments sub-menu or to add or delete available settings files.

To learn more about creating settings files, please see the ???Save Adjustments??? section in Chapter 22, ???Batch Menu???.

Add

Clicking on the Add button will open a file browsing window, enabling you to navigate and locate a settings file that resides on your computer. If you use the Add option, the settings file that you selected will

automatically be copied to the Capture NX 2 ???Settings??? folder and added to the list of available settings files both in the ???Manage Settings??? tab as well as in the Load Adjustments sub-menu of the Batch menu.

Delete

The Delete button will delete the highlighted setting from within the ???Manage Settings??? tab as well as from the Capture NX 2 ???Settings??? folder.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Manage Settings 51

Delete

Clicking the Delete button will remove the highlighted workspace from in the ???My Workspaces??? section. Please note that, you cannot delete a default workspace.

Chapter 7 ??? Preferences | Workspaces 53

Chapter 8

Interface

Capture NX 2???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 2 interface, as well as information about the new workspaces, working with multiple screens, using the image window, and working with palettes and menus.

Overview

q

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The main window of Capture NX 2, the editor, is the window you see when you are qEditorediting images. Within the editor, you can open and close images as well as access

each of the different control palettes.

The menu bar provides access to nearly all of the features and enhancements wMenu Bar within Capture NX 2. Please see chapters 18 through 25 for information on the

Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Overview 55

56 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Overview

Workspaces

Workspaces are new in Capture NX 2, enabling you to quickly change tasks while displaying only the palettes and windows necessary for that task. Capture NX 2 comes with four different default workspaces and provides you with the ability to create custom workspaces. Selecting a particular workspace will arrange all of the palettes and windows according to the stored settings for that workspace including the position, state of the palette (maximized or minimized), as well as other settings that affect what is displayed within a palette or window.

The settings for the default workspaces were created based on the tools used in typical tasks. Custom workspaces however can be created to meet your specific workflow needs.

To change workspaces, navigate to the Window menu, select the Workspaces menu, and then select the workspace to which you would like to switch. Alternatively, use the workspace selector found within the activity toolbar, or use the corresponding shortcut.

Browser

Use the browser workspace to browse and sort through your images. In this workspace, the browser fills the screen, the Folders palette is open, and all other palettes are closed.

While in this workspace, use the folders palette to find the folder you wish to work on and then use the tagging and filtering tools to rate and label your images and then filter and sort your images to find only those images you want to work further on in Capture NX 2???s editor.

When the browser workspace is used on a single screen, opening an image or group of images from the browser will automatically toggle the edit workspace.

Shortcut

Alt + 1 (Windows) option + 1 (Macintosh)

Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Workspaces 57

Metadata

The metadata workspace is designed to provide you with optimum workspace to review and add metadata to your images. Within this workspace only the Browser and Metadata palettes are displayed.

The Metadata palette displays both information about the camera and exposure along with XMP/IPTC information. Use the browser to select the image or group of images you want to review or add XMP/IPTC information to.

When the metadata workspace is used on a single screen, opening an image or group of images from the browser will automatically toggle the edit workspace.

Shortcut

Alt + 2 (Windows) option + 2 (Macintosh)

Multi-Purpose

The multi-Purpose workspace is best used on high resolution monitors and was designed to enable you to browse and edit images simultaneously. Selecting this workspace opens the Browser palette to reduced size and displays the Bird???s Eye, Edit List, and Photo Info palettes. Any images that are currently being worked on are displayed between the Browser and Edit List palettes.

Opening images from the browser in the multi-purpose workspace will not toggle the edit workspace; instead, the multi-purpose workspace will be maintained.

Shortcut

Alt + 3 (Windows) option + 3 (Macintosh)

Edit

The edit workspace is typically used when editing images. Only the Toolbar, Bird???s Eye, Edit List, and Photo Info palettes and the images currently open in the editor are displayed, ensuring that maximum space is available for editing images without distractions.

Shortcut

Alt + 4 (Windows) option + 4 (Macintosh)

Creating Custom Workspaces

Capture NX 2 provides you with the ability to create your own custom workspaces. Use these custom workspaces to save the position and state of all of the palettes and windows for use in the future. This can help you save time and ensure that the palettes and windows are arranged in a way that best fits your workflow.

Custom workspaces save the current state on all active screens, enabling you to create a single workspace that controls the position and state of palettes across multiple screens.

58 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Workspaces

To create a custom workspace, follow these steps:

3 TypeOK. in the name of the new workspace and click

You can then assign a shortcut to this new workspace by following these steps:

1Navigate to the Edit menu (Windows) or Capture NX 2 menus (Macintosh), select the

Preferences sub-menu, and select Workspaces.

Alternatively, click on the workspace selector and select Manage Workspaces.

Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Workspaces 59

2In the ???Workspaces??? tab of the ???Preferences??? dialog, click on the pull-down menu next to the name of the

workspace you created and select the shortcut you would like to use. If you select a shortcut already in

use by another workspace, the shortcut for that other workspace will automatically be set to None.

To access your custom workspaces, navigate to the Window menu and select the My Workspaces sub-

menu, then select the desired workspace to apply. Alternatively, click on the workspace selector, select the My Workspaces sub-menu and select the desired workspace.

Working with Multiple Screens

Capture NX 2 has been improved to better support multiple screens. Palettes and windows can be freely placed on any available screen. Furthermore, you can set workspaces independently on each connected screen. Custom workspaces can also be created, capturing the state of multiple screens, enabling you to quickly and easily switch between single screen and multiple screen configurations.

When working with multiple screens, Capture NX determines which screen is the primary screen and which screen is the additional screen differently for the different operating systems.

For the Windows operating system, the primary screen is the screen where the application window is placed. You can move the application window by clicking on the Restore button, moving the application window to another screen, and then clicking on the Maximize button. The remaining screen will be the additional screen.

For the Macintosh operating system, the primary screen is the screen that contains the Menu Bar and Dock. The screen that does not have the Menu Bar and Dock will be the additional screen.

Additional screen Sub-Menu

Capture NX 2 continuously checks for the presence of additional screens. As soon as an additional screen is found, a new sub-menu called the Additional Screen sub-menu is added to the Workspaces sub-menu of the Window menu as well as to the Workspaces selector menu.

The Workspaces sub-menu will continue to control the workspace of the primary screen. The Additional Screen sub-menu will control the workspace to be applied to the additional screen.

To use the default workspaces in a multiple screen configuration, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the Window menu, select the Workspaces sub-menu, and select the workspace you would like to use on your primary screen.

2Navigate back to the Window menu, select the Workspaces sub-menu, select the Additional Screen sub-menu and then select the workspace to use on the additional screen.

60 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Working with Multiple Screens

APlease note: Only default workspaces can be applied in this manner. Custom workspaces always are applied to all available screens.

APlease note: Some workspaces cannot be used in conjunction with another. The following table shows the available combinations.

Desktop

The desktop workspace provided within only the Additional Screen sub-menu, hides all palettes on the additional screen, letting you see either the operating system???s desktop or other running applications.

Swap Workspaces

The Swap Workspaces option is available in the Additional Screen sub-menu and exchanges the contents of both screens. Use this function to swap the contents of the primary screen for the contents of the additional screen and vice versa.

Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Working with Multiple Screens 61

Image Window

Image windows are the frames that contain your images and provide you with important data which can help you enhance the image. Image windows are displayed as long as Capture NX 2 is not in the full screen or presentation modes.

Shortcut

Cycle through open image windows:

Ctrl + Tab

q w e

r t

Each image window displays important information about the image:

62 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Image Window

t Soft Proof

The soft proof feature enables you to preview the effect of an output profile on your image, approximating the results you can expect from your printer. The soft proof function provides you with controls to preview the use of different profiles. It also allows you to set different parameters for the color management system to use.

To turn soft proofing on, follow these steps:

3Select the appropriate Target Profile, Intent, and

Use Black Point Compensation state options and then click OK.

You can turn soft proof off by repeating step 1 and selecting the Soft Proof Off option in the ???Soft Proof??? window.

Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Image Window 63

Soft proof offers the following options:

Target Profile

Select the color profile from the list to view the result of the color management system and to preview how the different color management settings will affect your image.

Intent

Choose from four different rendering intents. The different rendering intents control how colors in your image are mapped to the colors that your printer can produce (as indicated by the printer profile).

APlease note: Different printer and paper combinations, as well as the different software used to create printer profiles, benefit from different rendering intents. Experiment with the different rendering intents within your workflow to find the option that works best.

Capture NX 2 provides the following intents:

???Perceptual

This rendering intent maintains the relationships of colors so that the printed image appears natural to the human eye. While this intent maintains the relationship of colors, the actual color values will be changed.

???Saturation

This rendering intent produces highly saturated colors, but it may not produce accurate colors in a photograph.

???Relative Colorimetric

This rendering intent maps all of the colors that fall outside of the gamut of the target profile to the closest reproducible color. This profile reproduces accurately all of the colors that are within the range of colors reproducible by your printer. This option preserves as many natural colors as possible and is often the best choice for printing photographs.

???Absolute Colorimetric

This rendering intent is very similar to relative colorimetric, except that it maps the white point of the image to the white point of the destination profile. It is recommend that you use absolute colorimetric only if you want to proof your images for a specific print device other than your printer, since this rendering intent will attempt to reproduce the results of the output device, including the effect of a different paper color.

Use Black Point Compensation

Check this box to utilize black point compensation. This ensures that the black point from the image is mapped to the black point of your printer, enabling the full color range of the printer to be used. If your prints contain either gray shadows or too little detail, try turning this option off. Unless you are having problems with a specific print and profile combination, it is recommended that you always use this option.

Shortcut

Toggle Soft Proof on and off:

Ctrl + Y (Windows) command + Y (Macintosh)

64 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Image Window

Window & Palette Functionality

Each palette within Capture NX 2 provides you with a number of different controls for that palette.

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Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Window & Palette Functionality 65

Finding Palettes

Undocking many palettes can sometimes make it difficult to locate that palette. All palettes and windows can be located using the Window menu. The most frequently used palettes and windows are listed directly in the Window menu, while less frequently used undocked palettes and windows are listed in the

Undocked Palettes section of the Window menu.

Click on the palette or window that you want to locate and it will be brought to the front of whichever screen it is positioned on, on top of other floating palettes and windows.

66 Chapter 8 ??? Interface | Window & Palette Functionality

Chapter 9

The Browser

Browser Overview

The browser has been greatly updated for Capture NX 2 to provide even more control over browsing and sorting through your images. The Browser palette now contains enhanced tagging and rating functionality, new filtering and sorting functions, as well as compatibility with other organizational software applications. Additionally, the labels utilized by Capture NX 2 are based on the XMP standard. Depending on the application and the options selected with the Capture NX 2 preferences, utilizing the XMP standard can help ensure that labels added by other applications that also utilize the XMP standard can be seen in Capture NX 2. For example, as both ViewNX and Nikon Transfer utilize the XMP standard, labels and ratings can be shared between all three applications.

To open the Browser palette, either click the maximize button in the browser title bar or select the Browser workspace from the Workspaces sub-menu of the Window menu.

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Browser Overview 67

Opening a Folder of Images in the Browser

The browser provides you with a number of ways of displaying a folder of images. By default, the browser

displays the ???My Pictures??? (Windows) or ???Pictures??? (Macintosh) folder. To open a folder of images in the browser, double-click the folder icon in the browser or use the Folders palette, the Open Folder in Browser command in the File menu, or Nikon Transfer.

Using the Folders Palette

To select a folder to display using the Folders palette, follow these steps:

1 Click on the maximize button for the Folders palette to display your computer???s folder hierarchy.

2 Navigate to the folder you want to display in the browser and click on that folder.

Using Open Folder in Browser

Another way to display a folder in the browser is to use the Open Folder in Browser command in the File menu. To use this technique, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the File menu and select the Open Folder in Browser command.

2In the navigation dialog that appears, navigate to the appropriate folder and click on that folder to highlight it.

68 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Opening a Folder of Images in the Browser

3 Click OK to open the folder in the browser.

Using Nikon Transfer

You can also use Nikon Transfer to open a folder of images transferred to your computer. To open a folder in the browser after the transfer operation has completed, follow these steps:

1 Within Nikon Transfer, navigate to the ???Preferences??? tab.

2Click on the pull-down menu for the Open destination folder with other application after transfer option.

After the next transfer is completed, the folder identified in the primary destination folder will be displayed within the Capture NX 2 browser. You can then open one or more images by double-clicking on them within the browser.

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Opening a Folder of Images in the Browser 69

Navigating Within the Browser

At the top-left of the Browser palette are three buttons that help you choose which folder to display within the browser.

The ???Next Folder??? button navigates back to the last folder that you viewed before wNext Folder using the ???Previous Folder??? button. This button is not accessible until you use the

Filtering Tools

Capture NX 2 contains new filtering tools to help you display only images according to label, rating, or file type.

qFilter by Label

The filter by label tool lets you choose which images to display within the browser based on labels that you applied previously, either within Capture NX 2 or within one of the software applications with which

Capture NX 2 provides compatibility. Capture NX 2???s compatibility mode can be set with the Label Compatibility option of the ???Labels??? tab of the ???Preferences??? dialog.

To use the filter by label tool, follow these steps:

1Click on one of the labels to display only images that have that label applied to them. Click on additional labels to display images with those additional labels as well.

2After clicking on more than one label, you can hide images with specific labels by clicking on that label again, turning the filtering for that label off.

70 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Navigating Within the Browser

3 To display all images again, click on the checkmark next to the filter by label tool.

Shortcut

To show only images with a specific label (multiple shortcuts can be performed):

Shift + label number (0 through 9)

wFilter by Rating

The filter by rating tool lets you choose which images to display within the browser based on the ratings that you applied previously, either within Capture NX 2 or within one of the software applications with which Capture NX 2 provides compatibility.

To use the filter by rating tool, follow these steps:

1To display only images with a specific rating, click once on the corresponding icon to display only images with that rating.

2To display images that fall within a range of ratings, click and drag on the filter by rating tool to describe the range of ratings. For example, if you would like to see all images that have two, three,

or four stars, click on the two-star icon and drag to the four-star icon, then release the mouse button.

3 To display all images again, click on the checkmark next to the filter by rating tool.

Shortcut

To show only images with a specific rating:

Ctrl + Shift + rating number (1 through 5 and 0) (Windows)

control + shift + rating number (1 through 5 and 0) (Macintosh)

eFile Type to Display

The filter by file type tool lets you show only images with a specific file type. Click on the pull-down menu and select one of the available options. You are provided with the following options:

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Filtering Tools 71

Sorting Tools

The ???Sorting Tools??? let you choose the order that images are displayed in within the current folder.

Sort By

The Sort section determines the primary sorting method for the current folder. After selecting the primary sorting method,

choose to have the images sorted in either ascending or descending order using the Ascending and Descending

options.

Then Sort By

The Then Sort By section determines the secondary sorting method for the current folder. This is helpful if there are many images grouped together after the Sort option has been selected.

72 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Sorting Tools

Labeling and Rating Toolbar

The labeling and rating toolbar can be found at the bottom of the browser palette and provides you with tools to add labels and/or ratings to your images.

Add Label

The add label section of the labeling and rating toolbar displays the available labels based on the Label Compatibility option of the ???Labels??? tab in the ???Preferences??? dialog. To add a label to your image or group

of images, follow these steps:

Shortcut

label number (keys 0 through 9)

Add Rating

The add rating section of the labeling and rating toolbar enables you to add a rating to one or more images. To add a rating to your image or group of images, follow these steps:

Shortcut

Ctrl + rating number (keys 1 through 5) (Windows)

command + rating number (keys 1

through 5) (Macintosh)

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Labeling and Rating Toolbar 73

Browser Header

Displayed at the top of the browser is the browser header. This section provides information about the current folder as well as control over the size of the thumbnails displayed within the folder.

On the left side of the browser header is the number of images within the current folder and the number of selected images.

On the right side of the browser header is the thumbnail size selector, which enables you to determine the size of the thumbnails displayed within the browser. To the left and right of the thumbnail size selector are the smaller thumbnails and larger thumbnails buttons. Clicking on either of these buttons will make the thumbnails one size smaller or one size larger.

Browser View Selector

The top and right-most button in the browser is the browser view selector. This pull-down menu lets you switch between the two browser views available in Capture NX 2: thumbnail grid and thumbnail list.

Thumbnail Grid

The thumbnail grid is the default browser view. Images are displayed in a grid format; resizing the browser causes the images to be resorted.

In thumbnail grid view, the thumbnail size selector offers a choice of seven thumbnail sizes.

Thumbnail Information Overlay

???Label Icon

The label icon displays the label currently applied to the image and can be adjusted either by clicking on this icon and selecting the appropriate label from the pull-down menu or by clicking on the desired label in the labeling and rating toolbar.

74 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Browser Header

???Name

The image???s file name and extension are displayed under the thumbnail. To rename the current file, click

once on the file name to highlight it and a second time to change the file name. You will not be able to change the file???s extension in this manner. To change the file???s extension, use the Save As??? command in the File menu.

To rename more than one file, select multiple files in the browser, right-click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh) and in the displayed contextual menu, select Rename. This will call up the ???File Naming???

dialog and enable you to change the names of more than one file. For more information on the ???File Naming??? dialog, please see ???File Naming Dialog??? in Chapter 22, ???Batch Menu???.

???Edited Icon

This icon is displayed on NEF images whenever that image has been edited and saved using the Capture NX 2 editor or by ViewNX.

???Rating Icon

The rating icon displays the rating currently applied to the image. To set the rating for an image, click on the desired rating on the rating icon underneath the thumbnail or in the ratings and labels toolbar.

???XMP/IPTC Data Icon

The XMP/IPTC data icon is displayed whenever the current image has XMP/IPTC data added to it. XMP/

IPTC data can be added either by the camera, with another image editing application, or using the Metadata palette within Capture NX 2.

???Voice Memo Icon

The voice memo icon is displayed for images that have a voice memo attached to them.

???Hi-Speed Crop Icon

This icon is displayed on images shot using the camera hi-speed crop option.

???NEF + JPEG Pair Icon

The NEF + JPEG pair icon is displayed for images that were shot using the camera ???NEF + JPEG??? image quality option.

???Protected Icon

Images with the protect icon displayed cannot be edited in Capture NX 2 until they are unlocked. Images can become locked either using the camera protect button or by turning the Protect File option on in the Capture NX 2 File menu.

To remove the protect icon, navigate to the File menu and select the Protect File item.

In the thumbnail grid display, information about each image is shown beneath its thumbnail.

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Browser View Selector 75

Thumbnail List

The thumbnail list places important information about each image in a column and enables you to sort by each of the columns.

In thumbnail list view, the thumbnail size selector offers a choice of three thumbnail sizes.

The available columns in the thumbnail list are:

???Label

The Label column displays the label for each image.

???Name

The Name column displays the image's file name and extension. To rename a file, click once on the file name to highlight it and then click a second time to change the file name.

To rename more than one file, select multiple files in the browser, right-click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh) and in the displayed contextual menu, select Rename. This will call up the ???File Naming???

dialog and enable you to change the names of more than one file. For more information on the ???File Naming??? dialog, please see ???File Naming Dialog??? section of Chapter 22, ???Batch Menu???.

???Rating

The Rating column displays the rating. To set the rating for an image, click on the desired rating on the rating icon underneath the thumbnail or within the ratings and labels toolbar.

???Status

The Status column displays an edited icon for NEF images that have been edited and saved within the Capture NX 2 editor or by ViewNX. If the file contains versions, the number of versions contained within the image will be displayed in this column. For more information on version, please see Version in Chapter 15, ???Edit List???.

???Date Shot

The Date Shot column displays the date the image was created.

???Date Modified

The Date Modified column displays the date the image was last modified.

???Size

The Size column displays the size of the file, in KB or MB.

???Type

The Type column displays the image???s file type.

76 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Browser View Selector

???Extras

The Extras column displays additional information about the image. You cannot sort images by this column.

Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Browser View Selector 77

Opening Images from the Browser

Images in the browser can be opened in the editor either by double-clicking on the desired image, or selecting multiple images and use the Open Image command from the File menu. Alternatively, you can press the enter key on your keyboard to open the selected images.

If the Capture NX 2 is open on a single screen, opening an image will cause the browser to automatically minimize. To prevent this from happening, either position the browser on another screen (by manually undocking and repositioning the browser or using the additional screen workspace option) or use the multi-purpose workspace.

78 Chapter 9 ??? The Browser | Opening Images from the Browser

Chapter 10

The Folders Palette

The Folders palette displays the folders on your hard disk in the same manner as the operating system. Capture NX 2???s Folders palette is now split into two sections: the ???Favorite Folders??? section and the ???Folder

Structure??? section.

Chapter 10 ??? The Folders Palette 79

Favorite Folders Section

The ???Favorite Folders??? section provides quick access to the most often used folders and enables you to add and remove folders to and from this section.

Adding Favorites

To add a folder to the ???Favorite Folders??? section, click and drag a folder from the ???Folder Structure??? section into the ???Favorite Folders??? section.

Deleting Favorites

To delete a folder from the ???Favorite Folders??? section, right-

click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh) on the folder

you wish to delete and select Delete from the displayed contextual menu.

APlease note: Deleting a favorite will not delete the folder or its contents from your hard disk. Only the link to that folder will be removed from your computer.

Click and drag on the bar that divides the ???Favorite Folders??? section and the ???Folder Structure??? section to adjust the amount of space dedicated to either section.

Folder Structure Section

The ???Folder Structure??? section displays a hierarchical view of the folders available on your computer. Use this section to locate a specific folder and display the contents of that folder within the browser. Double-click on a folder to open the browser and display the contents of that folder.

80 Chapter 10 ??? The Folders Palette | Favorite Folders Section

Chapter 11

The Metadata Palette

The Metadata palette contains a list of information regarding the current image as well as access to the IPTC information for that image. Use this palette to review the image???s camera and exposure information as well as to add XMP/IPTC information to one or more images.

File & Camera Information Section

Within the ???File & Camera Information??? section, you can see information regarding the camera, the time and date the image was shot, the exposure data, as well as the settings used within the camera that affected the current image.

When more than one image is selected, information that is shared between images will be displayed while information that is different in each image will be identified with a ?????????.

Click on the show/hide triangle next to a section???s header to expand or collapse that section.

Click and drag on the bar that divides the ???File & Camera Information??? section and the ???XMP/IPTC Information??? section to adjust the amount of space dedicated to either section.

Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | File & Camera Information Section 81

XMP/IPTC Information Section

The ???XMP/IPTC Information??? section contains a standardized list of text fields that can be used to indicate the copyright and usage requirements of your images. The contents of the ???XMP/IPTC Information??? section was originally designed to simplify and clarify information needed when sharing photographs with different publications.

These fields enable you to add important information by attaching labels such as Creator, Headline, Keywords, Categories, and Origin to the image. For more

information about IPTC and how it is used, please visit the following web page:

http://www.iptc.org.

Adding Image Information

You can view and change the contents of the different IPTC fields on images within both the browser and the editor.

To add IPTC information to one or more images, follow these steps:

current image open within the editor.

3Enter information for each field that you would like to contain IPTC information. It is not necessary to enter a value in every field.

82 Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | XMP/IPTC Information Section

4 Click on the Apply button.

When more than one image is selected, information that is shared between images will be displayed while information that is different in each image will be identified with a ?????????. You can replace the different contents of each image with the same information by replacing the ????????? with the desired text. You can also clear out different information by simply deleting the ?????????.

If you make a mistake and want to revert back to the original IPTC contents, click the Reset button before clicking Apply. Please note that after you click the Apply button, you will not be able to reset the contents

of the ???XMP/IPTC Information??? section.

Copying and Pasting IPTC Information

The contents of the ???XMP/IPTC Information??? section can be copied from one image and pasted to one or more additional images. To copy and paste IPTC information, follow these steps:

1Select an image in the browser. Alternatively, you can copy ITPC information from the image currently

open in the editor.

APlease note: IPTC information can be copied only from a single image.

2Navigate to the Batch menu and select Copy IPTC Info. Alternatively, you can click on the batch menu

located to the left of the labeling and rating toolbar and select Copy IPTC Info.

Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | XMP/IPTC Information Section 83

3 Select one or more images within the browser or select another image within the editor.

4Navigate to the Batch menu and select Paste IPTC Info. Alternatively, you can click on the batch menu

located to the left of the labeling and rating toolbar and select Paste IPTC Info.

APlease note: IPTC information can be copied to multiple images; however, existing IPTC content will be overwritten by the copied IPTC information.

Creating XMP/IPTC Presets

XMP/IPTC presets enable you to create a collection of frequently used XMP/IPTC information that can be later applied to one or more images in a more efficient manner. Multiple XMP/IPTC presets can be created and later accessed within Capture NX 2, making it possible for you to create different XMP/IPTC presets for different tasks.

To create an XMP/IPTC preset, follow these steps:

1Select an image in the browser. Alternatively, you can create an ITPC preset from the image currently

open in the editor.

APlease note: An XMP/IPTC Preset can only be created from a single image.

84 Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | XMP/IPTC Information Section

2Navigate to the Batch menu and select Save XMP/ IPTC Preset. Alternatively, you can click on the batch

menu located to the left of the labeling and rating toolbar and select Save XMP/IPTC Preset.

3In the ???Save XMP/IPTC Preset??? dialog that appears, type in the name for the new XMP/IPTC Preset. This is the name that will be displayed in the Load XMP/ IPTC Preset sub-menu.

4Next, review the fields that will be created in the XMP/IPTC preset. Fields that contain a checkmark in the box to the right will be added to the preset. Fields that contain information within them are

automatically checked, while fields that are empty will not be automatically checked.

5Change any of the text within the fields if necessary and check or uncheck any additional fields that you would like to add or remove from the XMP/IPTC preset. Checking a blank field will cause that

XMP/IPTC preset, when loaded, to clear out any text found within that field in the images that the XMP/IPTC preset is applied to.

Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | XMP/IPTC Information Section 85

6 Click OK.

Loading XMP/IPTC Presets

After creating one or more XMP/IPTC presets using the Save XMP/IPTC Preset option, you can load an XMP/IPTC preset to one or more images. To use an XMP/IPTC preset to load XMP/IPTC information to one or more images, follow these steps:

image open within the editor.

2Navigate to the Batch menu and select the Load XMP/IPTC Preset sub-menu, and select the XMP/

IPTC preset you would like to load into your images.

Alternatively, you can select an XMP/IPTC preset from the Load XMP/IPTC Preset sub-menu of the

batch menu located to the left of the labeling and rating toolbar.

Managing XMP/IPTC Presets

XMP/IPTC presets are managed from the ???Preferences??? dialog. Use the ???XMP/IPTC Presets??? tab of the ???Preferences??? dialog to add, delete, modify, import, and export XMP/IPTC Presets.

For more information on managing XMP/IPTC presets, see ???XMP/IPTC Presets??? in Chapter 7, ???Preferences.???

86 Chapter 11 ??? The Metadata Palette | XMP/IPTC Information Section

Chapter 12

Activity Toolbar

The activity toolbar provides access to three of the most often accessed functions within Capture NX 2: workspaces, importing images, and printing images.

Workspace Selector

Use the workspace selector to access the different workspaces available within Capture NX 2. For more information on workspaces, please see the Workspaces section of Chapter 8, ???Interface???.

Launch Nikon Transfer

The launch Nikon Transfer button will cause Nikon Transfer to load in a separate application window. Use Nikon Transfer to transfer images from an attached camera or compact flash card, with the ability to automatically add XMP/IPTC information, create backup copies of images, as well as automatically opening the Capture NX 2 browser to display the transferred images.

Chapter 12 ??? Activity Toolbar | Workspace Selector 87

Print

Click the print button to open the Capture NX 2 ???Print Layout??? dialog and begin printing your images. For more on the Capture NX 2 ???Print Layout??? dialog, please see the ???Print??? section in Chapter 18, ???File Menu???.

88 Chapter 12 ??? Activity Toolbar | Print

Chapter 13

The Toolbar

Tool Options Bar

The tool options bar can be found directly beneath the toolbar and provides access to controls specific to a tool. The crop tool, auto retouch brush, lasso and marquee tools, selection brush, selection gradient, and fill / remove tools all utilize the tool options bar to display additional controls.

Direct Select Tool

The direct select tool enables you to select many of the different objects within Capture NX 2.

???Multiple objects can be selected by holding down the Ctrl key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh) when selecting additional objects.

???A range of objects can be selected by clicking on the first object of the desired range and then holding down the Shift key and clicking on the last object of the desired range.

???Control points within an image window as well as thumbnails within the browser can be selected by clicking and drawing a bounding box around the Control points or thumbnails that you want to select.

The following object types can be selected:

???Control points

???Images in the browser

???Steps in the Edit List palette

APlease note: Only one type of object can be selected at a time.

Shortcut

A key

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Tool Options Bar 89

Hand Tool

The hand tool enables you to move within an image. Select this tool when viewing an image that does not fit in the image window. Click and drag to reposition the contents of the window.

Double-click this tool to fit the current image to the editor so that the entire image fits into the space available.

Shortcut

H key

Temporarily switch to the hand tool when any other tool is active: Spacebar

Zoom Tool

The zoom tool is used to zoom into and out from an image. Select this tool and click on the image to zoom in. Hold the Alt key (Windows) or option key (Macintosh) and click to zoom out.

Double click on the zoom tool to zoom the current image to 100%.

Shortcut

Z key

Zoom in when any other tool is active:

Ctrl + spacebar keys (Windows) command + spacebar keys (Macintosh)

Zoom out when any other tool is active:

Ctrl + Alt + spacebar keys (Windows) command + option + spacebar keys (Macintosh)

90 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Hand Tool

Rotate Tool

The rotate tool is used to rotate images 90?? clockwise or counter-clockwise. Click on this button to rotate the image 90?? in the direction indicated. Hold the Alt key (Windows) or option key (Macintosh) and click on this button to rotate the image 90?? other direction. To choose the direction of rotation, click and hold this icon.

Multiple images can be rotated simultaneously by selecting multiple images in the browser and then clicking on this button.

Rotating an image within the editor will cause a step to be

created within the Edit List palette, enabling you to remove the rotation at any point in the future. When you save your images with the NEF file format, you can remove the rotation after the image has been saved or closed. Rotating an image found in the browser will be applied in a non-destructive fashion, however there will not be a rotation step added to the Edit List palette.

Shortcut

Rotate the image 90?? clockwise:

Ctrl + R (Windows) command + R (Macintosh)

Rotate the image 90?? counter clockwise:

Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) command + shift + R (Macintosh)

Straighten Tool

Select this button to add a Straighten step to the Edit List palette. In the Straighten step, you can rotate an image

incrementally clockwise or counter-clockwise, or you can trace a line within your image that should be either horizontal or vertical and allow the straighten tool to automatically straighten your image.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Rotate Tool 91

To straighten your image using the straighten tool, follow these steps:

3If you made a mistake while drawing the line, you can click on the line you added to the image and adjust one of the two anchor points found at either end of the line, or you can re-draw the line by

clicking and dragging within the image window again.

4By default, Capture NX 2 will automatically crop the image using the same aspect ratio to hide all areas of

the image where there is no image information. These areas that lack information are created when the image is rotated, and are represented by pure white pixels. To prevent Capture NX 2 from

automatically cropping the image, check the

Include areas without image data option in the Straighten step of the Edit List palette.

92 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Straighten Tool

5If you are satisfied with the straightening effect, continue editing your image using the other tools

available within Capture NX 2 or perform a save. The

straightening effect is now applied to your image. To cancel the straightening effect, click on the Delete button found at the bottom of the Straighten step within the Edit List palette or click on the Straighten step and press the delete key on your

keyboard.

Crop Tool

The crop tool enables you to remove areas from the margins of your image or to change the aspect ratio of your image. To add a crop to your image, follow these steps:

3Click and drag the mouse over the image in the active image window to make a selection. The area outside of the selection will be masked to enable you to focus on the result of the selection.

4 Click on any of the edges or corners of the crop selection to modify the size and shape of the crop.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Crop Tool 93

5Double-click within the crop or press the enter key to apply the crop. This will cause the image

information outside of the crop to be hidden and a new Crop step to be added to the Edit List palette. If

the image is saved in the NEF format, you will be able to remove the Crop step to display the hidden

information again. The hidden information will be discarded if the image is saved in JPEG or TIFF.

APlease note: If the crop is not applied with the enter key or by double-clicking within the crop, the crop will be discarded.

The crop tool offers the following tool options:

Crop Method

Choose from one of three different cropping methods.

???Free Crop

This crop method enables you to freely draw a cropping rectangle.

???Fixed Aspect Ratio

Choose from one of the predetermined aspect ratios or select Custom to enter the desired aspect ratio. This cropping method limits the crop tool to describing rectangles that match that aspect ratio.

Show Crop Assistance Grid

Select Show Crop Assistance Grid to display a grid of nine equally-sized rectangles superimposed on the image within the crop rectangle. The crop assistance grid is designed to assist you in cropping the image. Based on the photographic ???rule of thirds???, the crop assistance grid helps guide your crop so that the main points of interest lie close to the points where the lines intersect. It also draws your attention to the natural horizontal or vertical lines in the image, such as a horizon or a large building, which often benefit from being placed close to one of the four lines.

You can also choose to temporarily superimpose this grid onto your image by holding down the Alt key (Windows) or option key (Macintosh) while you are in the crop mode.

Shortcut

C key

94 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Crop Tool

Black Control Point

The black control point enables you to place a control point directly on your image, and to cause that targeted color to not only become black, but also to neutralize the dark tones of your image. Black control

points are normally set on what should be the darkest point of the image and are used to set one end of the dynamic range of the image. The Double Threshold option in the ???Histogram??? section of the Photo Info

palette is designed specifically to help you locate the darkest and lightest sections of your image.

To add a black control point to your image, follow these steps:

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Black Control Point 95

3Adjust the effect of the black control point by either clicking and dragging the luminosity slider or by

entering a value directly into the text box in the black control point sub-step of the B / W / N Control Point step in the Edit List palette.

After a black control point is added to the image, the following options will be available in the B / W / N Control Point step of the Edit List palette:

Black Control Point Method

Use the black control point method pull-down menu to switch between controlling only the luminosity of the Black Control Point or the individual red, green, and blue values.

Luminosity Method

The Luminosity method of the black control point always changes the color that you have targeted by setting the black control point to a neutral black. This is often the most efficient mode to use, as most calibrated printers work best when the image contains a neutral black. Within

this mode, you are presented with only a luminosity slider on the black control point and only a Luminosity setting within the black control point sub-step in the Edit List

palette.

RGB Method

The RGB method of the black control point enables you to set the individual red, green, and blue values of the darkest color in the image. This option is helpful if your printer requires a non-neutral black. Within this mode, you are presented with individual red, green, and blue sliders on the black control point and red, green, and blue entries within the black control point sub-step in the Edit List palette.

96 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Black Control Point

Advanced

Click on the Advanced show/hide triangle to display the additional controls for the black control point. The values set for the selected black control point are displayed enabling you to enter a new value directly to adjust the effect of the control point.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Black Control Point 97

Neutral Control Point

Neutral control points enable you to correct a color cast in your photograph by forcing the targeted color to become neutral. In its default operation, the neutral control point will change the color values in the targeted color so that the red, green, and blue values for that color are equal. Equalizing the red, green, and blue values for a specific color causes that color becomes neutral, or without a specific color or hue. Neutral control points are often most helpful if the image contains a neutral point of reference, for example, a gray card. By selecting an object that is established as neutral, Capture NX 2 is able to calculate the difference between that object and the color that is currently representing that object. The neutral control point will remove the difference in color from the targeted object, as well as from the entire image. This results in a color shift that affects the entire image.

One of the unique features of the neutral control points found in Capture NX 2 is that multiple neutral control points can be added to the same image. This feature enables you to identify different objects and neutralize more than one color cast that may appear in the image. When you use multiple neutral control

points, each control point will communicate with the other neutral control points in the same B / W / N Control Point step of the Edit List palette to affect the entire image, correcting different objects and in the

process removing multiple color casts.

98 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Neutral Control Point

To add a neutral control point to your image, follow these steps:

After a neutral control point is added to the image, the following options will be available in the B / W / N Control Point step of the Edit List palette:

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Neutral Control Point 99

Neutral Control Point Method

Use the neutral control point method pull-down menu to switch between controlling only the color balance of the Neutral Control Point or affecting the luminosity, or brightness, as well.

RGB Method

The RGB method of the neutral control point affects only the color balance within the image while maintaining the same brightness.

Affect Luminosity Method

The Affect Luminosity method of the neutral control point adds an additional slider, the Luminosity slider, and

allows you to change both the color balance as well as the brightness.

Show Selection

The Show Selection checkbox enables you to see where the current neutral control point is affecting the image. Areas inked in white are being affected by the neutral control point, while areas inked in black are not being

affected by the neutral control point. You can quickly access the Show Selection option by right-clicking (Windows) or

control-clicking (Macintosh) on the neutral control point and selecting Show Selection.

Color Picker

The Color Picker color swatch indicates the current color that is being used as the basis for the neutral control point???s effect. Clicking on the Color Picker color swatch displays the Capture NX 2 color picker and

enables you to select a color to set the object selected by the neutral control point to. One of the best ways to use the neutral control point is to place the control point on an object that is represented by a memory color, and select the corresponding memory color range from the color picker. Capture NX 2 provides three of the most common memory colors that represent colors that you see on a regular basis, such as the color

of the sky, the color of a person???s skin, or the color of foliage. You might, for example, place a neutral control point on the sky, click on the Color Picker color swatch, open the ???Swatches??? section of the color picker,

and then select a color from the ???Sky Tones??? memory color range. This will remove any color cast from the image by removing the difference between the targeted color of the sky and the defined sky memory color from the entire image.

100 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Neutral Control Point

Advanced

Click on the Advanced show/hide triangle to display the additional controls for the neutral control point. The values set for the selected neutral control point are displayed enabling you to enter a new value directly to adjust the effect of the control point.

Click on the Reset button to reset the selected color control point to the default values.

White Control Point

The white control point enables you to place a control point directly onto your image, causing the targeted color to become white, which is an important first step in removing a color cast from the light tones in your

image. White control points are normally set on what should be the lightest point of the image and are used to establish one end of the dynamic range of the image. The Double Threshold option in the ???Histogram???

section of the Photo Info palette is designed specifically to help you locate the darkest and lightest sections of your image.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | White Control Point 101

To add a white control point to your image, follow these steps:

3Adjust the effect of the white control point either by clicking and dragging the luminosity slider or by

entering a value directly into the text box in the white control point sub-step of the B / W / N Control Point step in the Edit List palette.

After a white control point is added to the image, the following options will be available in the B / W / N Control Point step of the Edit List palette:

White Control Point Method

Use the white control point method pull-down menu to switch between controlling only the luminosity of the white control point or the individual red, green, and blue values.

Luminosity Method

The Luminosity method of the white control point always changes the color that you have targeted by setting the white control point to a neutral white. This is often the most efficient mode to use, as most calibrated printers work best when the image contains a neutral white. In this mode, you are presented with only a

luminosity slider on the white control point and only a Luminosity setting within the white control point sub- step of the Edit List palette.

102 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | White Control Point

RGB Method

The RGB method of the white control point enables you to set the individual red, green, and blue values of the lightest color in the image. This option is helpful if your printer requires a non-neutral white. Within this mode, you are presented with individual red, green, and blue sliders on the white control point and red, green, and blue entries within the white control point sub-step of the Edit List palette.

Advanced

Click on the Advanced show/hide triangle to display the additional controls for the white control point. The values set for the selected white control point are displayed enabling you to enter a new value directly to adjust the effect of the control point.

Color Control Point

Color control points represent a unique way of adjusting the color and light in an image. Each color control point enables you to perform advanced color changes in a selective fashion, without the need to create selections or masks.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Color Control Point 103

Each color control point that is placed on an object in your image identifies the characteristics of the color as well as the level of detail of that object, enabling you to make adjustments to the color of that object. With the use of the size slider, you are able to increase the reach or scale of the current color control point so that it affects similar colors of the objects which are farther away from the color control point. Each new color control point works together with other color control points in the same step to affect more and more specific objects. Using additional color control points ensures that the adjustments that you make are being applied to the current object only. Placing a color control point on an object with default settings prevents other color control points from affecting that object.

To add a color control point to enhance your image, follow these steps:

3Adjust the size slider to determine the reach the current color control point has on the image. The

greater the value for the size slider, the more objects with similar colors and values as selected by the color control point will be affected.

104 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Color Control Point

4Adjust the remaining sliders connected to the color control point to adjust the color and light of the selected object.

Additional color control points can be added to the image by repeating the steps listed above.

To delete a color control point, click on the color control point in the image or in the Edit List palette and press the delete key on the keyboard.

After a color control point is added to the image, the following options will be available in the Color Control Point step of the Edit List palette:

Color Control Point Mode

The color control point mode pull-down menu enables you to determine which elements of the current object to affect with the color control point. Alternatively, click on the triangle displayed beneath the last slider of the control point. This will enable you to toggle between the current mode and the All mode.

BCS

The BCS mode is the default mode and provides you with size, brightness, contrast, and saturation sliders.

HSB

The HSB mode provides you with size, hue, saturation, and brightness sliders.

RGB

The RGB mode provides you with size, red, green, and blue sliders.

All

The All mode provides you with all available sliders: size, hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, red, green, blue, and warmth.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Color Control Point 105

Show Selection

The Show Selection checkbox enables you to see where the current color control point is affecting the

image. Areas inked in white are being affected by the color control point, while areas inked in black are not being affected by the color control point. You can quickly access the Show Selection option by right-

clicking (Windows) or control-clicking (Macintosh) on the color control point and selecting Show Selection.

To see the selection of multiple color control points, select more than one color control point by holding the

Ctrl key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh), clicking on more than one color control point with the direct select tool, and then selecting Show Selection. This will display the combined selection of the

selected control points. To hide the selection for multiple color control points, select the same color control points again and select Show Selection again. Alternatively, you can disable the Show Selection option

for each color control point individually.

Protect Details

The Protect Details checkbox limits the controls of a Color Control Point so that it only has a Size slider

and prevents any Color Control Point from affecting the object identified by the Color Control Point with Protect Details turned on. A Color Control Point with Protect Details turned on acts in the same way as a

Color Control Point with all sliders set to the default values. Use this feature to ensure that a Color Control Point is protecting the values of the targeted object.

Color Picker

The Color Picker swatch enables you to select a color from the Color Picker and change the currently selected object to that color.

Method

The Method pull-down menu determines how all of the color control points in the current step are applied to the image. Each method utilizes different algorithms optimized

for different types of images. Each step utilizing color control points contains one Method pull-down menu

where you can choose from one of the available methods. To utilize more than method on an image you must create a new step color control point step for each different method. The different methods are:

Basic

The Basic method is the fastest and most direct method to apply the color control points from the current step to your image. This method is recommended for web graphics and illustrations.

Normal

The Normal method provides the best balance of speed and detail protection. This method is recommended for the majority of images.

106 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Color Control Point

Advanced

The Advanced method provides superior results when lightening shadows or working with images with a high level of noise or grain.

Click on the Advanced show/hide triangle to display the additional controls for the color control point step. The values set for the selected color control point are displayed enabling you to enter a new value directly to adjust the effect of the control point.

Shortcut

Duplicate a Color Control Point: Hold the Alt button while selecting and dragging a color control point to duplicate and place the duplicated color control point in a new location

(Windows)

Hold the option button while selecting and dragging a color control point to duplicate and place the duplicated color control point in a new location

(Macintosh)

Click on the Reset button to reset the selected color control point to the default values.

Red-Eye Control Point

The red-eye control point enables you to manually remove the red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash photography.

To remove red-eye from an image using the red-eye control point tool, follow these steps:

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Red-Eye Control Point 107

Auto Retouch Brush

The auto retouch brush enables you to automatically repair unwanted details found within the image. Use this tool to remove dust spots, blemishes, or distracting objects, with a unique blending algorithm that matches the surrounding structure, color, and tonality.

To use the auto retouch brush, follow these steps:

1Click on the auto retouch brush icon in the toolbar. The cursor will change into a brush cursor and the auto retouch brush controls will be displayed within the tool options bar.

2 Modify the Size option within the tool options bar.

3Click and paint on top of the entire object that you would like to automatically replace. Ensure that all parts of the object that should be replaced are painted over before releasing the mouse button.

Do not worry about being precise when painting out the object, as a small amount of painting outside of the object can yield better results.

4If you made any mistakes, use the Undo command in the Edit menu or click on the Reset button in the Auto Retouch Brush step that was added in the

Edit List palette.

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The auto retouch brush provides you with the following controls:

Size

Changing the Size option increases or decreases the size of the brush.

Shortcut

R key

Decrease brush size: [

Increase brush size: ]

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Auto Retouch Brush 109

Selection Control Point

Selection control points utilize U Point technology to selectively apply the effect of an enhancement. You can use a selection control point to selectively apply any enhancement found in either the Adjust or Filter

menus.

To use a selection control point, follow these steps:

1Add an enhancement to the image from the Adjust or Filter menus. Use the enhancement???s controls to achieve the desired result.

2Click on the selection control point icon in the toolbar.

a.If you click the (+) icon for the selection control point, the Base Mask slider in the Selection section of the Edit List palette will

automatically move to 0% after adding the first selection control point, hiding the effect of the current enhancement. Click on the image to add a selection control point with the opacity slider automatically set to 100%. This will result in the current enhancement???s effect only applied to the area selected by the control point.

b.If you click the (???) icon for the selection control point, click on the image to add a selection control point with the opacity slider automatically set to 0% to the image. The enhancement will be applied to the entire image, except for the area selected by the control point.

3Adjust the size and opacity sliders to achieve the desired result. The higher the size value, the more objects similar to the object selected by the control point will be selected as well. The higher the

opacity slider, the more the current enhancement will be applied to the objects selected by the control point.

4Add additional selection control points, or use the selection brush tool to further modify where the current enhancement is being applied to the image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows) command + shift + C (Macintosh)

110 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Control Point

Lasso and Marquee Tools

The lasso and marquee tools enable you to create a selection on your images that will limit where an enhancement affects your image. The selection created by the lasso and marquee tools will also limit the

effect of the selection brush as well as the selection gradient and fill / remove tools. You can use the lasso and marquee tools to limit the placement of any enhancement found within the Adjust or Filter menus, as

well as the color, black, neutral, and white control points.

There are four lasso and marquee tools to choose from. You can select among these four tools by holding the mouse down on the lasso and marquee icon in the toolbar and selecting from the tools that appear.

Lasso Tool

The lasso tool is the default lasso and marquee tool and enables you to freely draw a selection on the image.

Polygon Lasso Tool

The polygon lasso tool enables you to draw a selection by connecting anchor points with straight lines. These anchor points can be moved to alter the selection while still retaining straight lines to the other anchor points.

APlease Note: Any additional selections made will remove these anchor points.

Rectangle Marquee Tool

The rectangle marquee tool enables you to draw a rectangular selection.

Hold down the Shift key while drawing the selection to constrain the selection to a square.

Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or option key (Macintosh) while drawing the selection to draw the selection from the center instead of the corner.

Oval Marquee Tool

The oval marquee tool enables you to draw a round selection.

Hold down the Shift key while drawing the selection to constrain the selection to a circle.

Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or option key (Macintosh) while drawing the selection to draw the selection from the center instead of the corner.

To make a selection using the lasso and marquee tools, follow these steps:

1Click on the lasso and marquee icon in the toolbar. Selecting the (+) icon next to the lasso and marquee icon will let you create a selection in which only the objects contained within the selection will be affected. Selecting the (???) icon next to the lasso and marquee icon will let you create a

selection in which only the objects outside of the selection will be affected.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Lasso and Marquee Tools 111

2 Click and draw a selection around the objects that you want to affect in the active image window.

3To add to the selection, ensure that the (+) icon is selected and click and draw outside of the selection.

4 To subtract from the selection, select the (???) icon and draw within the selection.

5To move the selection, ensure the (+) icon is selected and click on the selected area to reposition the selection.

6After you have finished modifying the selection, select an enhancement from the Adjust or Filter

menus. That enhancement will only be applied within the area identified by your selection. If you created a selection in a step that already contains an enhancement, you can use the selection brush, selection gradient or fill / remove tools to add or remove the current enhancement to or from the image only within the selection.

7To remove the selection, either double-click within the active image window or navigate to the Edit menu and select Deselect All.

The lasso and marquee tools provide you with the following options in the tool options bar:

Edge Softness

The Edge Softness option enables you to soften the edge of the selection that is being made by the lasso and marquee tools.

Shortcut

Lasso tools: L key

Marquee tools: M key

112 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Lasso and Marquee Tools

Selection Brush Tool

The selection brush enables you to selectively paint in or paint out the enhancements found in the current step. You

can use the selection brush to selectively apply any enhancement found within the Adjust or Filter menus, as

well as the color, black, neutral, and white control points.

APlease note: If you start painting a selection without an enhancement active or in an empty new step, the selection display will automatically be set to overlay mode. While in overlay mode, the selection will be displayed as a semi-

transparent color superimposed on your image. After an enhancement is selected from the Adjust or Filter menus, the

selection display will automatically revert to ???None???, ensuring

that you see only the selected enhancement applied where you painted with the selection brush.

To use the selection brush, follow these steps:

1Select an enhancement to be applied to your image either from the Adjust or the Filter menus.

2Click on the selection brush icon in the toolbar. Click on the (+) icon if you would like to apply the current enhancement only to the area you will paint, or click on the (???) icon if you would like to

apply the current enhancement to the entire image, except for where you paint.

APlease note: If you first click on the (+) icon, the base selection slider in the selection section of the current step in the Edit List palette will automatically move to 0% after the first paint stroke, enabling you to add the enhancement only to where you paint. You may at any point adjust the base selection slider and place it at a different value.

3In the tool options bar, adjust the Size, Brush Hardness, and Opacity of the brush.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Brush Tool 113

4Click and draw within the active image window to add or remove the effect, depending on if you selected the (+) or (???) icon.

5At any point, switch to the opposite mode by clicking on either (+) or (???) to add to or remove from the selection drawn. You can temporarily switch to the opposite mode by holding down the Alt key

(Windows) or Option key (Macintosh).

6To delete a selection created by the selection brush tool, click on the delete button found in the current step???s selection information section next to the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section. Alternatively,

ensure that the image window is active by clicking on the image window???s title bar and press the delete key.

The selection brush provides you with the following options in the tool options bar:

Brush Hardness

Changing the Brush Hardness option affects the shape of the brush, ranging from a soft-edged brush to a hard-edged brush.

Shortcut

Decrease brush hardness: Shift + [

Increase brush hardness: Shift + ]

114 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Brush Tool

Opacity

Changing the Opacity option increases or decreases the opacity of the brush strokes that are applied.

Increase this value and the brush will either add more of the current step???s enhancements to the image when using the (+) mode of the selection brush or it will remove more of the current step???s enhancements from the image when using the (???) mode of the selection brush.

Shortcut

Each number 0 through 9 sets the brush???s opacity to a 10% increment, i.e. 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%, etc. 0 = 100%. Pressing another number key after the first number key will modify the opacity further giving control in 1% increments, i.e. pressing 55 in close succession will result in 55%, while pressing 06 in close succession will result in 6%.

Pressure Controls

The Pressure Controls pull-down menu enables you to control the different brush elements when using a pressure-sensitive input device, such as a pen tablet.

The different options available within the Pressure Controls pull-down menu are:

Size

The Size option enables you to control the size of the brush using the pressure of the pressure-sensitive

input device. Applying more pressure makes the brush larger, while less pressure makes the brush smaller. The maximum size of the brush is based on the Size option.

Opacity

The Opacity option enables you to control the opacity of the brush using the pressure of the pressure-

sensitive input device. Applying more pressure provides more opacity, while less pressure provides less opacity. The maximum opacity of the brush is based on the Opacity option.

Opacity and Size

The Opacity and Size option enables you to control both the size and the opacity of the brush using the pressure of the pressure-sensitive input device. Applying more pressure provides a larger brush with

greater opacity, while less pressure provides a smaller brush with lower opacity. The maximum size and opacity of the brush are based on the Size and Opacity options.

None

The None option ensures that neither the size nor the opacity are affected when using a pressure- sensitive input device.

Shortcut

B key

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Brush Tool 115

Selection Gradient Tools

The selection gradient tools enable you to gradually blend between applying and removing the current step???s effects on your image. You can use the selection gradient tools to

selectively apply any enhancement found within the Adjust or Filter menus, as well as the color, black, neutral,

and white control points.

APlease note: If you start applying a selection without an enhancement active or in an empty new step, the selection display will automatically be set to overlay mode. While in

overlay mode, the selection will be displayed as a semi-

transparent color superimposed on your image. After selecting an enhancement from the Adjust or Filter menus, the selection display will automatically revert to ???None???, ensuring that you see only the selected enhancement applied where you indicated with the selection gradient tool.

There are two selection gradient tools to choose from. You can select among these tools by holding the mouse down on the selection gradient icon in the toolbar and selecting from the tools that appear.

Linear Gradient Tool

The linear gradient tool adds the current effect to the image with a gradual transition from applying to hiding the effect in a straight line, with the direction and start and end points determined by the line drawn when applying this tool.

Radial Gradient Tool

The radial gradient tool adds the current effect to the image in a circular pattern, with a gradual transition from applying to hiding the effect radiating from a central point, with the center, start, and end points determined by the line drawn when applying this tool.

To use a selection gradient tool to selectively apply the current step's enhancements to your image, follow these steps:

1 Select an enhancement to be applied to your image either from the Adjust or the Filter menus.

2Click on the selection gradient icon in the toolbar. Click on the (+) icon if you would like to determine first where the enhancement starts, or click on the (???) icon if you would like to determine

first where the enhancement ends.

116 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Gradient Tools

3Click and draw a line within the active image window. Depending on if you chose the (+) or the

(???) icons, the point where you start the line will either be the part where the effect is added at 100% to the image or where the effect is removed entirely from the image. If you use the linear gradient tool, the enhancement will be applied in a straight line, following the direction of the line you created. If you use the radial gradient tool, the enhancement will be applied in a circular pattern, radiating from the point that you selected by first clicking on the image.

4After drawing the gradient, the line that you created will still be visible, along with start, mid, and end anchor points. Click on an anchor point to reposition the gradient and control the gradient's

effect on the image.

5At any point, switch to the opposite mode by clicking on either (+) or (???) to add another gradient. Each additional gradient will blend with the previously drawn gradients. You can mix different gradient types (linear and radial) as well as (+) and (???).

APlease note: Once you have added an additional gradient, the anchor points for the previously drawn gradient will no longer be accessible.

6To delete a selection created by a gradient tool, click on the delete button found in the current step???s

selection information section next to the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section.

The following controls for the selection gradient tools are provided to you within the tool options bar:

Gradient Range

The gradient range slider enables you to change the values of the next gradient that will be drawn on the image. The values represent the percent of opacity, and allow you to set the maximum, minimum, and midpoint values of the gradient. By moving the midpoint, you can force the transition of the gradient to shift more quickly on one side of the midpoint and more gradually on the opposite side.

Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Selection Gradient Tools 117

Fill / Remove Tools

The fill / remove tools enable you to either fill the current step???s enhancements or clear the selections made by the selection brush, gradient tools, or fill tool, either in the entire image or the area within a selection created by the lasso and marquee tools.

To fill or remove the current step???s enhancements, follow these steps:

1Click on the fill / remove tools icon within the toolbar. Click on the (+) icon to fill the current step???s enhancements or click on the (???) icon to clear the selection previously made by a selection brush,

gradient tool, or fill tool. The cursor will change.

2Click within the active image window to either fill or remove the current step???s enhancements, depending on in you chose the (+) or (???) icons. If there is a selection made by one of the lasso or

marquee tools, click within a selected area to fill or remove the effect from within that area.

3To delete a selection created by the fill or remove tool, click on the delete button found in the current step???s selection information section next to the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section. Alternatively,

ensure that the image window is active by clicking on the image window???s title bar and press the delete key.

118 Chapter 13 ??? The Toolbar | Fill / Remove Tools

Chapter 14

Bird???s Eye

The Bird???s Eye always displays the entire image, even if the active image window only displays a zoomed-in portion of the image. When zoomed-in, the areas visible within the active image window are shown as a rectangle superimposed on top of the entire image. Drag the rectangle to change what is displayed within the active image window.

Displayed to the right of the thumbnail within the Bird???s Eye is a zoom control along with a readout that displays the current zoom ratio. You can change the current zoom ratio by either clicking on the icon, icon, moving the slider, or typing in the desired zoom ratio directly.

The Bird???s Eye can be hidden or displayed by clicking on the maximize/minimize button.

Chapter 14 ??? Bird???s Eye 119

Chapter 15

Edit List

The Edit List palette is the central location for all of the controls provided within Capture NX 2. The Edit List palette was greatly improved, with the position of many tools and features moved to provide better access. Additionally, the workflow when using the Edit List palette has been updated by improving the interaction with steps and enhancements.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List 121

Introduction to the Edit List

The Edit List palette stores all of the enhancements that have been applied to your image in chronological order. The Edit List palette can be used as a history that allows you to go back and modify any of the

adjustments that you have previously made to your images.

Every enhancement that you apply to your images within Capture NX 2 will be recorded within the Edit List palette. The contents of the Edit List palette are saved when you save the file as an NEF file.

Since the Edit List palette shows a chronological description of the enhancements that have been applied to your image, you can use the Edit List palette to return to any previous enhancement and adjust the

settings. To do this, either double-click on the step or enhancement that you want to modify, or single-click on the show/hide triangle next to that step or enhancement to display the contents. Once you have displayed the contents of an enhancement, you can modify the settings that were applied.

By modifying a previous step, you will temporarily disable all of the steps that occur after the current step you are modifying. Once you have completed any modification to that step, click on the ???Apply??? checkbox next to the last step that you want to reapply. Capture NX 2 will automatically apply all of the steps between

the step you have just modified and the last step that you checked. To prevent this from happening, enable the Keep All Steps Active in Edit List (Requires Fast Processor) option in the ???General??? section of the

???Preferences??? dialog.

The following controls are common throughout the Edit List palette and provide you control over the functionality and enhancements that are presented within the Edit List palette:

q

w

er

122 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Introduction to the Edit List

wApply Checkbox enhancement automatically enable the corresponding Apply checkbox; to turn

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Introduction to the Edit List 123

Batch Menu

The batch menu within the Edit List provides you with quick access to tools that can be used to copy and paste adjustments and XMP/IPTC information, and create and load settings files for batch processing.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Batch Menu 125

Develop Section

The ???Develop??? section, formerly the Base Adjustments step in Capture NX version 1, has been greatly improved for Capture NX 2. This section provides you with camera and RAW specific enhancements as well as a new ???quick fix??? mode that can be used on any file format.

APlease note: Enhancements within ???Develop??? section cannot be deleted or applied selectively.

To use the ???Develop??? section, follow these steps:

2For NEF RAW files, click on the show/hide triangle next to Camera Settings to adjust the various

settings available within your camera.

3For both NEF RAW files as well as JPEG and TIFF files, you can use the ???Quick Fix??? section to make

adjustments to access often used enhancements for images.

4Finally, click on the show/hide triangle next to the

Camera & Lens Corrections section to use the special enhancements available for NEF RAW files as well as lens specific controls.

5After making adjustments to the ???Develop??? section, you can then add steps into the ???Adjust??? section by selecting enhancements from the Adjust and Filter menus or using the various tools

from the Toolbar.

126 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

The ???Develop??? section provides you with the Camera

Settings section, the Quick Fix section, and the Camera &

Lens Corrections sections.

Camera Settings RAW ONLY

The Camera Settings section provides you control over options set within the camera at the time the image was captured. Within this section, you can modify White Balance, Picture Control settings, Non- Picture Control settings, and Active D-Lighting settings.

White Balance

The White Balance feature is designed to enable you to change the white balance that was set within your image. Changing the white balance enables you to not only correct the white balance setting that was originally chosen, but also to alter the white balance in order to introduce a cold or warm cast into the image.

Within the White Balance dialog, you can either select a color temperature for the white balance, or you can set a gray point from within the image.

???Set Color Temperature

In this mode, you can allow Capture NX to automatically calculate the white balance, or you can set the white balance manually by using one of the available presets.

???Camera WB

This displays the white balance set by the camera when the image was captured.

???New WB

This pull-down menu provides you with a number of controls for setting a new white balance value.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 127

??? 5000K

??? Daylight (6500K)

??? High Temperature Mercury Vapor (7200K)

128 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Select this option if your image was shot using a Nikon Speedlight as the light source. You can further modify this setting with the Fine Adjustment slider.

If the image was taken with a color filter from a Nikon Color Filter Set attached to the flash, choose from the following options:

??? None

??? FL-G1

Settings other than Set Gray Point and Recorded Value can be further modified using the Fine Adjustment and Tint sliders.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 129

???Set Gray Point

In this mode you can identify an object within your photograph that was neutral gray in the scene and base the white balance off that object, or you can take an average of a section of your photograph and calculate the white balance off that section.

130 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Picture Control

Images from cameras that use the color mode system can use either the Non-Picture Control mode or the Picture Control mode. Images from cameras that use the Picture Control system can only use the Picture Control mode.

The Picture Control options are available for cameras that use both the color mode and Picture Control systems. The controls provided within the Picture Control option are:

???Picture Control Mode

Nikon???s unique Picture Control system makes it possible to share image processing settings among compatible devices and software. Picture Controls adjust image processing settings, or enable you to make independent adjustments to sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation, and hue. These settings can be saved under new names as custom Picture Controls to be recalled or edited at will.

Custom Picture Controls can also be saved to a memory card for use in compatible software, and software-

created Picture Controls can be loaded into the camera. Any given set of Picture Controls will produce nearly the same results on all cameras that support the Nikon Picture Control system.

The Picture Control option provides five different modes to choose from. Choose between:

APlease note: In Picture Control mode, you can add optional Picture Controls downloaded from Nikon websites. Note that any optional Picture Controls used on the camera must also be installed on the computer.

If you attempt to open an image containing a Picture Control that has not been installed, a dialog will be displayed warning that the Standard Picture Control will be applied. Click OK to open the image.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 131

???Quick Adjust

The Quick Adjust slider adjusts the Sharpening, Contrast, and Saturation sliders to recommended values that match the enhancement created by the Picture Control.

Move this slider to the left to decrease the Sharpening, Contrast, and Saturation sliders. Move this slider to the right to increase these sliders.

The Quick Adjust slider is not available with neutral and monochrome Picture Controls.

???Manage Picture Control Menu

The Manage Picture Control menu provides you with options to save, load, and manage customized Picture Control options. Clicking on this icon will present you with the following options:

added to the Picture Control pull-down menu and become a selectable Picture Control option. Please note, the Quick Adjust slider for any custom Picture Control

options is not accessible.

Select this option to load a previously created custom Picture Control settings

Load Custom Picture file. Once the custom Picture Control settings file is loaded, it will be added to Control Settings the list of options. Please note, the Quick Adjust slider for any custom

Picture Control options is not accessible.

???Sharpening

The Sharpening section enables you to adjust the amount of sharpening that will be applied to the image.

Turn on the Auto option in order to allow Capture NX 2 to determine the appropriate amount of sharpening for the current image. The Sharpening slider is not accessible while the Auto option is

turned on.

You may also adjust the amount of sharpening added to the image manually using the Sharpening slider. Move this slider to the left to decrease the amount of sharpening added to the image or move it to the right to increase the amount of sharpening.

???Contrast and Brightness

The Contrast and Brightness options enable you to control the tonality of the current image. The results created by the Contrast and Brightness section are dependent on the Picture Control option

selected.

Enable the Auto checkbox in order to allow Capture NX 2 to determine the appropriate amount of contrast for the current image. The Contrast slider is not accessible while the Auto option is turned on. The Contrast slider enables you to manually adjust the amount of contrast added to the image. Move this slider to the left to decrease the amount of contrast added or move the slider to the right to increase contrast.

132 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

The Brightness slider enables you to control the brightness within the image. Move the slider to the left to darken the image or move the slider to the right to brighten the image.

???Saturation and Hue Adjustment

The Saturation and Hue options enable you to control characteristics of the color of the image. The results of the Saturation and Hue section are also dependent on the Picture Control option selected.

Turn on the Auto option to enable Capture NX 2 to determine the appropriate amount of saturation, or color intensity, for the current image. The Saturation slider is not accessible while the Auto option is

turned on.

Use the Saturation slider to adjust the amount of saturation for the current image. Move this slider to the left to reduce the saturation and make the colors less vibrant, or move the slider to the right to increase the saturation and make the colors more vivid.

The Hue slider enables you to alter the hue of your entire image without affecting brightness or saturation. Moving this slider to the left will cause skin tones to become increasingly red while moving this slider to the right will produce more yellow skin tones.

???Filter Effects Monochrome ONLY

The Filter Effects pull-down menu enables you to change the contrast within monochrome images by emulating the use of different colored filters used in traditional black and white photography. Each filter changes the relationship of objects found within the image based on their color.

You are provided with the following options:

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 133

???Toning Monochrome ONLY

The Toning options enable you to emulate the use of toners found in traditional photography, or to add a tint to the image.

Choose from:

???Toning Saturation Monochrome ONLY

The Toning Saturation slider controls the vividness of the effect or color selected in the Toning pull- down menu. Move this slider to the left to create a more subtle toning effect, or move the slider to the right to create a very strong, vibrant effect.

Non-Picture Control

The Non-Picture Control options are available for cameras that use the Color Mode system.

???Color Mode

The Color Mode feature enables you to choose between the same color modes as those that you can

set in your camera. By allowing you fine control over chroma, brightness, and color gamut, the Color Mode

feature creates subtle enhancements for your images.

134 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

???Sharpening

The Sharpening feature enables you to adjust the amount of sharpening that was set in the camera. Choose from the following options:

???Unchanged

This will revert to the sharpening set in the camera.

???None

???Low

???Medium Low

???Normal

???Medium High

???High

???Tone Compensation

The Tone Compensation feature enables you to adjust the image contrast that was set in the camera. Choose from the following options:

???Unchanged

This will revert to the contrast set in the camera.

???Low Contrast

???Medium Low

???Normal

???Medium High

???High Contrast

???User Defined Custom Curve

This will set the contrast to a user-defined custom curve.

???Saturation

The Saturation feature enables you to adjust the saturation that was set in the camera. Choose from the following options:

???Unchanged

This will revert to the saturation set in the camera.

???Moderate

???Normal

???Enhanced

???Hue Adjustment

The Hue Adjustment feature enables you to alter the hue of your entire image from (???9?? to +9??) without affecting brightness or saturation. Skin tones will become increasingly yellow as the value is raised above 0??. Values below 0?? produce redder skin tones.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 135

Active D-Lighting

Active D-Lighting, available only for cameras that provide this functionality within the camera itself, was designed for photographing subjects where it is difficult to capture detail in both highlights and shadows. If Active D-

Lighting is enabled ion the camera when a photograph is taken, the image will be underexposed to preserver highlight information. If that image is later processed in Capture NX 2, Active D-Lighting will be applied to brighten the shadows and create the appropriate levels of tonality throughout the image, resulting in an image in which details are present in both highlights and shadows.

This functionality is provided in addition to the D-Lighting functionality found in the Adjust menu.

You can use the provided pull-down menu to modify the amount of Active D-Lighting applied to your image. Choose from the following options:

???Unchanged

This option reverts back to the setting used within the camera when the image was captured.

???Off

This option prevents any Active D-Lighting from being applied to the image.

???Low

This option applies a low level of Active D-Lighting to the image and is recommended for images shot with very high ISO.

???Normal

This option applies a moderate level of Active D-Lighting to the image and is recommended for the majority of images.

???High

This option applies a high level of Active D-Lighting to the image and is recommended for images shot with low ISO.

136 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Quick Fix

Tone Curve

The Tone Curve tool provides you with a curve editor that controls the tonality of the image. Within the Tone Curve

tool, you are presented with a curve that enables you to control the relationship of input luminosity values to output luminosity values.

Click anywhere on the curve to add an anchor point. Move the anchor point to alter the relationship of input and output values. Moving a point up makes objects of that value brighter, while moving a point down makes objects of that value darker. The curve is automatically adjusted to ensure a smooth transition between each point added to the image.

Anchor points can be removed by simply clicking and dragging the anchor point outside of the curve editor or by clicking on an anchor point to select it and pressing the delete key.

The Tone Curve tool provides you with the following additional controls:

???White and Black Output Slider

These two sliders enable you to set the maximum and minimum brightness levels of the image. By dragging the white output slider down, you darken the lightest luminosity level in the image, and by dragging the black output slider up, you lighten the darkest luminosity

level in the image. These two sliders are often used if the darkest and lightest colors in the image should not be pure white (255, 255, 255) and pure black (0, 0, 0).

???Black Point Slider

Move the black point slider to the right to set all luminosity values from the point you have selected to the left to complete black. This will redistribute all of the values to stretch the luminosity range to match the entire possible range of values. It is recommended that you move the black point slider all the way to the right to match up with the left-most information from the displayed histogram. This adjusts the current image so that the darkest values in the image match the darkest value that can be displayed in a digital file.

???Mid-Point Slider

Move the mid-point slider either to the left or to the right in order to lighten or darken the mid-tones of the image.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 137

???White Point Slider

Move the white point slider to the left to set all luminosity values from the point you have selected and to the right to complete white. This will redistribute all of the values to stretch the luminosity range to match the entire possible range of values. It is recommended that you move the white point slider all the way to the left to match up with the right-most information from the displayed histogram. This adjusts the current image so that the lightest values in the image match the lightest value that can be displayed in a digital file.

Exposure Compensation

The Exposure Compensation slider provides control over the tonality of the image. Move this slider to the left to darken the entire image or move it to the right to lighten the entire image.

Contrast

The Contrast slider provides control over the contrast of the image. Move this slider to the left to reduce the contrast of the entire image or move it to the right to increase the contrast of the entire image.

Highlight Protection

The Highlight Protection slider recovers detail in highlights. While this slider works for both NEF RAW as

well as JPEG and TIFF files, it is much more successful in NEF RAW files. This is because additional highlight information is stored within an NEF RAW file that the Highlight Protection slider can use when

recovering highlight details. Move this slider to the right to reveal additional detail in highlight areas.

Shadow Protection

The Shadow Protection slider recovers details in shadows. Move this slider to the right to reveal additional detail in shadow areas.

Saturation

The Saturation slider provides you with control over the saturation of the entire image. Move this slider to the left to decrease saturation or move this slider to the right to increase saturation throughout the image.

138 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Camera & Lens Corrections

Color Moir?? Reduction RAW ONLY

The Color Moir?? Reduction tool enables you to apply a noise reduction process available only on RAW images.

To apply color moir?? reduction, click on the show/hide triangle and select one of the options from the pull-down menu. This process can reduce color moir?? artifacts (color interference caused by regular overlapping patterns). You can control the strength of this feature from Off, to Low,

Medium, or High.

Image Dust Off RAW ONLY

The Image Dust Off tool can reduce artifacts in the image created by dust which was present on the low pass filter, located behind the camera???s lens. Because these dust

particles create artifacts at consistent locations on the sensor, the Image Dust Off tool can register their location

on the sensor in a reference image. The noise in subsequent images are compared to that profile and minimized.

APlease note: The position as well as amount of dust on the low-pass filter may change. It is recommended that you take reference images regularly and use a reference image that was taken within one day of the photograph you wish to treat.

To apply Image Dust Off, click on the Change button to locate an Image Dust Off reference photo to apply to the current image.

For certain cameras that create Image Dust Off reference photos with the .NDF extension, such as the D2H and D2X, Capture NX 2 will attempt to identify a reference photo located within the same folder as the current image.

???If Capture NX 2 locates an Image Dust Off reference photo in the current folder, you will be presented with the option of using that photo for the Image Dust Off process.

If you select Yes, Capture NX 2 will apply the Image Dust Off effect using that reference photo.

If you select No, you will be presented with a folder search window to enable you to locate on your computer???s hard drive a folder that contains an Image Dust Off reference photo.

???If Capture NX 2 locates more than one Image Dust Off reference photo within the same folder, you will be presented with an options dialog to select which image to use. It is recommended that you select the image that was taken as close to the time of the current image as possible.

???If Capture NX 2 does not locate an Image Dust Off reference photo within the same folder as the current image, you will be presented with a folder search window to enable you to locate on your computer???s hard drive a folder that contains an Image Dust Off reference photo.

If Capture NX 2 locates more than one Image Dust Off reference photo within the same folder, you will be presented with an options dialog to select which image to use. It is recommended that you select the image that was taken as close to the time of the current image as possible.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section 139

For all other cameras, you will be presented with a folder search window to enable you to locate on your computer???s hard drive a folder that contains an Image Dust Off reference photo.

???If Capture NX 2 locates more than one Image Dust Off reference photo within the same folder, you will be presented with an options dialog to select which image to use. It is recommended that you select the image that was taken as close to the time of the current image as possible.

Once you have located the correct Image Dust Off reference photo, click OK to apply the Image Dust Off effect to your image.

If you would like to remove the Image Dust Off effect at any time, simply uncheck the ???Apply??? checkbox next to Image Dust Off.

APlease note: If a large amount of dust is detected in the current image, Capture NX 2 will display a warning stating that the results of Image Dust Off cannot be guaranteed. Click Yes to proceed.

Auto Color Aberration

Use the Auto Color Aberration tool to automatically reduce color aberrations (colored fringes or halos).

By default, this feature is automatically applied to RAW (NEF) images but not to TIFF and JPEG images. Use the ???Apply??? checkbox next to Auto Color Aberration in the Develop > Camera & Lens Corrections

section to toggle auto color aberration reduction on or off.

Auto Red-Eye

The Auto Red-Eye tool automatically locates and removes red-eye from the current image.

Auto red-eye is applied immediately when the ???Auto Red-Eye??? dialog is displayed. Click Reset or uncheck the ???Apply??? checkbox to prevent auto red-eye from changing your image.

Vignette Control D-SLR ONLY

The Vignette Control tool can be used on NEF, JPEG, and TIFF files and is used to correct for loss of marginal lumination, a phenomenon associated with camera lenses that causes a drop in brightness at the edges of a photograph. Vignette control is most effective when performed on images taken at maximum aperture.

If the picture in the active image window is a RAW image taken with a lens equipped to transmit distance information (a type G or D lens) mounted on a camera that

can record this information, Capture NX 2 will use the lens

information recorded with the image to automatically select an optimal range for the Intensity slider.

140 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Fisheye Lens

The Fisheye Lens tool is only displayed when the active image was shot with either the AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED or AF Fisheye-Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D lenses. This feature enables you to modify an image taken with a compatible fisheye lens to make that image appear to have been taken with a wide-angle rectilinear lens. The Fisheye Lens tool provides you with the following controls:

???Include Areas Where There is No Image Data

By default, the Include Areas Where There is No

Image Data option will be turned off, cropping off any area where image information is not present. Turn the Include Areas Where There is No Image Data option on to display the full image, including areas where there is no image data. This shows you the full image after the fisheye-to-rectilinear transformation. You will notice that parts of the image have been curved to transform the image into a rectilinear image. Due to the process employed by the fisheye-to-rectilinear transformation, there is more information along the longest side of the image.

???Fill Color

The Fill Color pull-down menu is only available when the Include Areas Where There is No Image Data option is turned on. Use this option to select the color to fill areas of the image that are displayed

and do not contain any image information due to the transformation process.

142 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Develop Section

Adjust Section

e q

w

r

t

All enhancements added to the Edit List palette using one of the tools or features from the menus are added as adjustment steps to the ???Adjust??? section.

Each adjustment step can contain the following elements:

q Selection Information

The selection information area is displayed whenever a step has been selectively applied and provides information and control for selections made to the current adjustment step. Whenever you use a selection control point, selection brush, lasso tool, marquee tool, or the fill or remove tools, the selection information area is added to the step and reflects the selection made. Controls are provided to help you make any necessary adjustments to those selections.

Only enhancements selected from the Adjust or Filter menus, or color, black, neutral, or white control points can be modified with one of the selection tools.

At any time, click on the reset button to revert the selection to the last state or click on the delete button to remove all selection information.

The following information and controls are provided within the selection information area:

Selection Display Control

Use the selection display control pull-down menu to select how to display the current selection made within the image window.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Adjust Section 143

Choose from the following options:

???Hide Selection

The Hide Selection option prevents the current selection from being displayed in the image window, showing only the image.

???Show Overlay

The Show Overlay option displays the selection as a semi-transparent color overlay, superimposed on top of your image. Anywhere this color overlay is displayed, the current step???s adjustment is being applied. Anywhere the image is displayed, no enhancement is being applied. You can control the color and opacity of the overlay within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

???Show Mask

The Show Mask option displays the current selection as a black and white mask; black areas indicate that no enhancement is being applied to that area while white areas are being affected by the current step???s enhancements.

Base Mask

The Base Mask slider provides control over the amount of application the current step is providing on the image. At 0%, the current step will not affect the image, while at 100%, the current step will have full affect on the image.

When using the (+) option for one of the selection tools, such as a Selection Control Point or Selection Brush, the Base Mask slider will automatically move to 0%. This enables the selection tool to create a mask whose effect is visible in the image. You may at any point move that slider back to another value.

The effect of the Base Mask slider is considered in combination with the other types of selective control provided within an adjustment step. The effects of the other selection tools will be considered before displaying the final image.

Selection Control Points Section

The ???Selection Control Points??? section displays a list of the selection control points added to the current

step. Clicking on the show/hide triangle for any of the selection control points listed here will display the Size and Opacity settings for that selection control point. Click on the numerical readout to enter a new

value for that selection control point, or click on the selection control point label to highlight the selection control point. You can then delete the selection control point to prevent it from affecting the application of the current step???s enhancement.

The effect of the ???Selection Control Points??? section is considered in combination with the other types of selective control provided within an adjust step. The effect of the selection control points is applied on top of the Base Mask slider. That is, selection control points set to a higher opacity value than the Base Mask slider will apply more of the current step???s enhancement to the area selected by that Selection Control Point. Selection Control Points set to a lower opacity value than the Base Mask slider will apply less of the current step???s enhancement to the area selected by that selection control point.

To remove a selection control point, click on the delete button next to the control point that you would like to remove.

144 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Adjust Section

Paint & Fill Mask Section

The ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section controls the effect made by a selection brush, selection gradient, or the fill and remove tools.

The effect of the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section is considered in combination with the other types of selective control provided within an adjust step. The effect of the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section is applied on top of both the Base Mask slider and selection control points. Selections made with the selection brush, selection gradient, and fill and remove tools will be made to the current step, regardless of the selection made in the Base Mask slider and by selection control points.

To remove the effect of a brush, selection gradient, or the fill and remove tools, click on the delete button next to the ???Paint & Fill Mask??? section.

Feather

The Feather slider enables you to soften the edges of selections made by the selection brush, lasso, or marquee tools.

Move the Feather slider to the right to increase the amount of softening that is applied to the edges of the selection.

w Adjust & Filter pull-down menu

An adjustments and filters pull-down menu is displayed for

any step that was created by selecting an enhancement from either the Adjust or Filter menus, or by selecting the

New Step button.

You can use the adjustments and filters pull-down menu to

gain access to any of the enhancements that are available within the Adjust or Filter menus.

Additionally, you can use this pull-down menu to perform a swap enhancement function, which is discussed later in this chapter.

e Link Icon

A link icon indicates whether the current step contains linked enhancements. Please see the ???Linking Enhancements??? section later in this chapter for more information on linked enhancements.

r Enhancement Controls

Controls for the enhancement added to an adjustment step are displayed within the Edit List palette, within that adjustment step. Use the provided controls to adjust the effect of the enhancement, or use the reset button to revert the enhancement???s controls or delete button to remove the enhancement.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Adjust Section 145

t Opacity Mixer

The opacity mixer provides you with the ability to blend the current enhancement with the rest of the image.

The opacity mixer becomes available as soon as you add any features from the Adjust or Filter menus, or a color,

black, neutral, or white control point to the image. Click on the Opacity show/hide triangle of the adjustment step to

display the opacity mixer controls.

The opacity mixer provides you with the following control:

Channels

The channels pull-down menu enables you to select the channels against which you control the opacity of the current enhancement. Each option within this pull-down menu provides you with different sliders with which to control the opacity of the current enhancement. Choose from the following options:

???All

The All option applies the current enhancement to all of the channels of the image. You are provided with the following sliders to control the effect on the image:

???Opacity

Use this slider to control the entire opacity of the current effect. Move the slider to the left to reduce the opacity of the effect.

???Luminance & Chrominance

The Luminance & Chrominance option enables you to control the current effect on either the luminance (lightness) or chrominance (color) portions of your image. You are provided with the following sliders to control the effect on the image:

???Opacity (Luminance Channel)

Use this slider to control the current effect on the luminance portion of the image. Move this slider to the left to reduce the current effect on the luminance aspect of the image. This can be done to ensure that the current enhancement is being applied only to the color aspects of the image.

???Opacity (Chrominance Ch.)

Use this slider to control the current effect on the chrominance portion of the image. Move this slider to the left to reduce the current effect on the chrominance aspect of the image. Reduce this slider to 0% to apply the current enhancement to the luminance portions of the image only so that no effects to the color portions are being made.

???RGB

Selecting this option from the channels pull-down menu provides you with the ability to control the current enhancement???s effect on the red, green, and blue channels separately using the following sliders:

???Opacity (Red Channel)

This slider controls the current effect on the red channel of the image. You can move this slider to the left to prevent the current effect from being applied to the red channel, or you can reduce the other two sliders to ensure the current effect is being applied to the red channel only.

146 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Adjust Section

???Opacity (Green Channel)

This slider controls the current effect on the green channel of the image. You can move this slider to the left to prevent the current effect from being applied to the green channel, or you can reduce the other two sliders to ensure the current effect is being applied to the green channel only.

???Opacity (Blue Channel)

This slider controls the current effect on the blue channel of the image. You can move this slider to the left to prevent the current effect from being applied to the blue channel, or you can reduce the other two sliders to ensure the current effect is being applied to the blue channel only.

Blending Mode

You may also select different blending modes from the Blending Mode pull-down menu available for each of the channels options.

The blending mode determines how the image created by the current enhancement blends with the image prior to that enhancement. Using blending modes provides you with an advanced way of applying the current enhancement to your image. The different blending modes are:

???Normal

The Normal blending mode is the default blending mode for applying enhancements. When all channels for the enhancement are applied at 100%, the result is considered a normal enhancement.

???Lighten

The Lighten blending mode is achieved by applying the effects of the enhancement only if those elements are lighter than the corresponding area in the original image. That is, only areas that are brighter due to the enhancement will be applied to the image.

???Screen

The Screen blending mode is achieved by increasing the pixel values of the resulting image with the pixel values of original image. The resulting image is always brighter than the original image prior to the enhancement.

???Overlay

The Overlay blending mode is achieved by either adding or subtracting the pixel values of the resulting image from the original image. Capture NX 2 determines whether to add or subtract based on the value of the resulting image. Values above 128 make the final image brighter in the corresponding area; values below 128 make the final image darker in the corresponding area, while the value of 128 does not change the final image.

???Multiply

The Multiply blending mode is achieved by subtracting the pixel values of the resulting image from the pixel values of the original image. The resulting image is always darker than the original image prior to the enhancement.

???Darken

The Darken blending mode is achieved by applying the effects of the enhancement only if those elements are darker than the corresponding area in the original image. That is, only areas that are darker due to the enhancement will be applied to the image.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Adjust Section 147

Working with the Edit List

Deleting Steps and Enhancements

Steps and enhancements can be deleted independently of each other. Clicking on a step or enhancement

will cause it to become highlighted within the Edit List palette. You can then press the delete key on your keyboard or select Delete from the Edit menu to clear that step or enhancement from the image.

Copying and Pasting Steps and Enhancements

Steps and enhancements can be copied directly from the Edit List palette and pasted into another image, a series of images found in the browser, or into the original image.

To copy and paste steps and enhancements, follow these steps:

1Select one or more steps or enhancements within the Edit List palette by clicking and highlighting

them.

batch menu icon located at the top of the Edit List palette and select Copy Adjustments.

148 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Working with the Edit List

Linking Enhancements

Linking enhancements within the Edit List palette enables you to apply the selective controls that are used within one step to more than one enhancement. By default, each enhancement is applied to a separate step. By linking two or more enhancements together in the same step, each of those enhancements can benefit from the same selective controls that were applied to that step.

To link enhancements, follow these steps:

1Select the first enhancement from either the Adjust or Filter menus. Adjust the controls for the first

enhancement to suit your taste.

2While holding down the Shift key, select the second enhancement from either the Adjust or Filter menus. This will cause another enhancement to be added to the same step. You can then modify

the second enhancement???s controls to suit your taste.

3 Ifimage.desired, use one of the selection tools to determine where to apply both enhancements to the

APlease note: You may link any number of enhancements together within the same step, but please note that the greater the number of enhancements that are applied within the same step, the slower Capture NX 2 may be in displaying the results of those adjustments.

Swapping Enhancements

Enhancements from the Adjust and Filter menus may be swapped or substituted by selecting another available item from the adjustments and filters menu.

To swap one enhancement for another, follow these steps:

1Click on the adjustments and filters pull-down menu in the step that contains the enhancement you would like to swap.

2Select a different enhancement from the adjustments and filters pull-down menu. The selected enhancement will now be used in place of the previous enhancement within this step.

This is especially useful if you have made a selection, applied an enhancement to a step, and then want to see how a different enhancement will affect the image within the area identified by your selection.

Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | Working with the Edit List 149

New Step Button

Clicking on the New Step button will create a new, empty adjustment step within the ???Adjust??? section of the Edit List palette. Click on this button if you want to manually generate a new step within the Edit List palette to start a new series of enhancements.

APlease note: Capture NX 2 will automatically create a new

step whenever an enhancement is selected from the menu or toolbar; the New Step button can be useful in certain

situations.

150 Chapter 15 ??? Edit List | New Step Button

Chapter 16

Photo Info

The Photo Info palette display combines the histogram and the watch points functionalities into a single palette. The ???Histogram??? section shows a live histogram that reflects the statistical makeup of the image. The ???Watch Points??? section enables you to monitor the effects of the changes you make to the color values in the image.

Each section can be hidden or displayed by clicking on the show/hide triangle next to that section.

Histogram

The ???Histogram??? section displays a real-time updated histogram, representing a bar graph of the total number of pixels that appear at different levels. The horizontal axis represents the luminosity level, while the vertical axis represents the number of pixels at each luminosity level found within the current image. The left side of the horizontal axis represents the darkest tones within the image, while the right side represents the lightest tones within the image.

APlease note: Values for the different channels range from 0 to 255, with values for 12 and 16-bit images being scaled to fit in this range.

You can select an area of the histogram which will cause the pixels from the selected range to blink within the image window. To select a range, simply drag the mouse over the histogram display. Click the Clear button to cancel the current selection.

Chapter 16 ??? Photo Info | Histogram 151

This ???Histogram??? section provides you with the following controls:

q w

e

q Channels

The channels pull-down menu enables you to select the channel you wish to have displayed within the ???Histogram??? section.

The following channel options are available:

RGB

The RGB option displays the red, green, and blue histograms, superimposed over one another. Where the individual histograms overlap, secondary colors are displayed. Areas that are white contain pixel values of all three colors at that value.

Red

The Red option displays only the red channel within the histogram window.

Green

The Green option displays only the green channel within the histogram window.

Blue

The Blue option displays only the blue channel within the histogram window.

w Double Threshold

The Double Threshold option enables you to determine the darkest and lightest colors within the current

image. By turning this option on, two additional sliders will be added to the bottom of the Histogram display and the entire image will become neutral gray. The left-hand slider is the Shadows slider while the right-hand slider is the Highlights slider. By dragging the Shadows and Highlights sliders towards the

center of the histogram window, you will begin displaying pixel values within the image. Black pixels represent the darkest pixels in the image while white pixels represent the lightest pixels in the image.

152 Chapter 16 ??? Photo Info | Histogram

To use the Double Threshold feature, follow these steps:

1 Enable the Double Threshold checkbox within the ???Histogram??? section of the Photo Info palette.

2If no black pixels appear in the image, slowly drag the shadows slider to the right. Once you notice black pixels appearing, release the mouse button. If large groups of black pixels are displayed, try

moving the slider back to the left slightly. It is recommended that you find a value for the shadows slider as close as possible to where the first black pixels appear.

3Then, if no white pixels appear in the image, slowly drag the highlights slider to the left. Once you notice white pixels appearing, release the mouse button. If large groups of white pixels are

displayed, try moving the slider back to the right slightly. It is recommended that you find a value for the highlights slider as close as possible to where the first white pixels appear.

4Your image now shows the lightest and darkest pixels. This feature is typically used to assist you with finding those pixels for placing white and black points (either control points or points from within the Levels & Curves feature). After placing white and black points, disable the Double Threshold checkbox to continue working on your image.

Shortcut

Toggle the Double Threshold option on and off: Shift + T

e Clear

Press the Clear button to clear ranges added to the histogram or the values set for the shadows and highlights sliders of the Double Threshold option.

Watch Points

The ???Watch Points??? section of the Photo Info palette displays the position and color of the pixel under the mouse pointer.

APlease note: Values for the different channels range from 0 to 255, with values for 12 and 16-bit images being scaled to fit into this range.

Chapter 16 ??? Photo Info | Watch Points 153

Within the ???Watch Points??? section, you are provided with the following controls:

w

q

e

q Add Watch Point Button

By clicking on this button, you can add up to four watch points to your image. When you click on this button, the mouse cursor will change to a crosshair and enable you to place a watch point directly on the image. A watch point icon will be placed on the image displaying where you placed a watch point and an entry will be added to the ???Watch Points??? section that continually monitors the colors of the selected pixel or area.

You can move and reposition any of the watch points by clicking and dragging that point using the direct select tool. You can delete a watch point by clicking on the Delete Watch Point button next to that watch point.

w Color Model

This pull-down menu enables you to select the color model used to describe the colors within the ???Watch Point??? section. You can choose between RGB (red, green, and blue) and HSB (hue, saturation, and brightness) color models.

e Sample Size

Use this option to change the number of pixels which are used in sampling for both the current color under the mouse cursor as well as for each of the watch points. The default value for this option can be selected within the ???Levels & Sampling??? section of the ???Preferences??? dialog, or you can override the default and select from one of the following available options:

Point Sample

The Point Sample option samples only a single pixel. This is helpful if you want to be very precise when selecting a color and are able to target a pixel of a specific color.

3 x 3 Average

The 3 x 3 Average option samples a total of nine pixels in a grid of three pixels by three pixels and averages the colors of each pixel before displaying the result. Since areas within a photograph are generally made up of small variations of color, selecting this option provides a more accurate rendition of the color of the targeted area.

5 x 5 Average

The 5 x 5 Average option samples a total of twenty-five pixels in a grid of five pixels by five pixels and averages the colors of each pixel before displaying the result. This option is recommended for higher resolution images.

154 Chapter 16 ??? Photo Info | Watch Points

Chapter 17

The Color Picker

The color picker is available in specific enhancements and provides you with the ability to select any color within the RGB, HSB, or LAB color spaces. The fisheye lens, neutral control point, color control point, distortion control, colorize, and certain Color Efex Pro plug-ins from Nik Software can utilize the color picker for their enhancements.

You are also provided with preselected colors that consist of common swatches as well as memory colors.

To select a color within the color picker, follow these steps:

1Click on the desired color???s hue within the color wheel to immediately move to that color or click and drag the outside gripper edge to slowly change the color???s hue.

Chapter 17 ??? The Color Picker 155

y

u

q

w

The color picker provides you with the following controls:

156 Chapter 17 ??? The Color Picker

The Last Selected and Previous Picks color swatches provide you with access to yLast Selected & the last five selected colors. The Last Selected color swatch shows you the color

Previous Picks that was last selected, while the Previous Picks color swatches show you the four previous colors selected prior to the color shown in the Last Selected swatch.

Eyedropper

displayed within Capture NX 2. The color displayed within the color picker will be updated with the color selected by the color eyedropper.

The swatches section contains two additional sections that provide you with even more control in selecting a color to use with the current enhancement.

Chapter 17 ??? The Color Picker 157

Chapter 18

File Menu

Open Image???

The Open Image??? option provides you with a ???File Open??? dialog, allowing you to locate an image to open and edit.

APlease note: Images saved in the Grayscale and CMYK color modes cannot be opened within Capture NX 2.

Shortcut

Ctrl + O (Windows) command + O (Macintosh)

Open With???

The Open With??? command enables you to open the current image with all of the current enhancements applied to it in a separate application. You can select the alternative application with will open the image within Capture NX 2???s ???Preferences??? dialog.

Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Open Image??? 159

Open Folder in Browser???

Select this option to locate a folder to open within Capture NX 2???s browser.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + O (Windows)

command + option + O (Macintosh)

Open Recent

This area displays the most recent ten images opened within Capture NX 2. Simply click on any of the items displayed in this list to open it again within Capture NX 2.

Launch Nikon Transfer???

Select this option to launch Nikon Transfer.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + T (Windows)

command + option + T (Macintosh)

Launch Camera Control Pro???

Select this option to launch Camera Control Pro. This option is only available if Camera Control Pro is installed on your computer.

Save

Use the Save feature to save the changes to the image.

When using the Save feature on JPEG files, a dialog box will be displayed if the compression settings found in the original image cannot be determined. Saving NEF or TIFF files will use the same settings found in the original file.

JPEG

Quality

Choose from Highest Compression Ratio, Good

Compression Ratio, Good Balance, Good Quality, or

Excellent Quality settings. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. The higher the compression, the smaller the file but the greater the chance of image degradation. The Quality slider provides you with more control over the level of compression that is used when saving the image in the JPEG format.

160 Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Open Folder in Browser???

Embed ICC Profile

Check this box if you would like to embed the current profile in your image. It is recommended that you leave this box checked unless your printer requests that you do not embed the color profile in the image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + S (Windows) command + S (Macintosh)

Save As???

The Save As??? feature enables you to save the current image into a different file, with the ability to change the location, the file name, and the file format.

Each file format provides you with different options when saving:

NEF

Use Compression

Choose whether or not you want to compress your NEF

RAW file. You are provided with the following options:

???Compressed

Files are compressed using a non-reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 40 to 55 percent with negligible loss of image quality.

???Lossless compressed

Files are compressed using a reversible algorithm,

reducing file size by about 20 to 40 percent with no loss of quality.

APlease note: This option is only accessible if the NEF if the file created within your camera was not compressed.

TIFF

Color Model

Choose from two different color models to save your image data in:

???RGB

This color model saves your image information with red, green, and blue color channels, and is recommended for most images.

???CMYK

This color model saves your image information with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black color channels, and is recommended only if you will be saving your images for printing with a device that requires a CMYK image.

Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Save As??? 161

Compression

Choose from two different compression options:

???None

This option does not compress the image information.

???LZW

This option employs a lossless compression scheme based on the LZW compression algorithm.

Bit Depth

Choose to save your image either as an 8 or 16-bit per channel image.

APlease note: The 16-bit option is not available for CMYK TIFF images, and you may only save the image as a 16- bit image if the original image was 16-bit.

Embed ICC Profile

Check this box if you would like to embed the current profile in your image. It is recommended that you leave this box checked unless your printer requests that you do not embed the color profile in the image.

JPEG

Quality

Choose from Highest Compression Ratio, Good

Compression Ratio, Good Balance, Good Quality, or

Excellent Quality settings. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.

???Quality

The Quality slider provides you with more control over the level of compression that is used when saving the image in the JPEG Format.

Embed ICC Profile

Check this box if you would like to embed the current profile in your image. It is recommended that you leave this box checked unless your printer requests that you do not embed the color profile in the image. The higher the compression, the smaller the file but the greater the chance of image degradation.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + S (Windows) command + shift + S (Macintosh)

162 Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Save As???

Revert

Select the Revert option to remove any changes from the file that were made since the last Save or Save As operation.

Protect File

Protected images cannot be edited within Capture NX 2. Protection can be turned on within the camera or

within another Nikon image editing application. To turn off protection and enable the image to be edited by Capture NX 2, select the Protect File item to uncheck it.

Close

The Close option closes the current image. If there are any unsaved changes made to the image, you will be provided with an option of saving those changes.

Shortcut

Ctrl + W (Windows) command + W (Macintosh)

Page Setup???

The ???Page Setup??? dialog provides you with controls for setting up your printer and print environment. With this option, you can set the paper size, paper source, and orientation, as well as other options which depend on the printer and operating system. It is recommended that you open and adjust the settings within the ???Page Setup??? dialog prior to selecting Print.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows) command + shift + P (Macintosh)

Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Revert 163

r Metadata

Clicking on this button will open the ???Metadata??? dialog, where you can choose the metadata, such as file and camera information, you want printed around the image.

Print Information

The options within the ???Print Information??? section place specific information regarding your image beneath each image. You can choose from three different sets of information:

???Basic Information

The basic information section contains the file name and date shot of the image.

???Additional Information

Checking the Additional Information checkbox will also add the camera name, shutter speed, aperture, image size, exposure mode, and white balance for the image.

???Detail Information

This option adds the metering mode, exposure compensation, focal length, AF mode, and sensitivity (ISO) to the image.

???Font

The font that will be used to display the Metadata is indicated here. Click on the Change button to adjust the settings.

Imprint Date Shot over Image

The options within this section enable you to superimpose either the date or the date and the time onto the image itself.

???Font

The font that will be used to imprint the date and time is indicated here. Click on the Change button to adjust the settings.

Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Print??? 165

t Page Layout Tab

The options within the ???Page Layout??? tab enable you to identify the size and layout of your image as well as any print package settings that you may want to apply.

Use Output Resolution

This option will prevent any size or resolution changes from being made to the image due to the settings in the ???Print Layout??? dialog. This will ensure that the size of the image is determined based on the parameters within the

???Size / Resolution??? dialog. This option will disable all of the options except for Rotate to Fit, Print a Picture Multiple Times, and Use Thumbnail Data.

Select Layout

This mode of printing enables you to select from a list of potential print packages. Select the desired number of images to print on each page from the pull-down menu and the print preview will be updated accordingly.

Select Picture Size

This mode of printing enables you to set up different print packages based on the desired size of the images. Select this option and then choose from the desired print size from within the pop-up menu.

APlease note: The contents of the pull-down menu change based on the units of measurement set up within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

Rotate to Fit

Click on this checkbox to rotate the current image if the orientation of the image does not match the orientation of the paper.

Crop Photos to Fit

Check this option to automatically crop the images so that your prints do not contain any wasted space. If your images do not match the aspect ratio of the paper, portions of the image may be cut off. For example, most images produced by a digital camera have between a 1:1.334 and 1:1.5 aspect ratio, meaning that their longest side is 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 times larger than the shortest side. Most paper sizes have between a 1:1.25 and 1:1.5 aspect ratios. Printing an image with an aspect ratio of 1:1.5 onto a paper size with an aspect ratio 1:1.25 will require some cropping of the image???s data to achieve a borderless print.

Print a Picture Multiple Times

This option enables you to indicate how many times each image should be printed within a print package. Simply identify the number of times to print each image in the pull-down menu, and the print package will be updated accordingly.

Use Thumbnail Data

This option uses only the data contained within the image???s thumbnail to print the image. This results in a faster print, but with significantly lower quality, and is recommended for drafts or proof sheets only.

166 Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Print???

y Color Management Tab

The ???Color Management??? tab enables you to set the color management options for the images when they are printed. The settings within the ???Color Management??? tab default to the settings indicated within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

APlease note: If you assign color management within the print dialog, it is very important that you turn off color management within your printer driver. Refer to your printer's documentation on how to disable color management within your printer.

Image Profile

This displays the current profile assigned to the image.

Printer Profile

Use this menu to select the correct profile to use with your

printer. If you are unsure of which profile to use, simply select the Image profile option at the top of the list.

Intent

The Intent option lets you choose one of four different

rendering intents to apply to your image. The different rendering intents control how colors from your image are made to fit into the colors that your printer can produce as indicated by the printer profile.

APlease note: Different printer and paper combinations, as well as the different software used to create printer profiles, benefit from different rendering intents. Experiment with the different rendering intents within your workflow to find the option that works best.

Capture NX 2 provides the following intents:

Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Print??? 167

Use Black Point Compensation

Check this box to utilize black point compensation. This ensures that the black point from the image is mapped to the black point of your printer, enabling the full color range of the printer to be used. If your prints contain either gray shadows or too little detail, try turning this option off. Unless you are having problems with a specific print and profile combination, it is recommended that you always use this option.

u Print to File

If the Print to File box is checked, the Print button will change into a Save button. Click the Save button, to save the current layout displayed within the print preview area as a JPEG file. You can select the location and the quality of the JPEG file that is created.

Shortcut

Ctrl + P (Windows) command + P (Macintosh)

Exit

Select this option to quit Capture NX 2.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Q (Windows) command + Q (Macintosh)

APlease note: Within the Macintosh operating system, this feature is called Quit and can be found under the Capture NX 2 menu.

168 Chapter 18 ??? File Menu | Exit

Chapter 19

Edit Menu

Undo

The Undo command enables you to take one step backward and remove changes that were made to the image or that were made within the current dialog. You can undo an unlimited number of changes within the same step, and nearly all changes you make on your image are undoable. Due to the non-destructive editing model that Capture NX 2 uses, you can also undo an enhancement by removing it or altering the settings within the Edit List palette without any loss of image quality.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Z (Windows) command + Z (Macintosh)

Redo

The Redo command becomes available after the Undo command has been used and enables you to reapply anything that was undone with the Undo command.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + Z (Windows) command + shift + Z (Macintosh)

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Undo 169

Cut

The Cut command clears an object and places it within Capture NX 2???s clipboard, making that object accessible to paste. The Cut command can be used on the following objects:

???Text within a text box

???Selected control points

???Images within the browser

Shortcut

Ctrl + X (Windows) command + X (Macintosh)

Copy

The Copy command takes the selected object and places a copy of that selected object within

Capture NX 2???s clipboard, making that object accessible to paste. The Copy command can be used on the following objects:

???Text within a text box

???Selected control points

???Images within the browser

???Enhancements selected within the edit list

Shortcut

Ctrl + C (Windows) command + C (Macintosh)

Paste

The Paste command takes the last object placed within Capture NX 2???s clipboard and places it within the current active area. The Paste command can be used on the following objects:

???Text when a text box is active

???Selected control points when an image window is active

???Images when the browser is active

???Enhancements when the edit list is active

Shortcut

Ctrl + V (Windows) command + V (Macintosh)

170 Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Cut

Duplicate

The Duplicate command makes an immediate copy of the currently selected object. The Duplicate command can make a copy of the following objects:

???The current image when the image window is active and no control points are selected

???Images within the browser

???Control points

Shortcut

Ctrl + D (Windows) command + D (Macintosh)

Delete

The Delete command removes the currently selected object. The Delete command can be performed on the following objects:

???Selected text

???Selected control points

???Selected images within the browser

???Selected steps or enhancements within the Edit List palette

???Selection created by the selection brush, selection gradient, fill or clear tools within an image window

Shortcut

Delete key

Rename

The Rename function is only available while in the browser. Select this function to rename the currently

selected image or group of images. When a single image is selected, you can enter the new name for the image directly within the browser. When selecting a group of images, selecting Rename will bring up the

???File Naming??? dialog, enabling you to select the options for renaming that group of images.

For more information on the ???File Naming??? dialog, please see the ???File Naming Dialog??? section of Chapter 22, ???Batch Menu???.

Shortcut

F2

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Duplicate 171

Select All

The Select All option highlights all of the objects within the active area. Use Select All within:

???A text box to select all of the text

???An image to select all of the control points currently displayed on the image

???The Edit List palette to select all of the steps

???The browser to select all of the images currently displayed

Shortcut

Ctrl + A (Windows) command + A (Macintosh)

Deselect All

The Deselect All option deselects the currently active selection. Use Deselect All within:

???A text box to deselect any selected text

???An image to deselect all selected control points or to remove any selection created by a lasso or marquee tool

???The Edit List palette to deselect any selected steps

???The browser to deselect any selected images

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + A (Windows)

command + option + A (Macintosh)

172 Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Select All

Flip

Use the Flip command to mirror the image across one of two axes:

???Choose Horizontal to mirror the image across the vertical axis.

???Choose Vertical to mirror the image across the horizontal

Horizontal Flip Vertical Flip

Rotate

The Rotate sub-menu provides you with options to rotate your image 90?? clockwise or counter-clockwise or to straighten your image.

Rotating an image within the editor will cause a step to be created within the Edit List palette, enabling you to remove

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Flip 173

90 Degrees CW

Selecting 90 Degrees CW will cause your image to be rotated 90?? clockwise.

Shortcut

Ctrl + R (Windows) command + R (Macintosh)

90 Degrees CCW

Selecting 90 Degrees CCW will cause your image to be rotated 90?? counter-clockwise.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) command + shift + R (Macintosh)

Straighten

Select Straighten to add a straighten step to the Edit List palette. In the Straighten step within the Edit List palette, you can rotate an image incrementally clockwise or counter-clockwise, or you can trace a line within your image that should be either horizontal or vertical and allow the straighten tool to automatically straighten your image.

To straighten your image using the straighten tool, follow these steps:

3If you made a mistake while drawing the line, you can click on the line you added to the image and adjust one of the two anchor points found at either end of the line, or you can re-draw the line by

clicking and dragging within the image window again.

174 Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Rotate

4By default, Capture NX 2 will automatically crop the image using the same aspect ratio to hide all areas of

the image where there is no image information. These areas that lack information are created when the image is rotated, and are represented by pure white pixels. To prevent Capture NX 2 from

automatically cropping the image, click on the

Include areas without image data checkbox within the Straighten step of the Edit List palette.

5If you are satisfied with the straightening effect, continue editing your image using the other tools

available within Capture NX 2 or perform a save. The

straightening effect is now applied to your image. To cancel the straightening effect, click on the Delete button for the Straighten step within the Edit List palette or click on the Straighten step and press the

delete key on your keyboard.

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Rotate 175

Size / Resolution

Size / Resolution changes the size of your image, with control over either redistributing the image data or interpolating the image data.

Within the ???Size / Resolution??? dialog, you can choose between one of two resize modes:

Resample Image

The Resample Image option enables you to change the

file to match a specific output size and resolution. Enter the desired Width, Height, and Resolution, or pixel

dimensions, and the image will be interpolated using a bi- cubic interpolation method. Image data is either created or discarded so that the image fits within the newly set parameters.

Don???t Resample Image

The Don???t Resample Image option enables you to redistribute the image information without changing

image data. While in this mode, image detail cannot be either created or discarded. Entering either the new Width or Height or the new Resolution will automatically adjust the other set to match. For example,

changing the height of an 8 inch by 10 inch image at 300 dpi to 4 inches will result in a 4 inch by 5 inch image at 600 dpi.

APlease note: Images cannot be made to have any one side larger than 21600 pixels.

After you have chosen the new size and resolution for your image, click on the Apply button to accept the changes.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + S (Windows)

command + option + S (Macintosh)

176 Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Size / Resolution

Fit Photo

The Fit Photo command enables you to fit a series of images to a maximum size. This is especially helpful if you want to batch resize a number of images that may each

have mixed orientations, some portrait and some landscape orientation. The Fit Photo command will ensure that each

image is set to the appropriate size, regardless of their orientation.

The Fit Photo command can be used to create a settings file to be used in a batch process by following these steps:

1 Navigate to the Edit menu and select Fit Photo.

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Fit Photo 177

2Select the appropriate units of measurement. If the images will be printed, it is best to use inches,

centimeters, or millimeters. If the images will be

displayed on a web page or other electronic display medium, select pixels.

3Enter the largest value of the image size into both the Width and Height boxes. For example, if you

want to resize a folder of images of mixed

orientations to 4" ?? 6", enter 6 inches into both Width and Height boxes. This will ensure that all

images have their longest size set to 6 inches, with the remaining side determined automatically based on the aspect ratio of the processed image.

4 Click Apply.

5Navigate to the Batch menu and select Save Adjustments.

178 Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Fit Photo

6In the ???Save Adjustments??? dialog, ensure that the Fit Photo step is checked, enter an appropriate name for the new settings file, and click OK.

You now have a settings file available that can be used in a batch process to apply the Fit Photo command to a series of images.

APlease note: In order to change an image with the Fit Photo command, you must click on the Apply button.

Chapter 19 ??? Edit Menu | Fit Photo 179

Chapter 20

Adjust Menu

APlease note: Tools that apply only to RAW images do not appear in the menus. Tools specific to RAW images are available in the Develop step of the Edit List palette.

Light > Levels & Curves

The Levels & Curves tool combines two of the most often used tonal enhancing features into one easy-to- use editor. The Levels & Curves tool enables you to adjust contrast, tone levels (brightness), and color

balance to make maximum use of the tone range and color gamut offered by a particular output device, such as a printer or monitor.

The Levels & Curves tool provides you with controls to make tonal adjustments to specific portions of the active image???s tone range for either the entire image or to specific color channels, making it possible to enhance the image while preserving detail.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Levels & Curves 181

To use the Levels & Curves tool to edit your images, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the Adjust menu, select the Light sub- menu, and select Levels & Curves.

2Select the channels to be adjusted using the channel selector. Typically, the RGB option is used when

editing images.

3Click directly on the curve to add an anchor point that can be moved and adjusted. By increasing the

slope of the curve you will increase the contrast in the image. Decreasing the slope of the curve will decrease the contrast in the image. The anchor points may also be set to minimize the amount of change that occurs to a tonal range of the image.

4 Deleteeditor. any unwanted anchor points by clicking and dragging the anchor point outside of the curve

182 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Levels & Curves

The Levels & Curves tool provides you with the following controls:

q

t y u i o !0!1!2!3

r

q Channel Selector

The channel selector lets you select which channel, or portion of colors, you want to affect. The default is to edit all three channels, red, green, and blue, simultaneously. Click on this pull-down menu to select an individual channel to edit.

Shortcut

(while a Levels & Curves step is active):

RGB Channels: Ctrl + ~ (Windows)

command + ~ (Macintosh)

Red Channel: Ctrl + 1 (Windows)

command + 1 (Macintosh)

Green Channel: Ctrl + 2 (Windows)

command + 2 (Macintosh)

Blue Channel: Ctrl + 3 (Windows)

command + 3 (Macintosh)

w Curve Editor

The curve editor is where the majority of enhancements are made within the Levels & Curves tool. Within the curve editor, you are presented with a histogram that presents the total luminosity values within your image. Superimposed above this histogram, a curve is displayed that enables you to control the relationship of input luminosity values to output luminosity values.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Levels & Curves 183

The luminosity histogram displays a bar graph representing the total number of pixels that appear at different levels of luminosity. The horizontal axis represents the luminosity level, while the vertical axis represents the number of pixels found at each luminosity level within the current image. The left side of the horizontal axis represents the darkest tones in your image, while the right side represents the lightest tones in the image, based on the active channel selected.

When the channel selector is set to the RGB option, the histogram represents lightness from black to white. When editing an individual channel, the histogram represents lightness from the absence of that color to

the maximum brightness of that color. The histogram is very helpful in determining how to adjust the settings within the Levels & Curves step.

Click anywhere on the curve to add an anchor point. Move the anchor point to alter the relationship of input and output values. Moving a point up makes objects of that value brighter, while moving a point down makes objects of that value darker. The curve is automatically adjusted to ensure a smooth transition between each point added to the image.

Anchor points can be removed by simply clicking and dragging the anchor point outside of the curve editor.

e Black and White Output Sliders

These two sliders enable you to set the maximum and minimum brightness levels of the image. By dragging the white output slider down, you darken the lightest luminosity level in the image, and by dragging the black output slider up, you lighten the darkest luminosity level in the image. These two sliders are often used if the darkest and lightest colors in the image should not be pure white (255, 255, 255) and pure black (0, 0, 0).

r Black, Mid Point, and White Sliders

The black, mid-point, and white sliders will automatically adjust the curve for you.

Black Point Slider

Move the black point slider to the right to set all luminosity values from the point you have selected to the left to complete black (or to the absence of the channel???s color when working on an individual color channel). This will redistribute all of the values to stretch the luminosity range to match the entire possible range of values. It is recommended that you move the black point slider all the way to the right to match up with the left-most information from the displayed histogram. This adjusts the current image so that the darkest values in the image match the darkest value that can be displayed in a digital file.

Mid-Point Slider

Move the mid-point slider either to the left or to the right in order to lighten or darken the mid-tones of the image.

184 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Levels & Curves

White Point Slider

Move the white point slider to the left to set all luminosity values from the point you have selected and to the right to complete white (or to the maximum lightness of the channel's color when working on an individual color channel). This will redistribute all of the values to stretch the luminosity range to match the entire possible range of values. It is recommended that you move the white point slider all the way to the left to match up with the right-most information from the displayed histogram. This adjusts the current image so that the lightest values in the image match the lightest value that can be displayed in a digital file.

t Show Before / After Histogram

This button toggles back and forth between before and after histograms. The before histogram always

remains the same and represents the histogram before any adjustments have been made to the image by the current channel. The after histogram always updates itself based on the changes made in the Levels & Curves step.

y Auto Contrast

Click on this button to automatically distribute the colors of each individual channel by modifying the white and black points within each individual channel. Ctrl-click (Windows) or option-click (Macintosh) to affect the current selected channel only.

Capture NX 2 automatically selects white and black points that exclude a certain percentage of the brightest and darkest pixels in the image, steepening curves for enhanced contrast. The exact percentage of pixels excluded can be specified in the ???Preferences??? dialog. By default, 0.5% of the brightest and darkest pixels are excluded, producing a curve that makes optimal use of the output tone range, while preserving details in shadows and highlights.

u Set White Point

Clicking on this button will change the mouse cursor into a white point dropper cursor. By then clicking on

your image, you will set the white point sliders for all three color channels to the value of the color selected by the white point dropper. Use this tool along with the Double Threshold option of the image

information overlay control within the ???Histogram??? section of the Photo Info palette to identify the lightest value in the image that you want to be white. The select white point button will affect both the tonality of the active image as well as the color balance.

i Set Neutral Point

Clicking on this button will change the mouse cursor into a neutral point dropper cursor. When you click on your image, Capture NX 2 will attempt to make the selected color neutral without affecting the tonal values by setting the mid point sliders for all three color channels. The select neutral point button affects only the color balance of the image; however, if the targeted color contains a significant amount color, this feature will affect the tonality of the image.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Levels & Curves 185

o Set Black Point

Clicking on this button will change the mouse cursor into a black point dropper cursor. By then clicking on

your image, you will set the black point slider for all three color channels to the value of the color selected by the black point dropper. Use this tool along with the Double Threshold option of the image

information overlay control within the Histogram section of the Photo Info palette to identify darkest value in the image that you want to be black. The select black point button will affect both the tonality of the active image as well as the color balance.

!0Add Anchor Point

Clicking on this button will change the mouse cursor into an eyedropper cursor. By then clicking on your image, you will add an anchor point to the curve at the location on the curve that represents the color that your mouse is hovering over. You can then use the newly created anchor point to enhance your image. Ctrl- click (Windows) or option-click (Macintosh) to affect the current channel only.

!1Reset Current Channel

Clicking on this button will reset only the current channel to the default values.

!2Reset All Channels

Clicking on this button will reset all channels within the Levels & Curves step to their default values.

!3Temporary Cancel

As long as you hold this button down, the effect of the Levels & Curves step will be temporarily hidden.

Shortcut

Ctrl + L (Windows) command + L (Macintosh)

Light > Contrast / Brightness

The Contrast / Brightness step was designed specifically to provide you with an efficient method of adjusting both

the contrast and brightness elements of your images while maintaining a high level of quality. The Contrast / Brightness step is a perfect way to produce quick contrast

or brightness effects that you can selectively add to your image using one of the selection tools.

The Contrast / Brightness tool provides you with the following controls:

Contrast

The Contrast slider provides you with the ability to affect the contrast of your image. The contrast algorithm was designed to prevent unwanted color shifts from occurring. Moving this slider to the left will decrease the contrast throughout the image, while moving the slider to the right will increase contrast.

186 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Contrast / Brightness

Brightness

The Brightness slider provides you with the ability to either brighten or darken your image without creating unwanted color shifts. Move this slider to the left to darken the image, or move the slider to the right to brighten the image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + C (Windows) command + option + shift + C (Macintosh)

Light > Auto Levels

The Auto Levels tool enables Capture NX 2 to analyze your image in order to determine the correct adjustments to spread the available color information across the entire

range of tonal possibilities. While similar to the auto contrast button within the Levels & Curves step, the Auto Levels

tool provides you with additional controls.

The Auto Levels tool provides you with the following controls:

Auto Levels Method

Click on the auto levels method pull-down menu to select between one of the two possible methods:

Auto

The Auto method results in a redistribution of the

individual color channels, similar to stretching each color channel within the Levels & Curves tool to the entire

range of the histogram.

Advanced

The Advanced method begins with the same results as the Auto method, but provides you with access to the Correct Contrast and Correct Color Cast sliders.

Correct Contrast

The Correct Contrast slider is provided by selecting the Advanced method in the auto levels method pull-down menu. Use this slider to either increase or decrease the amount of contrast that is applied to your image. A value of 50 is equivalent to the contrast effect of the Auto method.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > Auto Levels 187

Correct Color Cast

The Correct Color Cast slider is provided by selecting the Advanced method in the auto levels method pull-down menu. This slider either increases or decreases the degree to which the color cast is reduced within the image. A value of 50 is equivalent to the color cast reduction result of the Auto method.

Light > D-Lighting

The D-Lighting tool reveals details in shadows and highlights, correcting for underexposure, backlighting, or insufficient flash, all without harming the properly exposed areas of the image or introducing unwanted artifacts. D-Lighting can also help reveal detail in overexposed areas in brightly lit scenes.

The D-Lighting tool provides you with the following controls:

Faster (HS) Method

The Faster (HS) method of D-Lighting enables you to quickly enhance the shadow areas and reveal additional detail in the highlights of the active image as well as to boost the colors of the entire image to produce a natural- looking effect.

Adjustment

Move the Adjustment slider to the right to bring out details in the shadows and highlights of the active image.

Color Boost

Move the Color Boost slider to the right to increase saturation throughout the entire image.

Better Quality (HQ) Method

The Better Quality (HQ) method enables you to take additional control over the shadows and highlights in the image, producing a better quality enhancement than the

Faster (HS) method.

Shadow Adjustment

Move the Shadow Adjustment slider to the right to bring out additional details in the shadows of the active image.

Highlight Adjustment

Move the Highlight Adjustment slider to the right to reveal additional detail in the highlight areas of the active image.

Color Boost

Move the Color Boost slider to the right to increase saturation throughout the entire image.

188 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Light > D-Lighting

Color > LCH

The LCH tool enables you to individually control the luminosity, color lightness, chroma, and hue of the active image using individual editor dialog.

To use the LCH tool to edit your images, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the Adjust menu, select the Color sub- menu, and select LCH.

2Select the first channel to be adjusted using the channel pull-down menu.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH 189

3Click directly on the curve for the selected channel to add an anchor point that can be moved and adjusted. Depending on the channel selected, the adjustments made to the curve will have

different effects on the image.

4After making adjustments to the first channel, you may make additional adjustments by selecting

another option from the channel pull-down menu. The enhancements made within each editor will

remain, enabling you to make adjustments to different channels within the same LCH

enhancement.

The LCH tool provides four different channels, each channel providing controls unique to that method. Use the channel pull-down menu to select which channel to use. The available channels are:

Master Lightness

The Master Lightness channel is similar to the Levels & Curves tool, but it affects only the lightness of the image without affecting the color. This is a great way to affect the tonality for your image without introducing unwanted color casts.

Shortcut

(while a LCH step is active):

Ctrl + ~ (Windows) command + ~ (Macintosh)

190 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH

The Master Lightness channel provides you with the following controls:

y u i o !0!1

w e r

The curve editor is where the majority of the enhancements are made within the LCH feature. Within the curve editor, you are presented with a histogram that represents the total luminosity values within your image. A luminosity curve superimposed above this histogram enables you to control the relationship of input luminosity values to output luminosity values.

The histogram displays a bar graph representing the total number of pixels that appear at different levels of luminosity. The horizontal axis represents the luminosity level, while the vertical axis represents the number of pixels at each luminosity level found within the current image. The left side of the horizontal axis

qCurve Editor represents the darkest tones of your image, while the right side represents the lightest tones in the image. The histogram is very helpful in determining how to adjust the settings within the Master Lightness channel.

Click directly on the luminosity curve to add an anchor point that can be moved and adjusted. By increasing the slope of the curve, you will increase the contrast in the image. Decreasing the slope of the curve will decrease the contrast in the image. The anchor points may also be set to minimize the amount of change that occurs to a tonal range of the image.

Anchor points can be removed by simply clicking and dragging the anchor point outside of the curve editor.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH 191

192 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH

Color Lightness

The Color Lightness channel enables you to control the brightness of colors in the image without affecting chroma or hue. You can use this channel to target and brighten specific colors, such as lightening a person???s skin tone, or darkening the sky of a landscape without affecting other objects.

Shortcut

(while a LCH step is active):

Ctrl + 1 (Windows) command + 1 (Macintosh)

The Color Lightness channel provides you with the following controls:

w e r t

q

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH 193

Chroma

The Chroma channel enables you to edit the chroma, or saturation, of the entire image or of specific colors within the active image without affecting luminosity or hue.

Shortcut

(while the LCH enhancement is active):

Ctrl + 2 (Windows) command + 2 (Macintosh)

The Chroma channel provides you with the following controls:

e r t y

q

w

194 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH

The hue map represents the full spectrum of colors on the horizontal axis, with the chroma of the colors on the vertical axis. Superimposed on this hue map, you are provided with a chroma curve that can be used to isolate and adjust the chroma of individual colors.

Clicking on the curve will create an anchor point. Moving that anchor point upward makes colors in the affected portion of the color range more saturated. Taking that same anchor point and moving it downward makes the affected colors less saturated.

Hue

The Hue channel enables you to edit the hue of the entire image or of specific colors within the active image without affecting luminosity or chroma. This channel enables you either to completely change the color of an object within the active image, or to provide a subtle shift in color to ensure that the object has a more natural hue.

Shortcut

(while the LCH enhancement is active):

Ctrl + 2 (Windows) command + 2 (Macintosh)

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH 195

The Hue channel provides you with the following controls:

w e r t

q

y

The hue map represents the full spectrum of colors on a rotated horizontal axis. By default, the hue map is rotated by 60 degrees. Additional rotational values can be qHue Map selected within the hue map rotation pull-down menu. Superimposed on this hue map, you are provided with a hue curve that can be used to isolate and adjust the

hue of individual colors.

196 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > LCH

Color > Color Balance

The Color Balance tool provides you with simple controls for adjusting the overall brightness, contrast, and color balance of the entire image.

Move any of the sliders within the Color Balance step to alter that slider???s effect on the image.

The Color Balance tool provides you with the following controls:

Brightness

Adjust the Brightness slider to the left to decrease the brightness of the entire image or to the right to increase the brightness of the entire image.

Contrast

Adjust the Contrast slider to the left to decrease the contrast of the entire image or to the right to increase the contrast of the entire image.

Red

Adjust the Red slider to the left to remove red from the image, causing the image to become more cyan. Adjust this slider to the right to add red to the image, removing cyan from the image.

Green

Adjust the Green slider to the left to remove green from the image, causing the image to become more magenta. Adjust this slider to the right to add green to the image, removing magenta from the image.

Blue

Adjust the Blue slider to the left to remove blue from the image, causing the image to become more yellow. Adjust this slider to the right to add blue to the image, removing yellow from the image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + B (Windows) command + B (Macintosh)

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > Color Balance 197

Color > Color Booster

The Color Booster tool you to optimally adjust the saturation, or vividness, of colors. Use the Color Booster

tool to increase the saturation of colors of the active image. The Color Booster tool provides you with the following controls:

Protect Skin Tones

When the Protect Skin Tones checkbox is enabled, you are able to boost the colors in your image without affecting skin tones.

Level

Move the Level slider to the right to boost the saturation of colors in the active image.

Color > Saturation / Warmth

The Saturation / Warmth tool was designed specifically to provide you with an efficient method of adjusting both the

saturation and warmth of colors within your images. The Saturation / Warmth tool is a perfect way to produce

quick saturation or warming effects by painting in selectively with one of the selective tools.

The Saturation / Warmth tool provides you with the following controls:

Saturation

The Saturation slider controls the vividness of colors throughout your image. Move this slider to the right to make colors more brilliant, or move the slider to the left to decrease the amount of color in the image. Moving the slider all the way to the left, will result in a grayscale image.

Warmth

The Warmth slider controls the overall mix of cool and warm tones throughout the image. Moving the slider to the left causes all colors throughout the image to become cooler, or bluer. Moving the slider to the right will warm all of the colors within the image to contain more red-orange.

Shortcut

Ctrl + U (Windows) command + U (Macintosh)

198 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color > Color Booster

Focus > Gaussian Blur

Use the Gaussian Blur tool to dramatically reduce the appearance of detail throughout the image. This enhancement is often used selectively to reduce the visual impact of objects or areas within an image in order to draw the viewer???s eye away from that object or area. Alternatively,

you can use it to add a smoothing effect, such as on skin tones, by adjusting the Opacity slider within this

enhancement.

The Gaussian Blur tool provides the following controls:

Radius

The Radius slider controls the intensity of the blur being applied to the image.

Opacity

The Opacity slider blends the blur effect with the details in the image to provide you with control over the balance of detail. Combining a high radius with a low opacity creates a hazy, soft-focus effect, while combining a low radius with a medium opacity produces a dream-like mood.

Focus > High Pass

The High Pass tool blocks all image details, apart from those details that contain very strong edge definitions. This results in a neutral gray image with only the edges of the

original image appearing. This enhancement is often used with the opacity mixer set to Luminance & Chrominance mode with the Opacity (Chrominance Ch.) slider set to 0% and Blending Mode set to the Overlay option.

The High Pass tool provides you with the following controls:

Radius

The Radius controls the size of the edge to display in the resulting image. Settings for this slider are dependent on the size of the image, so a radius setting that works well for one image may not be sufficient for an image with a higher resolution.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Focus > Gaussian Blur 199

Focus > Unsharp Mask

The Unsharp Mask tool increases the apparent sharpness

of your images by enhancing the edges of objects in your image. The Unsharp Mask tool in Capture NX 2 is unique in

that it always applies its sharpening to the luminosity of the image, which prevents any unwanted color shifts.

APlease note: It is recommended that you zoom your image to 100% while determining the amount of sharpening to apply.

To use the Unsharp Mask tool, please follow these steps:

1Navigate to the Adjust menu, select the Focus sub- menu and select Unsharp Mask.

2Use the Color pull-down menu to select the areas within the image to sharpen. The color selected will

determine the areas that are sharpened based on their color. To sharpen the entire image, select RGB.

200 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Focus > Unsharp Mask

3Adjust the Intensity, Radius, and Threshold sliders to achieve the desired sharpening result.

4If desired, additional colors can be selected to sharpen with different values. Select a different

option from the Color pull-down menu and adjust the Intensity, Radius, and Threshold sliders again

to determine the sharpening to apply to the additional color.

5You can then adjust the order in which the sharpening affect is applied by selecting a color from

the list and then pressing either the up or down

arrow provided next to the list. Additionally, you can delete the sharpening affect applied to a color by highlighting that color from the list and clicking the delete button.

The Unsharp Mask tool provides you with the following controls:

Color

Use the Color pull-down menu to choose the areas in the image to sharpen based on their color. Select RGB to sharpen the entire image.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Focus > Unsharp Mask 201

Intensity

The Intensity slider controls the amount of sharpening that will be applied to the color selected by the Color pull-down menu. The higher the sharpening intensity, the more pronounced the sharpening effect will be on your image. If the intensity setting is set too high, it can create an over-sharpened and artificial looking image.

Radius

The Radius slider enables you to increase the reach of the sharpening effect. The higher the radius setting, the wider the edges will appear in the sharpen image. A radius setting that is too high will produce visible halo artifacts, which can appear as white outlines around objects.

Threshold

The Threshold slider is designed to limit where sharpening is applied with the current settings. The higher the threshold setting, the less that objects in the image will be sharpened. This slider works to indicate how much of a difference between one pixel and its neighbors is necessary in order to apply sharpening. This slider is helpful in preventing smooth areas from picking up noise artifacts, such as when sharpening skin areas or landscapes with large amounts of sky. Too high a threshold setting will prevent any objects from being sharpened in the image, so it is important to find a good balance.

Delete

Use the delete button to delete the sharpening effect that is applied to a color. First select the color to highlight it in the displayed list and then click on the delete button.

Correct > Distortion Control

The Distortion Control tool provides controls to reduce both pincushion and barrel lens distortions. Pincushion distortion normally affects images shot with telephoto lenses and results in image details appearing as though they are being pulled into the center of the image. Barrel distortion, the opposite of pincushion distortion, normally affects images shot with wide-angle lenses and results in an image that appears to have details that bow outward away from the center of the image. Pincushion and barrel distortion are more apparent at the edges of the images.

The Distortion Control tool provides you with the following controls:

Correction

Use the Correction slider to reduce lens distortions from the image. Move this slider to the left to reduce pincushion distortion or move the slider to the right to reduce barrel distortion.

202 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Correct > Distortion Control

Fill Color

The Fill Color patch enables you to determine the color to use in the areas that lack image detail created when correcting for pincushion distortions. Click on this patch to access the color picker or click on the eye dropper to sample any color within an image open within Capture NX 2???s editor.

Correct > Color Aberration Control

The Color Aberration Control tool can be used to adjust and control potential color fringes that can occur in photographs. Color aberration is caused by the various angles at which the different color wavelengths are refracted when traveling through a lens element. The result, called a color aberration, appears as a color halo on the side of an object that is positioned away from the center of the image.

It is recommended that you view the image at 100% while making color aberration adjustments. It is important to

review the results of the changes, especially around the corners of the image, to balance the effect. The Color Aberration Control tool provides you with the following controls:

Red ??? Cyan

The Red ??? Cyan slider contracts and expands the red channel to reduce either red or cyan fringing. Moving the slider to the left reduces red fringes, while moving the slider to the right reduces cyan fringes.

Blue ??? Yellow

The Blue ??? Yellow slider contracts and expands the blue channel to reduce either blue or yellow fringing. Moving the slider to the left reduces blue fringes, while moving the slider to the right reduces yellow fringes.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Correct > Color Aberration Control 203

Noise Reduction

The Noise Reduction tool enables you to reduce the effects of digital noise that sometimes appear in images taken with digital cameras.

APlease note: It is recommended that you zoom your image to 100% while determining the amount of noise reduction to apply to your image.

To use the Noise Reduction tool to reduce noise throughout your image, follow these steps:

4Increase the Sharpness slider until any image details that may have become softer after increasing the Intensity slider are visible again.

5Adjust both the Intensity and Sharpness sliders until you reach a good balance of noise reduction and detail retention.

6Check the Edge Noise Reduction checkbox if noise is visible along the edges of details within the image.

The Noise Reduction tool provides you with the following control:

Intensity

Move the Intensity slider to the right to increase the amount of noise reduction that is applied to the image. Be careful to not apply too much noise reduction, as high levels of noise reduction may cause loss of detail.

204 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Noise Reduction

Sharpness

The Sharpness slider helps counter the loss of detail that can occur at high noise reduction levels. Move this slider to the right to increase the amount of sharpening that is applied to your image.

Method

Choose between the Faster or Better Quality methods in the Method pull-down menu. Select Faster for faster processing or Better Quality for a more precise noise reduction effect.

Edge Noise Reduction

When you check the Edge Noise Reduction checkbox, Capture NX 2 will reduce noise artifacts around the edges of objects within the image, resulting in more distinct outlines.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Noise Reduction 205

Color Profile

The Color Profile tool provides you with image-specific color management options within Capture NX 2. Use these options to apply a profile, or convert the current profile to prepare the image for your specific color managed workflow.

Capture NX 2 utilizes the default color profile folder for your operating system. If you add or create additional profiles on your system, please ensure that the new profiles are placed in this default location. Locations typically used for storing color profiles in are:

Windows Vista: Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers\Color

Windows XP: Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers\Color

Mac OS X: Library : ColorSync : Profiles

The Color Profile tool displays the current profile embedded within the image. Choose between the two different methods of altering the profile to color manage your image.

The Color Profile tool provides you with two different methods for altering the current profile, with each method providing different controls. The two available methods are:

Apply Profile

Choose the Apply Profile method to assign a profile to the current image. This option is most often used when you would like to assign an input profile, such as a profile you created for your camera, to the image.

APlease note: When you apply a profile, your image may change on your monitor, but the color values will not change. This is because you have just identified the meaning of the colors throughout your image based on the profile created for the input device.

Use the following controls to use the Apply Profile method:

Profile Selector

Use the profile selector pull-down menu to select one of the input profiles available and apply that profile to your image.

206 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color Profile

Convert to Profile

The Convert to Profile method enables you to convert the profile space of the current image to the profile space of the output device. The result is that the actual color values change, but the appearance of those colors does not change on your monitor. This is due to the fact that you

have simply changed the values to ensure that the output device will produce the same colors that you see within the

limitations of that output device.

The Convert to Profile method results are the same as

when you use the color management option within the ???Print Layout??? dialog. Since an image may be

printed on different printers, or in different situations on the same printer, it is often recommended that you do the profile conversion at the point of printing. Using the Convert to Profile feature is normally

recommended only if you intend to have the image printed elsewhere, and only when that service has provided you with their output device???s color profile.

Use the following controls to use the Convert to Profile method:

Profile Selector

Use the profile selector to select one of the output profiles available on your computer to convert the image???s colors profile to.

Intent

The Intent option lets you choose between four different rendering intents to apply to your image. The different rendering intents control how colors from the image are made to fit into the colors that your printer can produce (as indicated by the printer profile).

APlease note: Different printer and paper combinations, as well as the different software used to create printer profiles, benefit from different rendering intents. Experiment with the different rendering intents within your workflow to find the option that works best.

Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color Profile 207

Capture NX 2 provides the following intents:

Use Black Point Compensation

Check this box to utilize black point compensation. This ensures that the black point from the image is mapped to the black point of your printer, enabling the full color range of the printer to be used. If your prints contain either gray shadows or too little detail, try turning this option off. Unless you are having problems with a specific print and profile combination, it is recommended that you always use this option.

APlease note: Each color profile change will create a new step within the Edit List palette. You may at any time

remove or change the color profile change within the current image editing session. If you save the image as an NEF file, you will also be able to go back to the Edit List palette and remove any of these changes without any loss

of color detail.

After you have updated the color profile information for your image, click on the Apply button to accept the changes.

208 Chapter 20 ??? Adjust Menu | Color Profile

Chapter 21

Filter Menu

Photo Effects

The Photo Effects tool enables you to take more creative control of your image. With this tool, you can convert your image to a black and white, sepia, or tinted image. You can also control the tonality of the image, enhance dark tones, and control the color balance.

The Photo Effects tool provides four different methods, each method providing controls unique to that method. The available methods are:

Enhance Photo

Enhance Photo is the default method available to you when you open the Photo Effects tool. This mode enables

you to control the tonality in your image, enhance dark tones, and control the color balance of the entire image.

The following controls are provided within the Enhance Photo method:

Brightness

The Brightness slider enables you to control the tonality throughout your image. Move this slider to the left to darken your image or to the right to brighten the image.

Enhance Dark Tones

The Enhance Dark Tones checkbox brings out additional detail in the shadows of the active image.

Auto

When you click on the Auto button, Capture NX 2 will analyze the image and determine a recommended setting for the Brightness slider. It will also determine automatically if the Enhance Dark Tones option

will be applied.

Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Photo Effects 209

Cyan ??? Red

The Cyan ??? Red slider enables you to shift the colors of your image from cyan to red. Moving this slider to the left removes red from the image, which will cause the image to become more cyan. Adjusting this slider to the right adds red to the image, removing cyan from the image.

Magenta ??? Green

The Magenta ??? Green slider enables you to shift the colors of your image from magenta to green. Moving this slider to the left removes green from the image, which will cause the image to become more magenta. Adjusting this slider to the right adds green to the image, removing magenta from the image.

Yellow ??? Blue

The Yellow ??? Blue slider enables you to shift the colors of your image from yellow to blue. Moving this slider to the left removes blue from the image, which will cause the image to become more yellow. Adjusting this slider to the right adds blue to the image, removing yellow from the image.

Black and White

The Black and White method converts the current image to black and white, while providing you with controls over how the image is converted to black and white.

The following controls are provided within the Black and White method:

Brightness

The Brightness slider enables you to control the tonality throughout your image. Move this slider to the left to darken your image or to the right to brighten the image.

Enhance Dark Tones

The Enhance Dark Tones checkbox brings out additional detail in the shadows of the active image.

Auto

When you click on the Auto button, Capture NX 2 will analyze the image and determine a recommended setting for the Brightness slider. It will also determine automatically if the Enhance Dark Tones option

will be applied.

Cyan ??? Red

The Cyan ??? Red slider enables you to alter the black and white effect on your image. When you move this slider to the right, objects that contain cyan become lighter, while objects containing red become darker. Moving this slider to the left causes objects that contain cyan to become darker and objects containing red to become brighter.

210 Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Photo Effects

Magenta ??? Green

The Magenta ??? Green slider enables you to alter the black and white effect on your image. When you move this slider to the right, objects that contain magenta become lighter, while objects containing green become darker. Moving this slider to the left causes objects that contain magenta to become darker and objects containing green to become brighter.

Yellow ??? Blue

The Yellow ??? Blue slider enables you to alter the black and white effect on your image. When you move this slider to the right, objects that contain yellow become lighter, while objects containing blue become darker. Moving this slider to the left causes objects that contain yellow to become darker and objects containing blue to become brighter.

Sepia

The Sepia method emulates the darkroom effect of applying a sepia tone to a black and white print.

The following controls are available within the Sepia method:

Brightness

The Brightness slider enables you to control the tonality throughout your image. Move this slider to the left to darken your image, or to the right to brighten the image.

Enhance Dark Tones

The Enhance Dark Tones brings out additional detail in the shadows of the active image.

Auto

When you click on the Auto button, Capture NX 2 will

analyze the image and determine a recommended setting for the Brightness slider. It will also determine automatically whether to enable the Enhance Dark Tones option or not.

Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Photo Effects 211

Tinted

The Tinted method emulates the effect of printing a black and white negative on color paper, while using different colored filters to change the overall hue of the image.

The following controls are provided within the Tinted method:

Brightness

The Brightness slider enables you to control the tonality throughout your image. Move this slider to the left to darken your image or to the right to brighten the image.

Enhance Dark Tones

The Enhance Dark Tones checkbox brings out additional detail in the shadows of the active image.

Auto

When you click on the Auto button, Capture NX 2 will analyze the image and determine a recommended setting for the Brightness slider. It will also determine automatically whether to enable the Enhance Dark Tones option or not.

Cyan ??? Red

The Cyan ??? Red slider enables you to control the amount of cyan or red in the filter being used. Moving this slider to the left removes red from the filter, causing the filter and the image to become more cyan. Adjusting this slider to the right adds red to the filter and the image.

Magenta ??? Green

The Magenta ??? Green slider enables you to control the amount of magenta or green in the filter being used. Moving this slider to the left removes green from the filter, causing the filter and the image to become more magenta. Adjusting this slider to the right adds green to the filter and the image.

Yellow ??? Blue

The Yellow ??? Blue slider enables you to control the amount of yellow or blue in the filter being used. Moving this slider to the left removes blue from the filter, causing the filter and the image to become more yellow. Adjusting this slider to the right adds blue to the filter and the image.

212 Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Photo Effects

Brightness

The Brightness slider controls the overall luminosity of the image. Move this slider to the left to darken the entire image or move this slider to the right to brighten the entire image.

Colorize

The Colorize tool enables you to add a color to your image.

The Colorize tool provides you with the following controls:

Color

Click on the Color patch to access the color picker or click on the eye dropper to sample any color within an image open within Capture NX 2???s editor to select the color to add to the image.

Opacity

The Opacity slider controls the intensity of the color that is being added to the image. A value of 100% will completely obscure the image???s detail, with lower values allowing more and more of the original image???s detail to be visible.

Blending Mode

The Blending Mode pull-down menu lets you select how the color is mixed with the colors from the image, using the same blending modes provided within the opacity mixer. For more information on the opacity mixer, see the ???Opacity Mixer??? section in Chapter 15, ???Edit List???.

Black and White Conversion

The Black and White Conversion tool transforms a color image to a black and white version of the original while providing control over the highlights, shadows, and the relationship of tonal ranges throughout the image. This feature provides controls similar to controls used in traditional black and white photography, with the added power of digital image manipulation.

214 Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Colorize

To use the Black and White Conversion tool, follow these steps:

1Navigate to the Filter menu and select Black and White Conversion.

2Adjust the Filter Hue and Color Filter Strength sliders to control the relationship of colors

throughout the image and provide greater separation of tonal values.

3Adjust the Brightness and Contrast sliders in order to create the desired tonality of the image.

The Black and White Conversion tool provides you with the following controls:

Filter Hue

The Filter Hue slider enables you to choose the hue of the filter that is used to convert the image from color to black and white. Objects that are the color of the selected hue will become lighter while objects that are the opposite, or complementary color, of the hue selected will become darker.

Color Filter Strength

Use the Color Filter Strength slider to control the intensity of the filter used in the black and white

conversion. The higher the strength set in this slider, the more different objects of the color selected by the Filter Hue slider and objects that are the opposite of the color selected by the Filter Hue slider will be.

Brightness

The Brightness slider controls the overall luminosity of the image. Move this slider to the left to darken the entire image or move this slider to the right to brighten the entire image.

Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Black and White Conversion 215

Contrast

Use the Contrast slider to change the contrast of your image. Moving this slider to the left will decrease the contrast throughout the image, while moving the slider to the right will increase contrast.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + B (Windows) command + shift + B (Macintosh)

Third-Party Plug-Ins

Capture NX 2 supports third-party plug-ins. After the plug-in is installed, additional entries are available in the Filter menu. Additional information can be found online.

216 Chapter 21 ??? Filter Menu | Third-Party Plug-Ins

Chapter 22

Batch Menu

Run Batch Process

Select Run Batch Process to call up the Batch Process dialog in order to begin applying a batch process. Within the Batch Process dialog, you are presented with two different methods of applying a batch process:

Batch Process and Watched Folder.

Batch Process

The Batch Process option enables you to run select a source folder of images, a settings file containing edits to apply to the images, the destination to place the processed images, and file name and file format options for the processed images.

Source

???Browse

Click on the Browse button within the source section to locate the folder that contains the images you wish to apply a batch process to.

???Include Subfolders

Check the Include Subfolders checkbox if you would like to process the contents of the folder along with the contents of any folders within the targeted folder.

???Delete files from this folder after they are processed

The Delete files from this folder after they are

processed option will delete the original files after the batch process has been completed.

Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process 217

Apply Settings

Check this box if you would like to apply a settings file to your image or if you would like to revert any NEF files to their original state. Unchecking this box will ensure that the enhancements found within the image are not changed from their last saved state.

??? Batch Mode

Use Original Settings to it through Capture NX 2. This includes both RAW NEF files, which will be processed to the original settings created by the camera, or Converted NEF files, which will remove all enhancements made within Capture NX 2.

Conflict Management

The Conflict Management pull-down menu enables you to choose how Capture NX should resolve potential conflicts that may arise while performing a batch process on NEF images. You can choose from the following options:

???Append New Settings

The Append New Settings option is the default option when applying a batch process. This option will automatically add the enhancements from the settings file to all of the images affected by the batch process.

???Replace Current Settings

The Replace Current Settings option will apply the enhancements from the settings file to all images and will overwrite any enhancements that may already be contained with the images affected by the batch process.

???Show Differences

The Show Differences option enables you to interact with the ???Show Differences??? dialog for any images that already contain enhancements. With this process, you can choose which enhancements to replace and which enhancements to keep within the images affected by the batch process.

Rename

By checking the Rename checkbox, Capture NX 2 will rename the images using the naming system found within the File Naming dialog. Click on the Edit button to display the File Naming dialog. For more information, please see the ???File Naming Dialog??? section later in this chapter.

Select File Format

Choose a file format for processed images from the Select File Format pull-down menu. The following options are available:

218 Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process

???NEF:

Choose a compression setting in the Advanced section.

???TIFF:

In the Advanced section, choose a color model (RGB or CMYK), bit depth (Always 8 bit or 16 bit if possible), and compression type (None or LZW).

???JPEG:

Use the pull-down menu to choose from Highest Compression Ratio, Good Compression Ratio,

Good Balance, Good Quality, and Excellent Quality, or select the desired balance between image quality and compression using the slider.

Check Embed ICC Profile to embed an ICC color profile in each image.

Destination

The Destination section enables you to identify the location to use when saving processed images.

???Select Folder

By selecting Select Folder, you can manually identify the folder that the processed images should be placed in. Click on the Browse??? button to identify the location to place the processed images.

???Use Source Folder

The Use Source Folder option will place the processed files in same folder as the source image.

After you have identified all of the parameters for the batch process, click OK. This will call up the Processing Queue and enable you to begin the batch process. For more information about the Processing

Queue, please see the section ???Processing Queue??? later in this chapter.

Watched Folder

Watched folders enable you to create ongoing batch processes. Once a watched folder process has been started, Capture NX 2 will continually monitor for new images within the watched folder and process the images until the process is canceled. This is especially helpful when you send your images directly from your camera to a specific folder on your computer rather than using a flash card. The watched folder feature contains the following controls:

Watched Folder

???Browse

Click on the Browse button to locate the folder that you would like Capture NX 2 to monitor for new images process.

???Include Subfolders

Check the Include Subfolders checkbox if you would like Capture NX 2 to monitor the contents of any subfolders within the watched folder.

Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process 219

???Run Process Immediately

Select Run Process Immediately to continually monitor the watched folder for new images and process any new images as soon as they are placed within the targeted folder.

???Run Process Every

Enter a number to determine how frequently, in hours, Capture NX 2 should review the watched folder for new images.

Apply Settings

Check this box if you would like to apply a settings file to your image or if you would like to revert any NEF files to their original state. Unchecking this box will ensure that the enhancements found within the image are not changed from their last saved state.

??? Batch Mode

Use Original Settings to it through Capture NX 2. This includes both RAW NEF files, which will be processed to the original settings created by the camera, or Converted NEF files, which will remove all enhancements made within Capture NX 2.

Conflict Management

The Conflict Management pull-down menu enables you to choose how Capture NX 2 should resolve potential conflicts that may arise while performing a batch process on NEF images. You can choose from the following options:

???Append New Settings

The Append New Settings option is the default option when applying a watched folder. This option will automatically add the enhancements from the settings file to all of the images processed by the watched folder.

???Replace Current Settings

The Replace Current Settings option will apply the enhancements from the settings file to all images and will overwrite any enhancements that may already be contained within the images processed by the watched folder.

???Skip & Continue

The Skip & Continue option will automatically skip any image in which a conflict was identified without processing that image. An error entry will be created within the log file informing you the name of the image and the time that the conflict was identified.

220 Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process

Rename

By checking the Rename checkbox, Capture NX 2 will rename the images using the naming system found within the File Naming dialog. Click on the Edit button to display the File Naming dialog. For more information, please see the ???File Naming Dialog??? section later in this chapter.

Select File Format

Choose a file format for processed images from the Select File Format pull-down menu. The following options are available:

???NEF:

Choose a compression setting in the Advanced section.

???TIFF:

In the Advanced section, choose a color model (RGB or CMYK), bit depth (Always 8 bit or 16 bit if possible), and compression type (None or LZW).

???JPEG:

Use the pull-down menu to choose from Highest Compression Ratio, Good Compression Ratio,

Good Balance, Good Quality, and Excellent Quality, or select the desired balance between image quality and compression using the slider.

Check Embed ICC Profile to embed an ICC color profile in each image.

Destination

The Destination section enables you to identify the location to use when saving processed images.

???Select Folder

By selecting Select Folder, you can manually identify the folder that the processed images should be placed in. Click on the Browse??? button to identify the location to place the processed images.

???Use Source Folder

The Use Source Folder option will place the processed files in same folder as the source image.

Once you have identified the parameters to use for the Watched Folder, click OK. This will bring up the Processing Queue, indicating that the current process is a watched folder. You are able to minimize the Processing Queue and continue working on other images while the watched folder process continues in

the background.

File Naming Dialog

The File Naming dialog provides you with options for setting up a file naming convention to use when batch processing multiple images. You are provided with three sections to identify the file name, and can

control how those different sections are separated. This dialog is accessible when setting up a batch process or watched folder using the Run Batch Process??? command from the Batch menu, within the Processing Queue, or when selecting multiple images in the browser and selecting Rename??? from the Edit menu.

Prefix

The contents of this section will be applied to the beginning of the file name. You can choose from:

Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process 221

???Original Name

This option will place the original file name at the beginning of the new file name.

???New Name

This option will enable you to type in a new name to enter at the beginning of the new file name.

???None

This option will prevent a prefix from being added to the beginning of the new file name.

Middle

The middle section can contain a sequential number, the date the image was shot, or the time and date the image was shot.

Suffix

The contents of this section will be applied to the end of the file name. You can choose from:

???Original Name

This option will place the original file name at the end of the new file name.

???New Name

This option will enable you to type in a new name to enter at the end of the new file name.

???None

This option will prevent a suffix from being added to the end of the new file name.

Processing Queue

The Processing Queue provides you with the status of the current batch process and enables you to start and pause the batch process. Additionally, you are presented with the queue of images still waiting to be processed, along with a log that contains a list of all of the images that have already been processed, and the ability to change the destination, file name, and file format of the images.

The Processing Queue can be minimized and you can continue to work on other images while the Processing Queue processes your images in the background.

APlease note: While the process is ongoing, you cannot modify any of the additional controls within the Processing Queue. If you wish to modify the settings at any time, click on the pause button. After you have modified the settings, click on the start button.

To display the full list of controls within the Processing Queue, click on the Details show/hide triangle. You will be

presented with an additional progress bar that will show you the current task being applied as well as a thumbnail of the current image being processed, along with the following controls:

222 Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process

Queued

The Queued tab shows a list of images that are currently waiting to be processed. If you do not wish a particular image to be processed, uncheck the box for that image.

Log

The Log tab contains a list of all of the images that have already been processed along with any possible errors that have occurred.

Clear From List

The Clear From List button enables you to clear the highlighted image from the queue window. This is helpful if you do not want to process an image with the current batch process.

Destination

The Destination section enables you to identify the location to use when saving processed images.

???Select Folder

By selecting Select Folder, you can manually identify the folder that the processed images should be placed in. Click on the Browse??? button to identify the location to place the processed images.

???Use Source Folder

The Use Source Folder option will place the processed files in same folder as the source image.

File Name

The File Name section enables you to identify the naming convention to use when saving the images.

???Rename

Selecting Rename to have Capture NX 2 rename the images using the naming system found within the File Naming dialog. Click on the Edit button to display the File Naming dialog. For more information on

the File Naming dialog, please see the section ???File Naming Dialog??? earlier in this chapter.

???Use Source File Name

Select Use Source File Name to save the processed image with the original file name.

Select File Format

Use the File Format pull-down Menu to select the file format to use for the processed images.

Bit Depth

Use the Bit Depth selector to identify the bit-depth to set the images to.

APlease note: Capture NX 2 will always use the setting identified here, but any images that originated as 8-bit files will remain as 8-bit files and will not be converted to 16-bit if the 16-bit option is selected.

Compression

The Compression pull-down menu enables you to choose what type of compression to apply to the images. The contents of this menu depend on the file format chosen.

Embed ICC Profiles

The Embed ICC Profiles checkbox is only available when you have selected JPEG or TIFF as the file format to use. Enable this setting to embed the current profile in the image while saving.

Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Run Batch Process 223

Close When Done

Check the Close When Done checkbox to cause the Processing Queue window to close when the batch process has completed.

Notify When Complete

When this option is selected, a message box will be displayed to notify you that the batch process has completed.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + B (Windows) command + option + shift + B (Macintosh)

Copy Adjustments

The Copy Adjustments command enables you to copy to Capture NX 2???s clipboard either the entire series of settings from the current image or only the highlighted steps or enhancements from the Edit List palette. Once the enhancements are on the clipboard, you can paste them into a different image, a group of images, or back into the same image.

To copy the entire series of settings from the current image, ensure that no steps are selected in the Edit List palette using the Deselect All command in the Edit menu and then select Copy Adjustments from the Batch menu.

To copy only selected enhancements, select one or more steps or enhancements and then select Copy Adjustments from the Batch menu.

CHint: You can copy more than one step at a time. Hold the control key (Windows) or command key (Macintosh) and click to highlight multiple steps or enhancements. You can also select a range of steps or enhancements by clicking on the first step or enhancement in the range that you want to copy, and while holding the Shift key down, selecting the last step or enhancement in the range that you want to copy.

Paste Adjustments

The Paste Adjustments command enables you to paste any settings that are currently within Capture NX 2???s clipboard into the active image in the editor or into selected images within the browser.

To use Paste Adjustments, ensure that you have previously copied adjustments using the Copy Adjustments command, and then select this option. You can paste settings into the current image either

in the editor or in the browser, or you can paste settings into a series of images selected in the browser. The pasted settings will be appended onto the end of the Edit List palette for the selected images.

Due to the unique nature of the ???Develop??? section within the Edit List palette, copying and pasting the contents of the ???Develop??? section will replace the contents with the pasted settings in the images that were

pasted into. To prevent the ???Develop??? section from being replaced, ensure that you select only steps from the ???Adjust??? section when performing the Copy Adjustments command.

224 Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Copy Adjustments

Save Adjustments

Select the Save Adjustments command to open the ???Save Adjustments??? dialog. It is within the ???Save Adjustments??? dialog that you create settings files that will be used for batch processes in the future.

When the ???Save Adjustments??? dialog opens, you are presented with a representation of the current image???s Edit List palette. It is from this list that you can select and identify which enhancements will be saved into the settings file.

The ???Save Adjustments??? dialog can be used to save all enhancements applied to the current image, or only selected steps and enhancements. Click on the checkboxes of the enhancements or adjustments that you wish to save into the settings file. By clicking and highlighting steps and

enhancements within the Edit List palette prior to

selecting Save Adjustments, you can cause the ???Save Adjustments??? dialog to open with the checkboxes for those adjustments and enhancements already checked.

Enter the name of that you would like to use for the settings file. The name you enter here will be displayed within the Load Adjustments sub-menu of the Batch menu.

Capture NX 2 will then create the settings file in the Capture NX 2 settings folder. To specify a different location, click on the Browse button and select an alternative location to store the settings file.

When saving to the default Capture NX 2 settings folder, Capture NX 2 will automatically place the settings file within a folder depending on the contents of the settings file. Settings files that contain only a single enhancement will be placed into a folder named after that enhancement. Settings files with multiple enhancements will be placed into a folder labeled ???Multiple Settings???. In this manner, your settings files will be organized enabling you to quickly locate a settings file that contains a specific type of enhancement.

Load Adjustments

The Load Adjustments sub-menu provides you with a list of settings files that are currently available within

Capture NX 2. You can add additional settings files to this list using the ???Manage Settings??? section of the ???Preferences??? dialog.

Selecting a settings file while in the editor will apply those settings to the current image.

Selecting a settings file from the Load Adjustments sub-

menu after selecting images in the browser will open the

Processing Queue and enable you to start a batch process immediately.

Chapter 22 ??? Batch Menu | Save Adjustments 225

Chapter 23

View Menu

Selection Display

The options provided in the Selection Display sub-menu

duplicate the selection display control pull-down menu found in a step within the Edit List palette. These options

enable you to determine how to display the current selection made within the image window. To show the

selection made by Color Control Points, use the Show Selection checkbox found within a color control point step.

For more information, please see the Color Control Point section of Chapter 13, ???The Toolbar???.

Choose from the following options:

Hide Selection

The Hide Selection option prevents the current selection from being displayed in the image window, showing only the image.

Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Selection Display 227

Show Overlay

The Show Overlay option displays the selection as a semi-transparent color overlay, superimposed on top of your image. Anywhere this color overlay is displayed, the current step???s adjustment is being applied. Anywhere the image is displayed, no enhancement is being applied. You can control the color and opacity of the overlay within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

Shortcut

Toggle Show Overlay on and off:

Shift + O

Show Mask

The Show Mask option displays the current selection as a black and white mask; black areas indicate that no enhancement is being applied to that area while white areas are being affected by the current step???s enhancements.

Shortcut

Toggle Show Mask on and off:

Shift + M

Show All Control Points

The Show All Control Points option is selected by default whenever you are working on a step that contains any of the control points, either black, white, neutral, color, red-eye, or selection control points. By selecting this option, all control points will be hidden so that you can see the image without any of the control point icons appearing on top of the image.

Show Active Selection

The Show Active Selection option is selected by default whenever a selection is created with the lasso or marquee tools. By selecting this option, the active selection can be hidden.

APlease note: The active selection will continue to affect your image until you cancel the selection by either selecting Deselect All from the Edit menu or double-click within the image with one of the lasso or marquee

tools selected.

Shortcut

Ctrl + H (Windows) command + H (Macintosh)

Show Watch Points

The Show Watch Points option is enabled by default. When this option is enabled, any watch points added through the Photo Info palette are displayed. By disabling this option, watch points can be hidden.

228 Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Show All Control Points

Show Grid

Select this option to impose a grid pattern over the current image.

The color and spacing of the grid can be set within the ???Preferences??? dialog.

Show Focus Point

When working with images captured by a Nikon camera,

you can display the focus area used when capturing the image by selecting Show Focus Point from the View

menu.

APlease note: Use Show Focus Point only on images that have not been enhanced. Using the Show Focus Point feature

after the image has been rotated, straightened, cropped, or after applying the Fisheye Lens or Distortion Control steps

may result in the focus area being displayed incorrectly.

APlease note: The focus area will not be displayed if the image

was created using a COOLPIX-series camera, a non-CPU lens, or a manual focus lens.

Show Lost Highlights

The Show Lost Highlights option identifies areas in which detail may have been lost in the highlights by locating pixels with the maximum values for one or more channels. This information can be used when adjusting the tonality of the image, such as when applying white points, to ensure that the optimal amount of detail is retained within the image. When you enable the Show Lost Highlights option, the entire image will become black while displaying any areas that contain maximum values for one or more channels. Only those areas that contain maximum values will be displayed within the image window when this option is

enabled. That is, only the pixels that contain a value of 255 will be displayed for each of the three channels.

Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Show Grid 229

The resulting image will contain white, primary, and secondary colors only. The following table describes values these colors represent:

With this display on, you can adjust the settings of one of the enhancements that have already been applied to reduce the brightening effect and prevent details from becoming blown out.

Shortcut

Shift + H

Show Lost Shadows

The Show Lost Shadows option identifies areas in which detail may have been lost in the shadow areas by locating pixels with the minimum value of one or more channels.

This information can be used when adjusting the tonality of the image, such as when applying black points, to ensure that the optimal amount of detail is retained within the image.

By enabling the Show Lost Shadows option, the entire image will become white while displaying any areas that contain minimum values for one or more channels. Only those areas in which the channels contain a minimum value

will be displayed within the image window when this option is enabled. That is, only the pixels that contain a value of 0 will be displayed for each of the three channels.

The resulting image will contain black, primary, and secondary colors only. The following table describes values these colors represent:

230 Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Show Lost Shadows

With Show Lost Shadows enabled, you can modify any enhancements that may make the image too dark.

Shortcut

Shift + S

View at 100%

Select this option to set the zoom ratio for the current image to 100%.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + 0 (Windows)

command + option + 0 (Macintosh)

Fit to Screen

Select this option to set the zoom ratio for the current image so that the entire image fits into the space available on your monitor.

Shortcut

Ctrl + 0 (Windows) command + 0 (Macintosh)

Zoom In

Select this option to zoom one step into the active image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + ???+??? (Windows) command + ???+??? (Macintosh)

Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | View at 100% 231

Zoom Out

Select this option to zoom one step out of the active image.

Shortcut

Ctrl + - (Windows) command + - (Macintosh)

Full Screen

The full screen display mode is useful for maximizing the space used by Capture NX 2. Use this display mode when editing images to minimize distractions and enable you to focus entirely on the image that is being edited. The full screen display mode places your images against a medium-gray background, ensuring that the decisions you make while editing your image are not influenced by the area surrounding your image. To return to the normal display mode, select this option again.

When working with multiple displays, the full screen mode will be placed upon the display that contains the active image. Additionally, all open images will be moved to that display.

To toggle between the currently open images, use the forward and back arrows found along the bottom edge of the screen. These will cycle between the images that are open within Capture NX 2.

Shortcut

The F key toggles from the full screen display mode to the normal display mode

The Esc key exits the full screen display mode

Presentation

The presentation display mode is useful for presenting your images or to work on your images against a black background. In this mode, the menu bar and taskbar or system dock are hidden. Additionally, all docked palettes are also hidden. To access a specific palette, move your cursor to the edge of the screen where that palette typically resides. The palette will slide out from the edge of the screen and become accessible as long as your mouse is over it. Undocking a palette will cause that palette to always be visible. To return to the normal display mode, select this option again.

When working with multiple displays, the presentation mode will be placed upon the display that contains the active image. Additionally, all open images will be moved to that display.

To toggle between the currently open images, use the forward and back arrows found along the bottom edge of the screen. These will cycle between the images that are currently open within Capture NX 2.

Shortcut

The P key toggles from the presentation display mode to the normal display mode

The Esc key exits the presentation display mode

232 Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Zoom Out

Hide Palettes

Select this feature to quickly hide all of the palettes in the work area.

Shortcut

Tab key

Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Hide Palettes 233

Compare Images

The three different compare images modes of Capture NX 2 provide you with different options for comparing images. The first two options, Compare in Editor and Compare in Browser, are only

accessible from within the browser and provide you with the ability to compare two different images. The Compare with Original option is only available while working on an image within the editor and enables

you to compare the current state of the image with the original state of that same image.

The different compare modes are:

Compare in Browser

Use this option to compare between two, three, or four images in the browser. Simply select the images in the browser and select Compare in Browser from the View menu. This will display as many as four

equally-sized images within the browser side by side.

Double-click on an image to open it within the editor.

To exit the Compare in Browser mode, either reselect the Compare in Browser option from the View menu or click anywhere outside of the compared images.

234 Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Compare Images

Compare in Editor

Use this option to compare two different images in the editor. Select two different images in the browser and select Compare in Editor from the View menu. This will open both images within the editor and

zoom the images so that they fit within the available space of your screen. While you are comparing these two images, you can use the zoom tool or the hand tool to zoom in and pan on one image, creating the

identical effect on the other image. This enables you to zoom in and out quickly while comparing details in similar images. To exit the Compare in Editor mode, simply close one or both images.

Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Compare Images 235

Compare with Original

Use this option to compare the original with the current state of the active image within the editor. Select this option from the View menu when you are working on an image in the editor, and Capture NX 2 will automatically open a duplicate window of the same image and resize it so that the two windows fit within the available space of your screen. The image either on the left or on the top, depending on the orientation of the image and the available space on your screen, represents the original state of the image, while the image on the right or on the bottom displays the current state of the image. While you are comparing these

two images, you can zoom and pan in one image and the identical effect will occur on the other image. To exit the Compare With Original mode, simply reselect the Compare With Original option from the View menu.

236 Chapter 23 ??? View Menu | Compare Images

Chapter 24

Window Menu

Workspace

The Workspaces sub-menu provides you with an alternative location to select a workspace to use to

arrange Capture NX 2???s palettes and windows. For more information about the different options provided within the Workspaces sub-menu, please see the ???Workspaces??? section in Chapter 8, ???Interface???.

Reset Workspace

Selecting the Reset Workspace option will reset all of the palettes and windows to their default locations, based on the current active workspace.

Browser

Selecting the Browser option from the Window menu will display the browser.

Shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + B (Windows)

command + option + B (Macintosh)

Folders

Selecting the Folders option from the Window menu will display the Folders palette.

Metadata

Selecting the Metadata option from the Window menu will display the Metadata palette.

Chapter 24 ??? Window Menu | Workspace 237

Toolbar

Selecting the Toolbar option from the Window menu will show the toolbar.

Bird???s Eye

Selecting the Bird???s Eye option from the Window menu will display the Bird???s Eye palette.

Edit List

Selecting the Edit List option from the Window menu will display the Edit List palette.

Photo Info

Selecting the Photo Info option from the Window menu will show the Photo Info palette.

Cascade

The Cascade option resizes (if necessary) and arranges all of the currently opened image windows over the top of one another so that each window is the same size and all of the windows appear within the space available on your screen.

Tile

The Tile option resizes and arranges all of the currently open image windows so that they all appear on the screen in a grid.

238 Chapter 24 ??? Window Menu | Toolbar

Chapter 25

Help Menu

Contents

The Contents option brings up the help contents within your default Internet browser. Navigate through the help to access the information from this user???s manual in a searchable format.

Shortcut

F1 key (Windows) command + ? (Macintosh)

Technical Support

The Technical Support option will launch your Internet browser and provide you with links to the different technical support options available for Capture NX 2. Follow one of those links to reach the online technical support options.

APlease note: These options require an Internet connection.

Chapter 25 ??? Help Menu | Contents 239

Show Welcome Screen

Selecting the Show Welcome Screen option from the

Help menu will display the welcome screen. This is helpful if you have selected the Don???t show again checkbox and

you want to access the welcome screen again.

Update Capture NX 2

Use this option to check for updates to Capture NX 2. Selecting this option will open the Nikon Message Center which will automatically check for any available updates and provide you with an option to download that update.

About Capture NX 2

The About Capture NX 2 option shows you the version number of Capture NX 2, which can be helpful when contacting technical support.

APlease note: Within the Macintosh operating system, the

About Capture NX 2 option can be found under the

Capture NX 2 menu.

240 Chapter 25 ??? Help Menu | Show Welcome Screen

Chapter 26

Appendix: Short-cuts

The Browser

Chapter 26 ??? Appendix: Short-cuts | The Browser 241

242 Chapter 26 ??? Appendix: Short-cuts | The Toolbar

File Menu

Chapter 26 ??? Appendix: Short-cuts | File Menu 243

Adjust Menu

244 Chapter 26 ??? Appendix: Short-cuts | Adjust Menu

Window Menu

Chapter 26 ??? Appendix: Short-cuts | Window Menu 245

Chapter 27

Appendix: Supplied Color Profiles

Standard RGB Profiles Supplied in Capture NX 2

Profiles with a Gamma Value of 1.8

Apple RGB: NKApple.icm (Windows)/ Nikon Apple RGB 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

This profile is used in desk-top publishing applications and in Adobe Photoshop versions 4.0 or earlier, and is the typical RGB profile for Macintosh monitors. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop is ???Apple RGB???. This profile is suitable for working with images displayed on the Macintosh.

ColorMatch RGB: MKCMatch.icm (Windows)/ Nikon ColorMatch RGB 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

The ColorMatch profile is native to Radius PressView monitors. It has a wider gamut than Apple RGB, with a particularly wide area devoted to the reproduction of blues. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop is ???Color Match RGB???.

Profiles with a Gamma Value of 2.2

sRGB: NKsRGB.icm (Windows)/ Nikon sRGB 4.0.0.3001 (Macintosh)

This RGB profile is used in the majority of Windows monitors. It closely resembles the RGB commonly used in color television, and is also used in the digital television broadcasting system that is on its way to becoming the industry standard in the United States of America. Software and hardware manufacturers use it as a default color profile and guarantee operation when it is used. It is also on its way to becoming the standard for images on the web. This profile is suited to users who plan to use their digital images ???as is???, without editing or printing them. It however suffers from the drawback of a narrow gamut with a limited area available for reproducing blues. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop 5.0 and 5.5 is ???sRGB???, the corresponding setting in Adobe Photoshop 6.0 ???sRGB IEC61966-2.1???.

Bruce RGB: NKBruce.icm (Windows)/ Nikon Bruce RGB 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

This color profile expands on the ColorMatch RGB gamut by defining the chromaticity for G as lying between the values for G in the Adobe RGB and ColorMatch color-space profiles. It was proposed by Bruce Fraser, who claims that it includes most of the colors in the SWOP CMYK gamut. The R and B used in the Bruce RGB and Adobe RGB color-space profiles match.

NTSC (1953): NKNTSC.icm (Windows)/ Nikon NTSC (1953) 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

This is the color space for video defined by the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) in 1953 and used in early color televisions. This color space is also used in some Far-East newspaper and printing organizations. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop is ???NTSC (1953)???.

Chapter 27 ??? Appendix: Supplied Color Profiles | Standard RGB Profiles Supplied in Capture NX 2 247

Adobe RGB (1998): NKAdobe.icm (Windows)/ Nikon Adobe RGB (1998) 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

A color-space profile defined in Adobe Photoshop 5.0. It has a wider gamut than sRGB and includes the colors found in most CMYK gamuts, making it suitable for users involved in desktop publishing. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop 5.0 is ???SMPTE-240M???, the corresponding setting in Adobe Photoshop 5.5 or later ???Adobe RGB (1998)???.

CIE RGB: NKCIE.icm (Windows)/ Nikon CIE RGB 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

A video color-space profile established by the Commission Internationale de l?????clairage (CIE). While it boasts a fairly wide gamut, it suffers from the drawback that the area devoted to the reproduction of cyan is relatively small. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop is ???CIE RGB???.

Adobe Wide RGB: NKWide.icm (Windows)/ Nikon Adobe Wide RGB 4.0.0.3000 (Macintosh)

This color-space profile, designed by Adobe, incorporates most of the visible colors. This however has the consequence that most of the colors it can express cannot be reproduced on standard monitors and printers. The corresponding RGB setting in Adobe Photoshop 5.0 or later is ???Adobe Wide RGB???. The gamut of colors that can be expressed in the above color-space profiles is shown in the following chromaticity (x, y) graph. The greater the area enclosed by the triangle that represents the color-space profile, the wider its gamut.

Gamut

248 Chapter 27 ??? Appendix: Supplied Color Profiles | Standard RGB Profiles Supplied in Capture NX 2

Technical Data for RGB Profiles Supplied with Capture NX 2

The following table shows the gamma values for profiles supplied in Capture NX 2, together with the chromaticity values for the white point and for red, green, and blue.