Nion ViewNX2 as Raw processor before PP?

[PhilT]

Hello,
I'm an user of On1 PPS9.5 as a stand alone, the camera is Nikon D7100. For NEF/RAW pictures I first try to make adjustments with ViewNX2 (WB, Highlight recovery, etc), then converting to JPEG for PP if needed/wanted in PPS9.5. I read that processing RAW files directly from PPS is not good, even if it recognises my NEF files. I downloaded also Rawtherapee that seems very powerful, just succeed to use its basic features, but till haven't find time to learn it more in depth, but it gives also fine results as in ViewNX2 for these things.
Then my question is: Do you think that ViewNX2 is enough for basic RAW adjustments?
Thanks a lot for any constructing advices (as usual at CiC )
P.S.: I made a quick search in the forum, but did not succeed to find a post adressing this specific question, sorry if I missed one....

[Shadowman]

Philippe,

Doesn't matter which one you use, one just involves another step in the work flow.

[george013]

Philippe,

Doesn't matter which one you use, one just involves another step in the work flow.

I think there is a difference between handing over an converted image directly to a photo editor or doing that through a jpg.
Using a JPG implies a 8-bit image and a compression.

George

[PhilT]

I think there is a difference between handing over an converted image directly to a photo editor or doing that through a jpg.
Using a JPG implies a 8-bit image and a compression.

George

Thanks George, and also John.
When I say JPEG for working on converted picture, it's just an option between others (TIFF), the question is about basic editing and corrections before final, more advanced PP, if wanted or needed. Is it good to use directly the RAW (NEF for me) in the PP? If not, do I need something more sophisticated that ViewNX2 or not (according to John, if I understood well, the answer is: no, you don't need)?

[Manfred M]

View NX2 is Nikon's RAW converter and in spite of marginal user interface, it does a very good job in converting the RAW data into something that can be edited. It is especially good in getting the skin tones right; something that cannot always be said for the much more commonly used Adobe Camera RAW. I use it from time to time. Getting the White Balance right in the RAW converter is critical as whatever value you have chosen there will be "baked" into the output from the converter. So to answer your question; ViewNX2 is definitely a very RAW good converter. The data base that ships with it was designed by the camera manufacturer (Nikon) and has performance specifics your camera built on its design specs. Any third party RAW converter will have to be built up by the respective manufacturer through testing various lens and camera combinations, so it really impossible for us end users to know how good a job was done.

I have no experience with the OnOne software you are using as an editor. It is one of many out there and is not used by a lot of users on this site, so far as I know. TIFF is a good output format as it supports 16-bit data, and as long as your editor supports it, that is the way I would tend to go if I were using that tool.

[PhilT]

Thanks a lot Manfred. For me that's really THE answer to this specific question , that I did not find before by searching the forum (and I remember some other relevant answers you gave me in previous threads).
As usual this forum is doing the job for people like me.

[Mike Buckley]

Phillippe,

The most recent free RAW converter from Nikon is Capture NX-D, so you might want to take a look at it. The major philosophical difference between Capture NX-D and View NX2 is that View NX2 stores the image-editing information in the RAW file whereas Capture NX-D stores it in a sidecar file.

View NX-i is also free and apparently has advanced browser and organizing capabilities. Once you have selected images in View NX-i, you can automatically launch Capture NX-D from within View NX-i. Nikon has officially announced that later this year a new version of View NX-i will be released that will allow you to post-process an image directly within View NX-i.

[xpatUSA]

My workflow for serious stuff is to use the camera manufacturer's converter/editor to produce a neutral 16-bit ProPhoto TIFF which I then pass to RawTherapee for post-processing to (usually) sRGB JPEG.

For quick and dirty shots, I do it all in FastStone Viewer from RAW to sRGB JPEG.

For party snaps, I shoot RAW and use the camera manufacturer's converter/editor to produce a neutral 8-bit sRGB TIFF which I then pass to FastStone Viewer for post-processing to sRGB JPEG.

For my cameras (Sigma), the manufacturer's converter is still the best for basic pre-processing.

I enjoy using the workflow that is best for the job in hand. These three workflows suffice for me because I don't print.

[PhilT]

Thanks to all who take time to answer.
I do generally make a selection of my prefered shots to print an album, then trying to adjust or improving the pictures, sometime adding effects with the help of PPS. Does it change the problematic?

[Brev00]

I use Perfect Photo Suite with Elements 12. One benefit is that it acts as a plug-in with Elements so I do not have to export from software to software. I have View NX 2 but prefer the Adobe Camera Raw in Elements for my raw processing. I really enjoy the user interface which I find quick, easy, and powerful. I like the page that marries the handling of noise reduction and sharpening which View NX 2 lacks (no nr). I find it preferable to do as much editing as possible with the raw file and Elements allows me to do that. I more and more often go straight from ACR to converting to 8 bits for a jpeg production. I like Perfect Photo Suite quite a bit but would not want to use it starting so high in the processing chain. Elements gives me a file that is really ready for any additional onOne editing.