Capture NX2 question

[rawill]

I downloaded the trial version to give it a go.

The first mistake I made was to somehow change a setting so the photos would not show up when I clicked on the folder they were in.

I reinstalled the programme to get the function back, but I can't do that everytime I mess the menu up.

I googled the issue but could not find an answer.

Does anyone know what I did wrong?
Dumb question I know!~!

[Mike Buckley]

I have extensive experience with using NX2 over the years but I'm having trouble determining exactly what you did that caused the problem. I'm guessing that you probably accidentally clicked one of the items in the mini toolbar located immediately beneath the Main toolbar. The mini tool bar includes the Filter that allows you to select (from left to right) any of the ten color labels (0 -9), any of the star ratings, any items in the "All Images" drop down menu, or a combination of those items. As an example, if all of the files in a particular folder are RAW files and you happened to have used the "All Images" drop down menu to display only the JPEGs, none of the images in that folder would have been displayed.

As much as I love using Capture NX2, one of its notorious weak points is its browser. It would be ideal if you could find a free program that allows you to quickly and easily browse through your image files. You would also want to be able to configure that program to open the selected image file(s) in Capture NX2. Sorry that I can't recommend any such programs, because I use a cataloging program, IDimager, to do that and it isn't free. I recommend that you start a new thread asking for recommendations about that. For all I know, a lot of people might recommend Nikon View NX2. (I haven't used View NX in so long that I don't remember its browsing capabilities.)

On a related topic, people often ask why they can't find an image file that has been saved using the "save as" capability. Most often, that's easy to explain: Assume that you use that capability to save a file in "Folder A." You then open a file in "Folder B" and save it as a renamed file thinking that it will be saved in "Folder B." That would be logical considering that you opened the file originally from that folder. However, NX2 remembers that the last time you used the "save as" function, you saved the file in "Folder A." So, it automatically stores the next file that you use the "save as" function also in "Folder A" unless you change the destination to "Folder B."

Make sense?

By the way, the next time you unknowingly change something, you probably won't need to reinstall the program to revert to the default settings. Instead, try using the following click stream: Window >> Reset Workspace.

[rawill]

Many thanks Mike.

I did hope you would see this and reply.
Your reply was very thorough.

I will check out what you say.
I might try View or Picassa for browsing.

I am a total newbie when it comes to all this PP stuff.

Mostly all I have done before is resizing and cropping using Irfanview.

[Mike Buckley]

Any time you post a question about NX2, feel free to PM me to make sure that I see your thread.

Regarding your other thread, someone posted the idea of using GIMP to get rid of the electricity lines. If you decide to do that, be sure to test whether the resulting JPEG that you save using GIMP can then be opened later in NX2. I wasn't able to make that happen a few months ago when I began test driving GIMP. The biggest reason for that might have been that I spent very little time trying. I suspect that GIMP can be configured to make that happen and that I wasn't willing to take the time to figure out how.

[rawill]

Regarding your other thread, someone posted the idea of using GIMP to get rid of the electricity lines. If you decide to do that, be sure to test whether the resulting JPEG that you save using GIMP can then be opened later in NX2.

I downloaded Gimp and had a try. Same thing happened, different extension and it will not show up with Capture NX.
So lets wait and see if there is an answer.

Gimp has what looks like a good clone tool

[jeeperman]

Mike and Robin, you can get Jpeg and Tiffs from Gimp. Do not save, scroll down and use export. This will give you the options you need.

[rawill]

Aha, will check that out, thanks Paul.

As a total newbie, I am finding that some tools in some editing software are great, and that others are not as good, but they have different good tools.
So far, without buying PS none have all the tools I want in one application.

EG, in FastStone the clone/heal tool allows you to pick a source, if it has a line in it you can see the line and line it up and place it exactly where you want. The Gimp version appears different. Maybe this is the way it is. This forum is great.

[jeeperman]

Robin, I hear you and short of shelling out some cash that is how it will be, and even then at times. Gimps tools can take some getting used to. When useing that clone tool I got the best results useing a soft brush....usually the largest fuzzy circle. You can adjust the brush quite a bit. You can adjust opacity as well but I found I liked useing it at 100% most of the time, but there are times you dont need a full replacement of pixels.

[rawill]

Mike and Robin, you can get Jpeg and Tiffs from Gimp. Do not save, scroll down and use export. This will give you the options you need.

Excellent, works just like you said, Why am I not surprised.

Not sure how much I have learnt today, but it is a lot more than 1 new thing.
I can take a holiday from learning for over a week now.

Maybe I will have work anyway so I won't get back to this for a while.

[Mike Buckley]

Robin and Paul,

After exporting a JPEG in GIMP, I was unable to open it in Capture NX2. I'm confident that I overlooked something, but I recommend that Robin try rather than assume it will open just because it's a JPEG that should open just fine.

[rawill]

Yes Mike I have opened it in Gimp,
exported it as a JPEG,
opened again in FastStone, and also Capture NX2.

However, the first time I did it did not work,
then I found there is another option in GIMP that appears to tag the photo as a JPEG.
I think that option is on the left box under export, select file type by extension, NOT the drop down selection on the right under all images.

I think that is how I did it.
But now that I have done it it can be saved a place on the menu that says:
Overwrite "FILENAME"

Just opened up a new photo in GIMP, and the opportunity to save in JPEG seems to be imprinted in there now.
So saved it as a JPEG, and opened it up in Capture and it was all good.

[Mike Buckley]

Glad to know that you got it working, Robin. I went through that process too long ago to remember the details that I apparently overlooked. The little time that I spent exploring GIMP makes me very confident that the combination of NX2 and GIMP can prove to be a very powerful duo.