PSE 11 and Nikon Software for viewing

[Nancy Moran G]

Have started taking pictures in Raw and Jpeg on my Nikon 7000. Loaded Nikon software and photos into it.
Just tried PSE 11 and can not figure how to import Raw from ViewNx software? I tried 'drag/drop, from Nikon program.
Windows photo program let me take the jpeg version into PSE.
Then I adjusted 3 jpeg photos in PSE but a band/lock is over the photo now in the Organizer ?
I was at library as I do not have alot of gigs to use at home. Any help in this appreciated.
Will ask Santa for a book on 'Dummies' version of help ;{
N

[Mike Buckley]

Open your PSE 11 and use its browser to load your photograph. If you are loading a NEF, ACR will launch from within PSE. There is no need to use Nikon View NX on your NEFs if you are going to use PSE and ACR on them.

[royphot]

Hi.
The best way to get image files onto your Computer is just to copy them from the Memory card into a folder in "My Pictures", ( or into a folder wherever you want). Don't bother with View NX, meantime.

Start PSE go to "File" - "Open" and navigate to the folder with your image files.

If you choose the NEF (Raw file) it will open in the Adobe Converter. Use the sliders to adjust the image as you want and then click on "Save Image", ensuring that you save it as a Tiff or PSD and save it back into the same folder.

The problem with Programs like View NX, and the organiser in PSE, is that you may not know where they will save your image files, and sometimes it can be hard to find their actual location, if you should want to process them in a different program.

These programs have their uses for Cataloguing, but you might well want to set up your own system.

Roy

[Nancy Moran G]

Thank you Mike and Roy.
When I take photos from my card, I use Nikon because Raw photos won't show up in my Windows Live Gallery. So I
I then download same photos into Windows.
So I have 1 set with both Raw and Jpeg, and 1 that shows jpeg and a 'blank' shot.
Forgive me, but if I don't use Nikon software, how do I get the Raw? Or do I have to download all 100 shots of Raw
Into PSE for THE 1 that may be the keeper?
:{
N

[Mike Buckley]

You're not downloading your photos into any particular software app; you're downloading them to the computer and then using whatever app that you want to view them. So, you shouldn't have two sets of RAW and JPEG files; you should have 1 set of RAW and JPEG files of which some software will be able to display both file formats and some will be able to display only the JPEGs.

I'm not familiar with PSE enough to know whether you can just as quickly view all of the photos as when using ViewNX. If PSE doesn't handle that task well, it makes sense to use ViewNX for that purpose.

I also don't use Windows Live, so I don't know the options that are available to you with that.

[Mike Buckley]

Hi.
The problem with Programs like View NX, and the organiser in PSE, is that you may not know where they will save your image files, and sometimes it can be hard to find their actual location, if you should want to process them in a different program.

It has been a long time since I have used either program. However, I used to use both of them regularly and I never had that problem. I seem to remember that using either program's browser and selecting an image automatically displays the location of the file, though I could be wrong.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Nancy,

Nikon's ViewNX does have the ability to add programs like Elements to its right click "Open with"

As you can see, I use this a lot

(no - don't ask me why the arrow points right and the list is on left, there was plenty of screen space on right)
(the apparent duplicates aren't: they allow me to choose between 32 bit and 64 bit versions of CS5 and CS6)

To add them yourself:
1) Menu bar Edit > Options (or Ctrl+K is the keyboard shortcut)
2) Then choose "Open with Application" on left
3) Then click the add button and choose from the list of applications, or click Other to navigate to a file on your computer
4) You can probably work it out from here on

Step 2) screen grab

FYI: the 32 bit versions are in the Program Files (x86) folders, those without x86 are the 64 bit versions.

Step 3) screen grab


That should help - unless there's an installation problem with one or the other.

I use ViewNX a lot for card transfer and initial review/cull of RAWs and hence use "Open with" everytime.
As someone said above, if the file is RAW (.NEF) it should open with ACR in Elements

Cheers,

[Nancy Moran G]

Holy Cow, thanks Dave!
Will try this as soon as I can.
Kep'em com in'.
Nancy

[shreds]

Dave,

Quick question: aren't View NX and Capture NX (or its current version Capture NX2) slightly different programmes, although both allow viewing of Nikon NEF files (as does ACR and numerous other RAW converter programs), but with View NX doing just that, allowing you to see the files, whereas Capture NX/NX2 have more functionality, including adjustments done not by layer masks as Adobe but by 'control points'. There is not as much ability to alter things or add text etc as with Elements or CS6.

(View NX is usually a give away with the camera, whilst Capture NX or NX2 these days is a paid for version except for Hi-end Nikon Pro cameras were it is sometimes added as a free giveaway. (Well at that sort of £xxxx it should be!)

Capture NX/NX2 are very good if you are always dealing in Nikon material, but does add its own sidecar file that is not fully replicated in other programmes, if I recall correctly.

So workflow and consideration of how the files will be seen in the future is important, although I used to find that using NX2 was more suited and well aligned to Nikon cameras (only Phase One's Capture One, comes close) in terms of final result without a lot of tweaking in my eyes, but others may see it differently.

[Mike Buckley]

I'll offer my take, Ian. You did a nice job of summarizing everything.

One small point for some and a huge point for others is that the image edits using Capture NX2 (I don't know about ViewNX) are not placed in the sidecar file; they are placed in the image file. Some people feel that that process makes the image file unduly vulnerable to corruption. (The sidecar files are used for metadata.)

You are correct that Nikon places some proprietary information in the RAW file that cannot be read by other software applications. It can be emulated but not read.

I don't understand your comment that consideration of how files will be used in the future is important. Please clarify that.

[shreds]

You are correct that Nikon places some proprietary information in the RAW file that cannot be read by other software applications. It can be emulated but not read.

I don't understand your comment that consideration of how files will be used in the future is important. Please clarify that.

Mike,

You eloquently summed it up by stating that other software cannot read some of the NX2 information. If you ever therefore move to another pp software, you effectively 'lose' that information that only NX2 could read and create without a lot of messing around.

NX2 is a fast and easy workflow, but such limitations place a big question mark in my mind over using that, compared to other proprietary formats.

[Mike Buckley]

Ian,

I see no risk because the RAW files can be saved as TIFF files, which can be read by the other software apps. Besides, when it comes to accepting manageable risks, I don't see Nikon ever saying to all of its customers, "Sorry, but all those RAW files that you post-processed using our software are now obsolete because we're not updating it to be compatible with current operating systems. We're also no longer going to update it to be compatible with our new cameras." Instead, Nikon will either continue providing a RAW converter that reads their proprietary information or they will make that information available to software developers.

[Brev00]

Nancy:

Being a long time Elements 9 and now an Elements 12 user, I strongly recommend uploading all of your images into the Organizer. One, you can easily review your images and cull from the Organizer without ever editing a thing. Two, as you use ACR to edit your files, you will find (at least I have) that more and more of your images are keepers. 100:1 sounds pretty harsh as a ratio even before you develop your raw processing skills. After I delete from the organizer, I find my keeper ratio is pretty high. Processing in ACR and then Elements can become a very powerful workflow and I put more and more questionable images through it finding more gold in the straw than I originally thought possible. Sometimes, I do the processing just for practice. I only use View NX2 now for the ca correction feature at the very end of my workflow.

[Nancy Moran G]

Thank you Larry for your advice. I finally have garnered some pretty good photos and I definitely need to find some flow.
Any advice always welcomed.
Nancy