Capture NX 2.0 Hands-on Review
by Jason P. Odell
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June 3, 2008: Nikon has announced Capture NX 2.0. I've had a chance to use the software for some time; here is my hands-on review (Updated 22 June 2008).
Introduction
On June 3rd, 2008, Nikon unveiled the latest edition of its RAW processor and image editor, Capture NX 2.0. This new application provides some new tools and new functionality to the original Capture NX image editor. I’ve been able to test Capture NX 2.0 for several months; finally I can discuss this software publicly. In this hands-on review, I’ll go through the new features in Capture NX 2.0, and talk about what I like (and what I’d still like to see in the future).
Capture NX 2.0 is a full-featured image editor from Nikon that also offers a set of workflow tools, like an image browser and metadata tagging functions. What sets Capture NX apart from some other image editors is that it offers built-in RAW conversion for Nikon NEF files, but it also works just fine with JPEGs and TIFFs. Moreover, Capture NX’s approach to image adjustments is always non-destructive; even JPEGs and TIFFs can be saved in a way that preserves their adjustments non-destructively. The other truly unique feature of Capture NX is the way it handles selective editing. Selective, or local, adjustments involve applying effects to individual parts of an image; i.e., a sky or foreground object. Capture NX takes a “visual” approach to creating selections using some novel tools, namely “Control Points”. Control Points utilize technology by Nik Software (Nikon’s co-developer of Capture NX) to allow photographers to quickly select areas in their image that are of interest to them.
What’s New in Capture NX 2.0
User Interface
If you’ve used Capture NX 1.3, you might think that the GUI wasn’t changed much in NX 2.0. However, the GUI has been significantly streamlined, and I think most Capture NX users will welcome the improvements. First of all, the Edit List has been totally overhauled and streamlined to improve the user experience.
Develop Section (formerly Base Adjustments)
The “Base Adjustments” section from NX 1.3 has been renamed "Develop", and contains three primary areas: Camera Settings, Quick Fix, and Camera and Lens Corrections. This section is primarily for adjustments that are specific to Nikon RAW (NEF) files, but some of the tools can be used on TIFFs and JPEGs, too.
The Camera Settings area contains tools for correcting White Balance and the other Camera settings, like Picture Control. Photographers who have a Nikon DSLR that does not support Picture Control will be able to apply Picture Control settings to their NEFs in Capture NX 2.0. This allows photographers a way of standardizing the look of their images regardless of what Nikon DSLR produced them. Camera Settings contains a few other RAW-only controls, like in-camera Noise Reduction and Active D-Lighting.
Quick Fix is a totally new control palette in the Edit List. The first thing you’ll notice in Quick Fix is the Levels/Curves tool. Photographers can now quickly adjust global image contrast on NEFs or JPEGs without adding any adjustment steps. Also in Quick Fix is where you'll find the Exposure Compensation slider (RAW-only) and two new tools: Shadow Protection and Highlight Protection. These two adjustment sliders are a welcome addition to Capture NX 2.0 and work very well. In comparing images processed using the Shadow/Highlight sliders and D-Lighting, I found that the Highlight and Shadow Protection tools produced better quality conversions with less shadow noise than D-Lighting. TIFF and JPEG shooters will like the fact that you can use the Highlight and Shadow Protection tools on these formats as well, albeit without some of the latitude gained by using a RAW file.
The Camera and Lens Corrections contains the less frequently used tools, like Image Dust Off and Vignette Control. Auto CA removal is here, too, but it is enabled by default and I suggest leaving it turned on.
Figure 1: The Develop Section of the Edit List is totally redesigned.
The Adjust Section
The Adjust Section of the Edit List is where the "Edit Steps" are placed when you make adjustments to your image. Edit Steps can be added to NEF images and also RGB images like TIFFs and JPEGs. There are two significant changes to the way Edit Steps behave in the Edit List.
First, tool palettes and dialogs are now completely contained within the Edit List itself; no more pop-up dialogs. Second, the Edit Steps gain additional selection tools and the control/display of selections in significantly enhanced. Users can now use a "overlay mask" view to help them make selections-- the image is still shown behind the mask. This is a tremendous improvement to Capture NX 2.0 and strengthens its position as a “visual editor”. A new "Base Mask" option allows you to apply a overall fill effect and vary its opacity when creating selections. New tools in the Edit Steps allow you to quickly revert to previous settings or delete the selection effects.
Figure 2: Adjustment tools are now fully contained in the Edit List.
Workspaces
Capture NX2 offers users a new feature called "Workspaces" that let you choose from several pre-configured screen arrangements or save your own. This makes working with the application easier, especially for users who want to keep the browser window open while working on an image (something that NX 1.3 could not do).
Figure 3: The Multipurpose workspace in Capture NX 2.0
Dual Monitor Support
Capture NX 2.0 offers substantially improved support for dual monitors than NX 1.3. You can, for example, expand the Browser window on your second monitor while working on images on the primary display.
New Editing Tools
Capture NX 2.0 offers photographers several new tools, and for many of us, they are welcome additions to the stable. Here are some of the significant additions.
Auto Retouch Brush
The one tool sorely lacking from Capture NX 1.0 was a “clone” or “healing” tool that could be used for simple retouching. Capture NX 2’s Auto Retouch Brush answers this need in a very positive way. This new tool uses advanced algorithms to predict what pixels need “repair”. The Auto Retouch Brush can easily get rid of dust spots, hot pixels, and remove blemishes from images with astounding ease with this tool. The Auto Retouch Brush is still not ready for hard-core cloning-- it won't remove your ex-wife from an image, but for most of us who are trying to remove dust, blemishes, or wayward seagulls, it works very well.
Figure 4 a & b: The Auto Retouch Brush removes dust in a single operation.
Selection Control Points
The other truly "killer" tool in Capture NX 2.0 is the Selection Control Point feature. Color Control Points were (and still are) an excellent tool that make editing tremendously easy and a more “visual” process. Capture NX 2.0 users can now turn any adjustment into a Control Point effect, just by adding a Selection Control Point to an adjustment in the Edit List. The implications of this feature are staggering. For example, you can now apply NR to a sky by just clicking on the sky. Or, you can apply traditional tools like levels and curves or color balance on complex "masks" using a single click. You can display the selected area quickly using the selection view in the Edit Step, and determine if you need to modify the radius or opacity of the Selection Control Point. As with Color Control Points, you can duplicate Selection Control Points and add multiple points to a single step in the Edit List.
Figure 5: Selection Control Points allow complex masks with a single mouse click.
Radial Gradient
The gradient selection tool now offers a radial option which can be used for creative effects like vignetting, or making a “spotlight” effect. In addition, the gradient tools (linear and radial) now offer interactive control over not only the endpoints, but also the midpoint of the gradient.
Plug-in Support
Capture NX2 supports both Nik Color Efex 2.0 and 3.0. Existing users of Nik Color Efex 2.0 for Capture NX will be entitled to a free upgrade to a version compatible with NX2. CEP 3.0 has not yet been released for Capture NX, but I'm told it will be available soon.
Workflow Improvements
XMP Star Rating Support
Capture NX2 now offers support for star ratings in addition to labels. Labels and star ratings now use the XMP standard, so they are compatible with other products. This feature makes integrating Capture NX2 into a digital workflow much easier. Because Capture NX2 won't read sidecar XMP data, be aware that if you use Adobe Bridge to place stars on your images, unless you use another utility to embed the XMP data into the NEF itself, Capture NX2 won't read the stars. However, Bridge and other programs can read stars and labels embedded into NEFs by Capture NX 2.0. If you use a program that can embed XMP/IPTC metadata into NEFs, like View NX or Photo Mechanic, then Capture NX2 will "see" the star ratings, allowing you to then filter images by label or star rating in the Capture NX 2.0 browser.
Figure 6: The Capture NX 2.0 File Browser supports standard XMP star ratings.
Overall Performance
Performance is a relative measure, and one that is highly dependent on your computer system configuration. Users with the minimum of 728MB RAM will probably not have the snappiest performance. Capture NX 2.0 does appear (to us, at least) faster and more stable than NX 1.3. Of course, keep in mind that Capture NX 2.0 still uses the paradigm of updating the embedded preview JPEG in your NEFs every time you save the file (or batch the file). That means batching and pasting settings will still be slower than operations done in a RAW converter that uses sidecar files. Additionally, if you enable the rendering of all adjustments in the Edit List, this will also tax your processor. Remember that rasterized images (JPEGs and TIFFs) require far less computing horsepower to manage; RAW files are another story altogether. At the end of the day, “speed” is subjective. I save time in my overall workflow by using Capture NX 2.0 because of the reduced need to switch between it and another image editing program to "finish off" images.
While I feel that Capture NX 2.0 is a substantial improvement over its predecessor, there are still some features that I'd like to see improved in the future.
Better (faster) Batch Performance
Capture NX 1.0 was criticized for its slow batch performance; Capture NX 2.0 retains this limitation. Part of the reason is simple; because the NEF standard requires a JPEG preview, that JPEG must be rendered and saved for every NEF file that NX 2.0 modifies. This process seriously slows down the application when doing large batch jobs, or even a simple copy/paste modification to a file. One idea would be a "batch queue" that would allow the user to set up multiple batch jobs that could be processed one at a time (parallel batching would be even better). On the plus side, batch jobs in Capture NX 2.0 do occur as a background process; you can still be working on an open image while a batch routine runs.
Better Copy/Paste functionality in the File Browser
Currently, copying and pasting settings between images in the Capture NX File Browser requires invoking the full Batch Processing menu, introducing unnecessary steps into what should be a straightforward process. Hopefully this will be improved in later versions of Capture NX.
Ability to read XMP/IPTC data from sidecar files
The fact that Capture NX embeds XMP and IPTC metadata into NEFs is useful because it means that there are no secondary sidecar files to use. However, lots of photographers still like using browsers that utilize sidecar files for storing XMP and IPTC data, like star-ratings. It would be nice if a future version of Capture NX could at least read (and then embed) sidecar-based XMP/IPTC data.
More 3rd-Party Plug-ins
Capture NX 2.0 currently only supports Nik Color Efex Pro. We’d like to see more plug-ins added to Capture NX 2.0 in the future.
Reordering of Adjustments in the Edit List
Because adjustments in the Edit List are additive, their order matters. For example, sharpening steps should be done last to minimize artifacts. It would be nice if future versions of Capture NX allowed the user to easily move the order of steps in the Edit List, rather than having to delete and rebuild them.
More control over printing
While the print output from Capture NX 2.0 is excellent, it can still only print images in the center of the page. This can be a limitation for creative printing, like making greeting cards.
Better File Browser
The Capture NX 2.0 File Browser has been improved over that of its predecessor, but it is still weak in a few areas. First, the File Browser is not color-managed. That means images saved in a color space other than sRGB or Adobe RGB will look washed out or downright strange in the Browser. This phenomenon is especially true if you use ProPhoto RGB (which I recommend). Second, users still cannot view images at 100% (or anywhere close to that), which is something needed if you are going to use the Browser to make critical evaluations of images.
Conclusions
Capture NX 2.0 is a robust image editor, especially for the “digital darkroom” side of image processing. It offers excellent NEF conversion quality and now includes some much-needed tools to make it even stronger. The paradigm that Capture NX 1.0 offered, namely allowing photographers to edit their images visually (through Control Points) has been reinforced with the addition of Selection Control Points. While there are still some features that Capture NX could use (like a faster, color-managed browser and an overhauled batch processor), its editing capabilities are outstanding. The real strength of Capture NX 2.0 lies not in its suite of tools (which is extensive), but instead in the way its tools are applied (Edit Steps). By using Edit Steps in conjunction with the powerful selection tools, adjustments no longer need to be "one size fits all". The ease by which photographers can create incredibly complex mask effects takes the "work" out of the image editing process and allows creativity to come to the forefront. Users who enjoyed Capture NX 1.3 will definitely appreciate the enhancements in NX2. Photographers who need to batch process thousands of images quickly won’t want to use NX2 for high-throughput work. However, if you were on the fence about the original version of Capture NX due to the interface or lack of XMP support, you will want to consider giving Capture NX 2.0 a serious look.
Figure 7: Before (left) and after (right) images showing how, in just a few quick steps, photographers can easily adjust their images and get professional results.
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