Capture NX2 for almost everything, I say almost because LR4 has lens corrections and CS5 has photo stitching and HDR.

This is an ever lasting argument, I guess; a very interesting one though, with no right answer; mainly because it is too much down to the preference of each photographer and the capabilities offered by the different software products, all of them varying continuously. And this is probably why you are now reading this thread.

In my case, I am not too worried about super-productive workflow. I am more concerned about getting the most out of an image, keeping things as simple as possible but without loosing control of what is happening.

I tried tens of different photo editing/cataloguing tools. So far I have narrowed my spectrum down to: a) ViewNX (for quickly browse/organise), b) Capture NX2 (main editing tool, including Color Efex 3 complete), and c) Photoshop (for those VERY rare complex editing jobs). Period.

With sadness, I keep leaving Adobe's Lightroom out of the list. From its very first release I always wanted to adopt it; I tried it and I keep re-trying its new releases in hope that some day it will handle Nikon RAW images as Capture NX2 does. Well...it hasn't so far, and it seems it never will.

I love LR's sleek, intuitive, expansible environment, which translates in a very flexible workflow with very high throughput. NX2 in turn is way sloooooooow, clumsy, unstable, rather limited and is looking rather outdated to say the least.

But:
- NX2 uniquely treats and processes Nikon RAW files mimicking Nikon in-camera's processors: what you see when shooting is a pin-sharp replica of what you get with NX2. There is no other software in the market that can even dare claiming this.
- NX2 saves all the edits non-destructively within the same file; no hassle for portability or administration. LR generates a massive external database which is an unnecessary level of risk and restrictive compexity.
- NX2's U-points are simply great! So simple and yet so powerful.

I hope this could be of help to some of you.
Cheers.

NikoDoby said:
The "U" points were actually created by Nik software. There is a chance we could see something "similar" in future adobe products but don't hold your breathe. I'd expect NX3 to probably show up later this year or next.

Since this post is a yeasr old we can add an "or the year after that" to the last sentence.

I worked with a bunch of tools, and because I do not like to do post-processing on the photos, I do not spend a lot with them.. but:

1. To preview photos, I use IrFanView free tool. it is fast, supports a large number of formats
2. Most of the PP I do using Photoshop CS3, it does the job and I guess I do not need any more than that.. Although it does not support Nikon D7000 raw conversion
3. I tried Photoshop CS5,nice tool, but need $$$ for getting it, currently I'm not in a position to spend more money on photography... or I will be forced to sleep with my dog in his doghouse..
4. I used/use Nikon Capture 4.4 on my D70s, but that tool will not support my D7000, therefore I'm limited to use Nikon ViewNX2 which I don't like due to its limited capabilities.
5. I tried Lightroom 3.0 till the trail version died.. nice.. but I need to get used to. (The learning curve is not short with all Adobe products)
6. Under Linux, I use RawTherapee and Gimp.. nice tools that evolved a lot since they were first published.. They are free tools and I would take the opportunity to say "thanks" to the developers of these tools. They may not compete with professional commercial tools, but they are not far behind them!
7. For panorama making, I use Hugin free tool, very similar to PT-Gui

Disclaimer: I do not have any relationship with any of the tools mentioned above, I just use them. I have no profit from them.

Hope it helps...

Have a nice day to all..

In the last month Lightroom 3 has fallen form $299.00 (regular price) to $179, then to $150. Something's up. LR4 soon? Maybe Adobe will also have a "big" anouncement later this month as well.

Roka13 said:
Wow this was really helpful but are there any other free ones(like light room)?

You won't get any free ones with the quality that Lightroom provides but you can buy Lightroom for $99 if you're a student or get a student to buy it for you at their college book store.

Anyone have a Nik Software Silver EFEX Pro 2 serial I could use? I'm too broke to buy the trial version for $200 and I tried various cracks already that didn't work. Thanks I know its asking a lot actually...

tcole1983 said:
What is Corel Photopaint x-5? x3 maybe?

And not everyone has $640 to spend on CS5...lightroom cost enough for me.

Nope it's X5 (I still have x3 installed though)

Wow this was really helpful but are there any other free ones(like light room)?

tcole1983 said:
And not everyone has $640 to spend on CS5...lightroom cost enough for me.

Make sure you register Lightroom 3 and tick the "please send me ..... " box
From time to time, Adobe send out, time limited, half price offers for CS5 ( needles to say, mine arrive after I had paid the full price)

Many Adobe products can be trialed free for 30 days

kyoshinikon said:
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is archaic. It is like using photoshop 5 (not cs5)

I use Photoshop Cs5, Corel Photopaint x-5, and Lightroom for different jobs... Seldom use NX2 or Gimp these days...

What is Corel Photopaint x-5? x3 maybe?

And not everyone has $640 to spend on CS5...lightroom cost enough for me.

I'm a real cheapskate and use The Gimp for all my image manipulation (JPEG).

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is archaic. It is like using photoshop 5 (not cs5)

I use Photoshop Cs5, Corel Photopaint x-5, and Lightroom for different jobs... Seldom use NX2 or Gimp these days...

tcole1983 said:
I had been using View and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, but I wasn't very happy with the Corel software. I just got lightroom and although I don't know all the tricks yet it is a ton better.

Same here, I was using NX2, Nikon Picture Project, Topaz and PS Elements. I'm still learning everything in Lightroom but Lightroom is so much better than what I was using.

I had been using View and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, but I wasn't very happy with the Corel software. I just got lightroom and although I don't know all the tricks yet it is a ton better.

I know both lightroom and photoshop have end user agreements that allow what you're talking about—installing to one desktop computer and one laptop—as long as only one copy is running at a time and you own both computers. I don't know about the others.

Well I still only have used Nikon View for editing, if I even do that (mostly cropping pics). Does any of the software mentioned allow you to load it on more than one computer or are you limited to using it on one computer.

For instance I would love to have it on my desktop and my laptop. I save everything to a NAS device anyway.

closing this topic, Mike, if You want to have it open back please change the privileges on Your photos so they can be visible for all.

Looks to me like you are using too much sharpening in your workflow. NX2 sharpening is terrific, simple. Sharpening should ALWAYS be done last. If you are in to NIK software at all, their sharpening software is also tops. It will give you all the control possible. I do not use Lightroom.

I have a Nikon D7000 and I shoot in 14-bit NEF (raw). I’ll develop the photos in both Nikon Capture NX 2.2.6 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.3. After doing any post-processing in NX2 or LR3, I’ll save the photo for use on the web as a downsized JPEG (1024 pixels wide).

I’m consistently getting sharper results in the resulting JPEG files using Nikon Capture NX2 than using Adobe Lightroom 3.

With NX2, I’ll do minor capture sharpening, resize the image to 1024, and then use an UnSharp Mask for output sharpening. I get great results.

With LR3, I’ll use the Details tab to do capture sharpening, and then export to JPEG, which resizes the photo. In the export settings, I have output sharpening turned on for Screen and amount set to either Standard or High. However, the downsized JPEGs generated by LR3 look less sharp and focused.

Is there any way to have more control over the output sharpening in Lightroom 3?

Any suggestions?

SparkCreative said:
Capture One Pro. If you're dealing with a LOT of raw files, nothing touches it.

How is that? What does Capture one do differently than Aperture or Lightroom which makes it better for dealing with a LOT of raw files?

Capture One Pro. If you're dealing with a LOT of raw files, nothing touches it.

I use LR3 for 90% of the time and convert to DNG, I use CS5 less than 10% of the time just to merge panos and when I need to remove background clutter with "content aware"

How about CaptureOne? Does anybody have any experienced with it? I have been using CaptureOne, but I really like Nik plug-ins for Lightroom, so I'm considering switching.

thanks.