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There are lots of photo opportunities that wait beyond the behind-the-camera experience you have with any of the Nikon D-series DSLR cameras. Nikon Capture-NX software is like having a professional darkroom and editing lab of your own. It's easy to use yet uncompromising in quality. Capture NX 2 features award-winning U Point technology for precision selection and application of enhancements without complicated selections or layer masks. Designed to closely match the way photographers work with their images, Capture NX 2 is easy to learn and creates the highest quality results. Now you can selectively edit photographs without the need to manually outline or mask the area for editing. Simply place a Selection Control Point anywhere on the photograph then choose from almost any adjustment such as D-Lighting, Unsharp Mask or Noise Reduction, while limiting the ?reach? of that adjustment to just the selected area. Capture NX 2 adds an automatic retouch tool to its image editing toolbox allowing users to seamlessly remove blemishes, dust and other distracting elements from photographs while maintaining the integrity of the image. With just a simple slider adjustment you can easily open up shadows or recover blown-out highlights. Highlight recovery is most effective for RAW (NEF) files however it will work with JPEG and TIFF files as well. Color Control Points (improved operation) Black/White/Neutral Control Points (improved layout) Color management control with Soft Proofing Color Aberration Control, D-Lighting (High Speed/High Quality), Image Dust Off, Vignette Control and Fisheye-to-Rectilinear Image Transformation Noise Reduction - global or selective adjustments Distortion Control - reduces pincushion and barrel distortion effects Color Booster Color Balance Contrast/Brightness Saturation/Warmth Photo Enhance (for toning, sepia, black and white) Levels/Curves Editor, LCH Editor, Auto Levels
Nikon's Capture NX 2 software is a full-featured, nondestructive photo-editing program that gives photographers all the tools they need to quickly and easily edit their photographs. Also available in a reduced-price upgrade version (requires a valid serial number from v1.x), the software offers such editing features as color control points, selection control points, an auto-retouch brush, and shadow/highlight adjustment. Enhancing the hue, brightness, and saturation of an image is as simple as placing a color control point on your image, then adjusting the length of the sliders. For example, color control points are a remarkably convenient way to change the color of flowers to look better against green surrounding foliage. As an alternative, editors can take a dull gray sky and add blue to change the mood of a captured scene. The selection control points, meanwhile, let you selectively edit photographs without manually outlining or masking the area for editing. Simply place a selection control point anywhere on the photograph, and then choose from almost any adjustment, including D-Lighting, Unsharp Mask, or Noise Reduction, while limiting the 'reach" of that adjustment to just the selected area. Capture NX 2 also adds an automatic retouch tool to its image editing toolbox, allowing users to seamlessly remove blemishes, dust, and other distracting elements from photographs while maintaining the integrity of the image. And thanks to the shadow/highlight adjustment, you can easily open up shadows or recover blown-out highlights. Highlight recovery is most effective for RAW (NEF) files; however, it will work with JPEG and TIFF files as well. The software's redesigned v2 interface includes such features as customized workspaces, an improved toolbar function and layout, improved edit list functionality, a redesigned image browser with a favorites folder, and improved image resolution adjustments. The software's holdover features from v1.x range include black/white/neutral control points, color management control, color aberration control, distortion control, a color booster, contrast/brightness adjustment, a saturation/warmth adjustment, black-and-white conversion, straighten and crop tools, and much more. Finally, Capture NX 2 features award-winning U Point technology for precision selection and application of enhancements without complicated selections or layer masks. Designed to closely match the way photographers work with their images, Capture NX2 is easy to learn and creates the highest-quality results. Note that the software fully integrated with all Nikon software, including Camera Control Pro 2, Image Authentication Software, Transfer, and ViewNX. Capture NX 2 System Requirements
Windows
- Preinstalled version of 32-bit Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Enterprise/Ultimate (Service Pack 1) editions or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) editions
- Pentium 4 processor or better
- 768 MB RAM minimum (1 GB or more recommended)
- 200 MB free hard disk space for installation
- 1,024 x 768 or higher monitor resolution (1,280 x 1,024 recommended) with 16-bit color (32-bit color recommended)
- CD-ROM drive; Internet connection; approved memory cards for importing/exporting custom picture controls
Macintosh
- OS Macintosh OS X v10.4.11 or 10.5.2
- PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Xeon, or better processor
- 768 MB RAM minimum (1 GB or more recommended)
- 200 MB free hard disk space for installation
- 1,024 x 768 or higher monitor resolution (1,280 x 1,024 recommended) with 64,000 colors (16.7 million colors recommended)
- CD-ROM drive; Internet connection; approved memory cards for importing/exporting custom picture controls
Nikon Capture NX 2 Full Version Accessories
 Real World Nikon Capture NX 2 (Real World)
Nikon EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for D200, D300, D700 and D80 Digital SLR Cameras
Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control for Nikon D40, D40x, D60 & D80 Digital SLR Cameras
David Busch's Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
SanDisk 8 GB Extreme III CF Card SDCFX3-008G-A31 (Retail Package)
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition)
Nikon Capture NX 2 Full Version Reviews
I still use Picture It for JPEG and Capture for my Nikon RAW images. As I get more adept maybe I will branch out into additional software, but for now I am happy with Capture NX2.I use the D-80 camera. I do not use layering so don't need the mre expensive PhotoShop 7 software. I have just started using this software and find it very helpful and with more options than "Picture It" which I have used for sometime.
NX2 is intuitive with very little instruction needed to publish. The difference was so obvious when I downloaded my pics to my computer. Now I only use raw.
photos Best I have ever used. Many photo labs have done away with many of the tools it took months to discover and learn to use with precision so that my prints looked perfect at 4x6 or 16x12. Capture was designed to be used with Nikon DSL RAW.
Having A Nikon DSL I didn't usually use raw, because there wasn't much difference in the outcome. The other software I have used were the cream of the crop. I knew I was really missing out.
After a recent photography expo in NYC, I picked up a 60 day trial of NX2. The interface is easy to use and appealing to the eyes. I have always been a hardcore Photoshop user and Canon shooter so I never even bothered to check out Nikon's software. Every tool is right in front of you and can be combined with key strokes. This was probably the best thing I could have ever done for my photography. Plus, every edit you do is nondestructive and you can easily go back steps or even all the way to the bottom without compromising your images (this is especially important when working with JPEGs). NX2 is a lot easier to use than Photoshop and the price is definitely significantly less. I think I have found my new favorite software.
I can't see it becoming part of a regular workflow unless performance is improved. As a long-time user of Photoshop, I was frequently disappointed with the colors in my digitally-manipulated photos. If you're looking to give this program a try, download the 60-day trial from Nikon before making a purchase decision since it won't appeal to everyone. To me, this feature alone is worth the purchase price. One of the best features of Nikon Capture NX2 is the auto-retouch tool, which replaces a selection with something else in the picture with similar surroundings. Although I like this program a lot, the interface is extremely clunky. It's hard to browse the edit list on the right-hand side as the list gets longer. After looking at demos on the Nikon website, I decided to give Capture NX2 a try and was very impressed with the color controls like D-lighting (simply shadows/highlights in Photoshop), and the ability to easily make local changes.
It's possible that it's because I'm not savvy at creating masks in Photoshop. One of the nice things that it allows you to do is copy the edit list from one file and apply it to another, but this is also painfully slow. Capture NX2 is slow, even on a powerful desktop. I can't tell you how this has saved many wedding photos.
to have it printed at Kinkos, Staples etc. Way too expensive to print at home. It's really more for raw images, but also does a terrific job on tiffs and jpegs. The only thing is that you have to print the authors release form from the c.d. I recommend this program for anyone and it's quite easy to use.
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