Can Lightroom Read NEF in-camera settings?

Hi,

 

Since Lightroom version 1 is coming out, and I'd be quite interested to use it

for real wedding jobs. I've tried Beta 4 and liked the interface and ease of

control. However, there's one problem I couldn't solve. It's whether Lightroom

would read the in-camera settings already in the NEF file.

 

For example, if I set in my D200 the sharpening to be high, saturation high,

etc, and I shoot RAW + Jpeg, I'll have 2 files. One "cooked" jpeg, and one NEF

file. In Windows Picture Viewer or in photoshop when I open up the jpeg I'll

see the jpeg as I've shot it. However, when I open up the NEF with Photoshop

(Adobe Raw) or Lightroom, everything look pale and different. I figured it's

because the sharpening, saturation, etc, wasn't loaded by those programs. If I

open the NEF with Nikon Capture Editor, the photo would look the same as the

jpeg, because it understands all the settings.

 

I shoot in RAW only in a typical wedding job, and I'd like to use Lightroom for

editing the photos, but it'd be a waste of time if the in-camera settings are

lost (I know that the white-balance can be set to "As-shot", so that doesn't

count), and I have to re-do all the adjustments.

 

Is what I'm experiencing normal? Or is there any way to set the Lightroom so

that I can read the settings in the NEF file?

 

Thank you very much.

doubtful that it could use the sharpening setting. number 1 it would have to interpret what

Nikon meant by "high sharpening" because #2.) Adobe usesvery different sharpening

algorithms than Nikon (or Canon, etc.) do.

 

You can set up a custom default set of preset parameters for that camera and PsLr v1.0

could apaprently apply those to all D200 images or even ones shot with that specific

camera body.

 

See the short video tutorials Irish photographer Sean McCormack has on his Lightroom

blog: http://www.seanmcfoto.com/lightroom/

Only Capture 4 and Capture NX can read those settings.

Adam, not entirely true.

 

Mike, have a look at ToneUp. It can read NEF files for all Nikons (maybe not for D40 yet) and opens them with the jpg metadata active as well.

 

http://www.toneupstudio.com/

 

It also allows custom curves to be applied especially if you load their 'straight' curve into your camera. It also allows customised curves to be uploaded to the camera and there is an online database of many curves to try.

 

It also allows images to be edited as well as batch processing to jpg and tif if you know which curve you want to apply to a series of images.

 

I have a low contrast curve custom curve to produce jpg's uploaded to my D50 which compresses the highlights to reduce them blowing, and ups the shadows at the same time. One hit of the auto levels in Picasa and pretty much how i like it straight from the jpeg. If not I still have the NEF.

 

All this for $15. Bargain. There also useful forums as well.

 

Good luck

 

Darren

Below are somw examples

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For some reason that last one hasn't recompressed very well and doesn't look too good as posted. Looks fine when displayed in image viewer at native res.

it might have to do with your color space setting on your D200

if you save your Raw in Adobe RGB, the colors will look dull compared to your jpeg unless your software can read it

 

otherwise, use sRGB because it is more widely accepted by most softwares

Shouldn't sRGB be avoided and Adobe RGB only be used, when post processing: RGB1 for

portraits, 3 for landscapes and 2 for general pix? This is what all the literature states. The

custom curves loaded into the Camera only affects the jpeg, that's why the huge diff betw it

and the NEF. Have you read the intro in Capture NX, on how to set the in Camera

Optimization )for jpegs) when you shoot NEF + jpeg? This might add to a better

understanding and answer to your question.

Lightroom uses ACR for NEF files, which reads some but not all in-camera settings. It is extremely easy to make adjustments in ACR in Bridge or Lightroom for batches RAW files, so this is not something to worry about.

 

If you insist on retaining in-camera adjustments, you can use Nikon Capture NX, or use the RAW+JPEG mode in the camera. Once you see the results, I doubt you will bother in the future. In-camera adjustments aren't all that great. In the end, it's better to keep a consistent work flow, rather than bounce out and back from another (e.g., Capture) program.