Muddy clarity of View NX 2 (???)

<p>Just got off the phone with Nikon and they told me that if I'm editing the RAW (original) then I'm also altering it. Well duh....I get that. What I'm having a problem with is why View NX2, and unlike Capture NX 2, permits any sort of alteration of the RAW file from the camera ?</p>

<p>If there is a work around it (without touching the RAW), can someone tell me what that is ? Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Les</p>

 

<p>well, you could use something like 'dcraw' to see if the actual raw data gets changed or not. I'd be surprised if it did. My hunch is that while CaptureNX has 'steps' of processing that get written to a special area in the raw file, perhaps ViewNX 'simplifies' that by only changing 1 (the first) step and that's all thats available to the user. Most raw processors will not see the various Nikon steps of Capture NX. What happens when you do the same thing via ViewNX?</p>

I would not be suprised at all that data that are edited get changed, Howard. Or as Leszek put it: "Well duh...".<br><br>If you want to keep an unchanged original, all you have to do is copy the file before you start editing, store the original in a safe place, and work on the copy.<br>"Duh..." ;-)

<blockquote>

<p>why View NX2, and unlike Capture NX 2, permits any sort of alteration of the RAW file from the camera ?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Your understanding there isn't correct, to be honest. Both programs write back changes to the raw file (and that's not a "<em>well duh..</em>", it's rare for raw developers to do that). CaptureNX2 alters the file more than ViewNX2 does, in fact.<br>

What they should not do is alter the actual raw data inside the file. But both can add the settings you chose as 'development' parameters; CaptureNX2 has more and hence can store more. Therefor, ViewNX2 cannot read back the changes made in CaptureNX2, but vice-versa it does work. Also both will update the embedded preview (JPEG) that sits inside the NEF file. In case of CaptureNX2, it stores a high quality full resolution JPEG, causing the file size to increase quite considerably.</p>

<p>The only way to make CaptureNX2 not change the RAW file is always using "Save as" and never save as NEF. For ViewNX2, it would mean to edit, write your output file and then reset the raw file to its original values. A very dubious workaround is the new Capture NX-D; it works with sidecar files instead.</p>

<p>Note that I've got loads of files edited in ViewNX2 and CaptureNX2 and other raw editing tools do not seem to care at all about the changes they make (at least Adobe Camera RAW, rawtherapee and CaptureOne do not). Never had a problem that could be traced back to this behaviour of the Nikon software.</p>

<p>I'd never noticed before that Nikon software does indeed change the original NEF. I ran a few experiments last night with Nikon View NX2 and sure enough, the copy of a NEF and its embedded JPEG appeared differently when viewed in Irfanview, compared with the original NEF and default JPEG.</p>

<p>Lightroom, RawTherapee and Photo Ninja disregarded the edits made in Nikon software. Even the embedded JPEGs appeared the same as in the original unaltered NEF.</p>

<p>Very interesting. I seldom use Nikon's own software and until now assumed XMP files were created to accompany those edits. At least this helps clarify when some metadata doesn't seem to translate between Nikon View NX2, Lightroom, Windows Explorer, Picasa and other programs.</p>

<p>I doubt Nikon is altering the raw data itself, just as a DNG doesn't. It's updating some proprietary metadata I suspect. Adobe treats NEF's as '<em>read only</em>' and produces sidecar's but not for DNG. The opposite is true for NEF's with Nikon's software.</p>

<p>Leszek, you know that Nikon camera settings (like picture control, active d-lightning etc.) affect on how the raw NEF is interpreted when viewed with VNX2 or CNX2?<br>

The actual raw original info should be there, however. As an example you do cropping with VNX2. You get the cropped view and save it. You want to crop again. At this time it starts from the uncropped "original". No info is lost.<br>

When you have done editing and write tiff out, at that time the developing and editing instructions are merged the tiff is written out. Then I believe there is no way to go back, other than reverting to the original NEF.<br>

As said the CNX-D (develop) will change this and make a clear distinction between develop-section and editing section. This is done as CNX-D will write out the format you want as an output format (tiff). From that tiff you are not able to do steps back as those steps are not there. CNX-D will have those sidecar files.<br>

At this time I do not know how to manage those sidecar files effectively, yet.</p>

<p>Capture NX2 has a "version" button at the top of the edit list. It allows "original" as a choice. I always assumed that this discarded all edits and went back to the original NEF settings from the camera. I.E. no change to the raw data. If you save that, would you then have the original data set back?</p>