Nik Software Question + Exporting from LR to PS....

[elementgs]

Truthfully, I have a ton of questions on Nik Software, Lightroom and Photoshop but I know that's nothing new. I'm self taught and have learned by making hundreds of stupid mistakes...

I still feel like I'm making more than a few mistakes though so I've narrowed down my thoughts into a few pointed questions which I personally feel might be the source of more than a few problems I'm having.

My first is, if I'm using Nik Software Sharpener Pro, at all, should it be the very last thing I do, or one of the first just prior to exporting into Photoshop? Is there a point to running the picture through Sharpener Pro as well as Dfine? It seems like Dfine simply undoes Sharpener...?

This leads to a second question, I am working about 70% of my images in Lightroom prior to exporting to Photoshop, which includes Sharpener and Viveza 2. From there, I export using the "original" file which in this case is the TIF output from Nik Software.

The issue I'm having is, Nik Software is converting my photos from RAW to TIF and asks for settings... It defaults to 240 for the resolution, and sRGB for color space.

Should I change that at all? I am using AdobeRGB for my color space so I do typically change that but I am hesitant to increase my resolution to 300dpi as I would imagine there would be some loss..... If I don't change it, is there going to be an issue later when I go to print these pictures?

Anyways, like I said, I have a ton of questions but I'll do my best to keep them to the minimum... Thanks for your time!

 

[BenjaminJ]

I would use the nik plug ins after you import to PS so you can use masks. Least thats what I do

 

[ann]

also, sharpener for printing last.

I always use my plugins after going to PS

 

[KmH]

Self taught is ok, but trial and error is a really slow way to learn. Below you'll find some of the resources I rely on.

My first is, if I'm using Nik Software Sharpener Pro, at all, should it be the very last thing I do, or one of the first just prior to exporting into Photoshop? ...It seems like Dfine simply undoes Sharpener...?

Another vote for using your Nik plug-ins in Photoshop.
What versions of Lightroom and Photoshop do you have? The Sharpening panel in the current LR and the Sharpening options in Photoshop and Camera Raw are equal to or a bit better than what Nik offers.
There is no point in sharpening image noise, so de-noise before you sharpen regardless what application you use. You may have noticed that ACR's (Camera Raw/Lightroom) sharpening panel has both sharpen and noise reduction on the same panel.
The 2 - sharpening and noise reduction - are interrelated.
I follow a 3 stage image sharpening approach - global capture sharpening, local/artistic sharpening, and output sharpening. Image files destined for print can generally be sharpened a bit more than images destined for electronic display.
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

The issue I'm having is, Nik Software is converting my photos from RAW to TIF and asks for settings... It defaults to 240 for the resolution, and sRGB for color space.

Should I change that at all? I am using AdobeRGB for my color space so I do typically change that but I am hesitant to increase my resolution to 300dpi as I would imagine there would be some loss..... If I don't change it, is there going to be an issue later when I go to print these pictures?

All the image editing experts whose advice I follow recommend editing in the ProPhoto RGB color space. One of the last editing steps is to convert to the color space that is appropriate for your output use.
For electronic display, like online - use sRGB.
For prints - it will depend on the print device being used. Some of the online labs will accept image files that are in the Adobe RGB color space, but most of them want sRGB.

Digital images are ppi, not dpi. (PPI = pixels per inch. DPI = dots per inch. The 2 terms are not interchangeable.)
For electronic display, resolution is the image pixel dimensions xxxx by xxxx pixels.
As it is, ppi is about print resolution, and has no meaning for electronic display. So print size is a function of the ppi and the pixel dimensions of the image.
So if an image is going to be printed, setting the print resolution (ppi) is one of the last image file preparation steps.

Pixel / ppi = inches (3000 px / 300 ppi = 10 inches)
Pixels / inches = ppi (3000 px / 10 inches = 300 ppi)
PPI x inches = pixels (300 ppi x 10 inches = 3000 pixels)

The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
The Digital Print: Preparing Images in Lightroom and Photoshop for Printing

 

[BenjaminJ]

Self taught is ok, but trial and error is a really slow way to learn. Below you'll find some of the resources I rely on.

My first is, if I'm using Nik Software Sharpener Pro, at all, should it be the very last thing I do, or one of the first just prior to exporting into Photoshop? ...It seems like Dfine simply undoes Sharpener...?

Another vote for using your Nik plug-ins in Photoshop.
What versions of Lightroom and Photoshop do you have? The Sharpening panel in the current LR and the Sharpening options in Photoshop and Camera Raw are equal to or a bit better than what Nik offers.
There is no point in sharpening image noise, so de-noise before you sharpen regardless what application you use. You may have noticed that ACR's (Camera Raw/Lightroom) sharpening panel has both sharpen and noise reduction on the same panel.
The 2 - sharpening and noise reduction - are interrelated.
I follow a 3 stage image sharpening approach - global capture sharpening, local/artistic sharpening, and output sharpening. Image files destined for print can generally be sharpened a bit more than images destined for electronic display.
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

The issue I'm having is, Nik Software is converting my photos from RAW to TIF and asks for settings... It defaults to 240 for the resolution, and sRGB for color space.

Should I change that at all? I am using AdobeRGB for my color space so I do typically change that but I am hesitant to increase my resolution to 300dpi as I would imagine there would be some loss..... If I don't change it, is there going to be an issue later when I go to print these pictures?

All the image editing experts whose advice I follow recommend editing in the ProPhoto RGB color space. One of the last editing steps is to convert to the color space that is appropriate for your output use.
For electronic display, like online - use sRGB.
For prints - it will depend on the print device being used. Some of the online labs will accept image files that are in the Adobe RGB color space, but most of them want sRGB.

Digital images are ppi, not dpi. (PPI = pixels per inch. DPI = dots per inch. The 2 terms are not interchangeable.)
For electronic display, resolution is the image pixel dimensions xxxx by xxxx pixels.
As it is, ppi is about print resolution, and has no meaning for electronic display. So print size is a function of the ppi and the pixel dimensions of the image.
So if an image is going to be printed, setting the print resolution (ppi) is one of the last image file preparation steps.

Pixel / ppi = inches (3000 px / 300 ppi = 10 inches)
Pixels / inches = ppi (3000 px / 10 inches = 300 ppi)
PPI x inches = pixels (300 ppi x 10 inches = 3000 pixels)

The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
The Digital Print: Preparing Images in Lightroom and Photoshop for Printing

Geez I feel like i just left an advanced calculus class...

 

[KmH]

Why? :scratch: It's 5th grade math.

I did the basic algebra for the OP to derive the 3 related equations.

Most real world, everyday math is a word problem.

FWIW, all of the editing Nik, Lightroom, and Photoshop do is done in the software by using math.

 

[elementgs]

Thank you very much for the responses. I will need some time to wade through it all but I truly appreciate the feedback.