Nikon D90 in-camera settings... affect the RAW files or just the JPG?

[Shiva_42]

Forgive my seeming ignorance... I appear to be finding conflicting answers about the following:

I shoot, with my Nikon D90, a setting that saves both a RAW and JPG image each time a fire the shutter. IF I have some in-camera settings modified (i.e. Vivid color, tinting, exposure control, etc.), do these setting affect ONLY the JPG that is generated, or do they also affect the RAW file as well? I'm hoping that I can set modified pic controls (at times) for effect, but that the RAW file will be unaltered. Just need to be sure, and I'm not confident of the answers I've found on my own... THANKS!

 

[Kerbouchard]

It depends on what software you use to open the RAW files as to whether or not the settings are applied by default. The information about which settings you chose, are encoded in the RAW file, but they don't change the actual RAW data that was captured from the sensor. It's merely a set of instructions that some software reads about how to display the photo.

Regardless, none of the settings are destructive to the RAW file, and the RAW file can be reset to default, different picture styles, or edited however you choose.

 

[Shiva_42]

Thanks for the response. I have Capture NX2 from Nikon, Lightroom 3.2, and Photoshop CS5, but usually use Lightroom as my default interface. Will lightroom apply the settings or ignore them on the RAW file?

 

[Kerbouchard]

I don't have Lightroom, but I'm pretty sure Lightroom is the same as Photoshop in that it ignores the settings. Capture NX2 will apply the settings.

 

[Shiva_42]

Thank you! Appreciate it much! I'm assuming that these "settings" could be easily reset even in NX2 if I wished to? Can you point this newbie toward the resources you found this in? I'm hungry for any additional documentation about this issue. Thanks again!

 

[spacefuzz]

I concur with Kerbouchard