NX-D: quick RAW file question

[Drive-By-Shooter]

For the two years I've been shooting digitally, I've mostly used Nikon's free NX-D software. There are a lot of good functions to master here before going into other packages and functions.

I also have Corel 7 which bought JASC Paintshop Pro that I used for business graphics work, so I am familiar with its interface.

I would like to keep making my primary changes with NX-D and sometimes make a few more in Corel or Lightroom. NX-D is nondestructive because it keeps the changes in a 'sidecar file'. NX-D (free and paid version, I believe) will not let me save in any other file format other than .jpg or .tiff.

Corel 7 lets me work on Nikon raw files (.NEF), but does not read the sidecar file (.NEF.nksc in the NKSC_PARAM folder) with NX-D's changes, so I cannot keep my changes for use in Corel! ugh

If I am wrong and the paid version of NX-D DOES allow saving in RAW or DNG (digital negative combining the RAW and sidecar files), please let me know and maybe I will buy a used one. Yes, I know that Nik Software was bought by Google in 2012, so NX-D is a dead end product.

Perhaps it is time to drink the kool-aid and buy Lightroom. Will Lightroom use my raw file changes from the .NEF.nksc sidecar file?

 

[greybeard]

If dng is what you are after, Adobe has a free utility that will convert your raw files to dng.

 

[Ysarex]

For the two years I've been shooting digitally, I've mostly used Nikon's free NX-D software. There are a lot of good functions to master here before going into other packages and functions.

I also have Corel 7 which bought JASC Paintshop Pro that I used for business graphics work, so I am familiar with its interface.

I would like to keep making my primary changes with NX-D and sometimes make a few more in Corel or Lightroom. NX-D is nondestructive because it keeps the changes in a 'sidecar file'. NX-D (free and paid version, I believe) will not let me save in any other file format other than .jpg or .tiff.

Corel 7 lets me work on Nikon raw files (.NEF), but does not read the sidecar file (.NEF.nksc in the NKSC_PARAM folder) with NX-D's changes, so I cannot keep my changes for use in Corel! ugh

If I am wrong and the paid version of NX-D DOES allow saving in RAW or DNG (digital negative combining the RAW and sidecar files), please let me know and maybe I will buy a used one. Yes, I know that Nik Software was bought by Google in 2012, so NX-D is a dead end product.

Perhaps it is time to drink the kool-aid and buy Lightroom. Will Lightroom use my raw file changes from the .NEF.nksc sidecar file?

Lightroom will not read and apply your NX-D sidecar files. If you adopt LR you'll start fresh with your raw file edits.

No raw converter can re-save the file in a raw format. Even when a raw converter saves a DNG file it's saving a linear DNG which is basically a TIFF file in a DNG wrapper.

 

[JBPhotog]

For the two years I've been shooting digitally, I've mostly used Nikon's free NX-D software. There are a lot of good functions to master here before going into other packages and functions.

I also have Corel 7 which bought JASC Paintshop Pro that I used for business graphics work, so I am familiar with its interface.

I would like to keep making my primary changes with NX-D and sometimes make a few more in Corel or Lightroom. NX-D is nondestructive because it keeps the changes in a 'sidecar file'. NX-D (free and paid version, I believe) will not let me save in any other file format other than .jpg or .tiff.

Corel 7 lets me work on Nikon raw files (.NEF), but does not read the sidecar file (.NEF.nksc in the NKSC_PARAM folder) with NX-D's changes, so I cannot keep my changes for use in Corel! ugh

If I am wrong and the paid version of NX-D DOES allow saving in RAW or DNG (digital negative combining the RAW and sidecar files), please let me know and maybe I will buy a used one. Yes, I know that Nik Software was bought by Google in 2012, so NX-D is a dead end product.

Perhaps it is time to drink the kool-aid and buy Lightroom. Will Lightroom use my raw file changes from the .NEF.nksc sidecar file?

No raw converter can re-save the file in a raw format.

There is a caveat to that statement that may need some clarity. If one opens a NEF file in Nikon Capture NX-D or Adobe ACR and makes edits to the Raw file then close the file to work on later, those edit steps are captured in the sidecar that can be built upon later by "the same Raw processor that made the edits". But you are entirely correct when a NEF edited in Capture NX-D saved and closed then reopened by Adobe ACR, will lose those edit steps and one must start over.

FWIW, pick the Raw processor for the file and make you edits as complete as you need to then save it out as a 16 bit Tiff. You can always go back and create a new 16 bit tiff to add in PS post via a new layer and mask in or out your new edits.

Another way to do this is use ACR and set it preferences to Open in PS as a Smart Object. You can then go back to ACR after you have added layer adjustments PS if you need a bit more or less out of the Raw base layer. You can also create a new Raw layer in PS as "New Smart Object via Copy" which creates an independent layer of the same Raw image when opened in ACR and does not affect the changes of the other Smart Object layer of the same image. Then apply opacity to blend the two with layer and masks if you so desire.

 

[Ysarex]

For the two years I've been shooting digitally, I've mostly used Nikon's free NX-D software. There are a lot of good functions to master here before going into other packages and functions.

I also have Corel 7 which bought JASC Paintshop Pro that I used for business graphics work, so I am familiar with its interface.

I would like to keep making my primary changes with NX-D and sometimes make a few more in Corel or Lightroom. NX-D is nondestructive because it keeps the changes in a 'sidecar file'. NX-D (free and paid version, I believe) will not let me save in any other file format other than .jpg or .tiff.

Corel 7 lets me work on Nikon raw files (.NEF), but does not read the sidecar file (.NEF.nksc in the NKSC_PARAM folder) with NX-D's changes, so I cannot keep my changes for use in Corel! ugh

If I am wrong and the paid version of NX-D DOES allow saving in RAW or DNG (digital negative combining the RAW and sidecar files), please let me know and maybe I will buy a used one. Yes, I know that Nik Software was bought by Google in 2012, so NX-D is a dead end product.

Perhaps it is time to drink the kool-aid and buy Lightroom. Will Lightroom use my raw file changes from the .NEF.nksc sidecar file?

No raw converter can re-save the file in a raw format.

There is a caveat to that statement that may need some clarity. If one opens a NEF file in Nikon Capture NX-D or Adobe ACR and makes edits to the Raw file then close the file to work on later, those edit steps are captured in the sidecar that can be built upon later by "the same Raw processor that made the edits". But you are entirely correct when a NEF edited in Capture NX-D saved and closed then reopened by Adobe ACR, will lose those edit steps and one must start over.

FWIW, pick the Raw processor for the file and make you edits as complete as you need to then save it out as a 16 bit Tiff. You can always go back and create a new 16 bit tiff to add in PS post via a new layer and mask in or out your new edits.

Another way to do this is use ACR and set it preferences to Open in PS as a Smart Object. You can then go back to ACR after you have added layer adjustments PS if you need a bit more or less out of the Raw base layer. You can also create a new Raw layer in PS as "New Smart Object via Copy" which creates an independent layer of the same Raw image when opened in ACR and does not affect the changes of the other Smart Object layer of the same image. Then apply opacity to blend the two with layer and masks if you so desire.

Since the OP dropped the term it may be worth noting the issue of non-destructive editing. I'm not talking about non-destructive as in not overwriting the original but non-destructive editing such that you don't get stuck re-doing editing work in order to make further adjustments to an edit. In a workflow where you move the image between apps for example from a raw converter to an RGB (TIFF) file and then additionally edit the RGB image or even in the specific case as you noted of using Adobe Smart Objects it's not possible to keep a raw workflow 100% non-destructive.

Something to consider if you're thinking of making a change to new software. It's an important goal for me to have a 100% non-destructive and non-linearly re-editable raw workflow. To get that or as close to it as possible you need a single app parametric editor like Lightroom, Capture One, (On1 almost) or DarkTable.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

You should really consider Photoshop over the Lightroom app. In Photoshop, the RAW converter is awesome and allows you to do all (or most all) of your post work in one convenient location. At the University that I teach at, my photography class is shown how to use the RAW converter, even when they are shooting with a JPEG format (Which I strongly discourage). In my normal work flow, I shoot RAW, edit the RAW in the RAW Converter in Photoshop, save it as a PSD or TIFF file, then the client gets the JPEG file.

Mark

 

[Ysarex]

You should really consider Photoshop over the Lightroom app. In Photoshop, the RAW converter is awesome and allows you to do all (or most all) of your post work in one convenient location. At the University that I teach at, my photography class is shown how to use the RAW converter, even when they are shooting with a JPEG format (Which I strongly discourage). In my normal work flow, I shoot RAW, edit the RAW in the RAW Converter in Photoshop, save it as a PSD or TIFF file, then the client gets the JPEG file.

Mark

The raw converter in Lightroom is the same as the raw converter in Photoshop. They're the same software with variations in the UI and some additional features in Lightroom that Photoshop lacks. If you buy (lease) Lightroom you get Photoshop so there's no advantage to buying (leasing) Photoshop without Lightroom. Adobe will sell (lease) you Photoshop alone if you want that but if you're a photographer it makes no sense.