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Oh boy... just when I think I don't need to spend any more on image enhancement software... Am I right in thinking that this is a replacement for Photoshop? Is it a standalone app or a PS plug-in? (And of course it'll be at least a couple hundred bucks... ) But it looks super, judging by how you handled that dune...

Leonard



Leonard,

CaptureNX is not really a CS replacement. It is the RAW converter that Nikon distributes for it's DSLRs. While in many ways it has some advanced features (like the control points), it lacks a large majority of the tools that CS has (the clone brush is a good example). As a Nikon RAW converter, I think it is outstanding and many people think it is the best converter for Nikon files (this is somewhat controversial and you can read endless threads on this in the Nikon forums on DPReview). My feeling is that NX is best for handling RAW files, but once they're converted to bitmaps (tif, jpeg) then CS and/or PSP are the better bet for editing (although NX is a respectable bitmap editor as demonstrated by the work done on the image in this thread).

I really think CaptureNX is used mostly by Nikon users for conversion and I doubt there are many who use it with other cameras, such as an Olympus. Nik software does sell a package that incudes control points and I think does have a CS plugin. The only caveat there is that I believe the real power of the control points is maximized when they are used on a RAW image which is at 12bit depth. I think they are less effective when used on an 8bit jpeg file. I suppose if a non-nikon RAW file was converted to a 16bit tif file and then manipulted with the control points, that would be closer to working with a native Nikon raw file. You might want to search around on the web to see what people think about Nik's software used with CS. You're already using their sharpening software, so you should have some feel for their software. I'd be interested in hearing what you think if you give it a try.

Geo

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