AZNikon Loc: Mesa, AZ

Okay. Thanks to your advice, I will go with Lightroom 5 instead of Nikon Capture DX2. It turns out that the program is being discontinued (replaced) but for some reason (probably a warehouse full of reasons) they are continuing to sell the product. I have decided that it would be best for Nikon to stick to "knitting" (cameras & lenses) and leave the software business for experts in that field.

So, I have been doing the tutorials in Lightroom 5 and I just need to double-check my understanding before I start importing files.

I have just recently become aware of the merits of "NEF" or "RAW" and I will be using this format on my DSLR going forward. Unfortunately all of my existing photos are in JPEG from my DSLR, P&S and Bridge cameras (all Nikons).

My understanding is that I can "copy as DSN" from my hard drive and all of the NEF's will come in as DSN and all the JPG's will come in as JPEG's.

It is my further understanding that the original JPEG's/NEF's will remain untouched in the original folders on my hard drive. DSN's can be greatly enhanced but JPEG's can only be enhanced on a limited basis. The changes to both types of files will be stored in a Lightroom "collection" and can then be exported as newly generated JPEG's, either to my hard drive (in another location), burned to a CD, printed or emailed.

I just wanted to run my understanding past the knowledgeable people at UHH in case my understanding is flawed.

Thanks for your patience and help, Bob

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Even though I can't fully answer your question I'll tell you what I know and I'm bumping your post back up. In bringing photos into LR, you can tell LR to convert images to DNG and place them somewhere and add them to the catalog, or you can tell LR to move or copy your existing photos to a new location and add to catalog or you can tell it to just add them to the catalog and leave them where they are. You can make different decisions about this for different groups of photos.

You have to decide how many copies you want, in what format and where you want them.

LR will handle your RAW files just fine whether you import them in their native RAW format or whether you convert them to DNG. I have never converted a file to DNG and LR handles all my RAWs, TIFFs and JPEGs just fine. Many people use DNG and those people are better equipped to explain it to you. I am beholden enough to Adobe without adding DNG to the list.

LR does not care where your files are located as long as you tell it where they are. This is easier if you use LR to import and move your files. All mine live on one big external now, but once they were strewed across a collection of internal and several externals. LR didn't care.

LR does not change anything in your original file, it just adds "developing instructions" to the file that you can see inside of LR or on the photos you export FROM LR to any of those media you mentioned. You can also tell LR to sit a copy of your edit right back down beside its original so that you can easily find it later. You can then stack it with the original or keep them all lined up side by side. Makes it a world easier to keep up with. You can develop a photo many different ways within LR by using the Virtual Copy command. It looks like a "real" copy of the photo but is only a copy of the "developing instructions" so it takes up almost no extra space. This is a good tool if you like creating different versions.

If you haven't done so yet, you should invest in a LR book or ebook for reference. Though the developing module is quite intuitive, the cataloguing module is not. There is good info on the Adobe website as well as other sites.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

You might want to look at this...


http://www.lynda.com/search?q=lightroom+5

MtnMan Loc: ID

I recommend Scott Kelby's book.

As noted you can give instructions on import to convert nef to dng. It only affects nef files; jpegs are not converted.

Although you can do more with dng files (e.g. White balance) you can do most things on jpegs as well. You will find you can do wonders on your old jpegs.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Bob, without adding anything that might confuse the issue, I'd say that your understanding is essentially correct.

As you go along using the program you'll discover more and more ways of doing things and of the powerful corrective and enhancement features it has.

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

Converting existing JPEGs to DNG does not return you to the full flexibility of a RAW file. That train left the station when your camera converted its raw image to the lossy JPEG. It may have some usefulness if you regularly exchange files with others who will be editing them.

One of the main reasons Adobe touts the DNG format is that it is "open source" and not dependent on one companies proprietary code to read. The concern is that a company like Nikon or Canon may chose not to support older versions of their raw files...or even go out of business. (Think Kodak.) JPEG files are already non-proprietary and I don't think anyone expects to see that format to go anywhere.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Some of your understanding is correct, some isn't. My best recommendation is to buy a copy of Adobe Lightroom Classroom in a Book. Then read it from the front.

You'll be amazed at what you will learn, and what Lightroom can do. It's a tool unlike any other and all that it will do is not intuitive. You'll need some level of instruction. The book will intuitively give you that.

JimGuy

When you say dsn im guessing you mean dng files. I just keep them as nef, save processed files as tif, and only convert to jpg for upload to the web. Its more of a personal choice.
"Export to" is the basically the same as "save as". I have always just managed my files in windows explorer...old habit.
Play with the software..you have choices.

I still tend to use acr in photoshop cs6 more than light room...old habits are hard to break. Lightroom uses basically the same raw editor in a different interface.

Unrelated to editing software, I always back up my files on two separate hard drives. I dont store any data on my system drive. System drive contains only operating system and software.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

I think I sense that you are of the mindset that LR5 is going to copy or import your files into itself while leaving other copies where they currently are. LR5 does NOT store your files "in a collection." The "collection" only stores location information as to where the photos are residing. During an import, LR5 again only stores information about where you imported the files to - but the files are NOT kept/stored in the LR5 collection.

So if you have RAW files on your hard drive(s) they aren't going to be moved into LR5. LR5 is just going to learn where they are and catalog the locations. If you import files THROUGH LR5, you are importing them from one location (such as an SD card) to another location on your hard drive that you created (new folder) or into a location that already exists. LR5 then records where those files went - it doesn't keep them inside itself. It is not a library full of files - only a librarian watching over the library and moving things around for you.

The cataloging function of LR is essentially a Windows Explorer file moving utility on steroids that can also convert formats for you. You're not going to improve your JPG file quality by importing them through LR5. It just sends them from one place to another. All you're going to do is make a second version in a second location, doubling your hard drive space usage. It's debatable whether converting to DNG from your current RAW format would improve them either. Some people say yes, some people say hogwash. If you haven't been shooting in RAW before you wouldn't see a difference anyway.

You could look at LR5 as being a less powerful version of Adobe Bridge for file control (still not storing your files within itself) and a less powerful Adobe Camera RAW for file editing/manipulation and format conversion.

If I remember right, when I first installed LR4 it asked me if I'd like to have it search for all my files and put them in a catalog. Then it did so and since I keep everything in folders, subfolders, and sub-sub folders anyway, it found them all and laid them out the same way in the LR librarian as I had seen them in Windows Explorer before. But that was done through "syncronize" not through Import. Syncronize looks at folders and sees what's inside and then corrects the collection to include anything new it finds or anything that isn't there any more. Do some studying about "syncronize folders" before you get carried away with importing.