stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

I have been taking photos of one kind or another since my first camera was a brand new Kodak Brownie. After all these years I have decided it is time to jump in the RAW pool. It didn't take long for me to be in over my head.

I use a Nikon D90. Outdated, I know, but still a good all-around DSLR. It does more than I know to ask of it and I'm happy with the results (which, unfortunately, are exactly what and how I photograph something). Besides, I have, for me, a fortune tied up in lenses and other equipment so I'm not about to switch now.

I downloaded the latest version of Capture NX-D and installed same on my computer. I also downloaded the manual and have studied it thoroughly, for whatever good that did.

I will have lots of questions which I will ask in future posts. Right at this moment time is limited so I have only a couple: what happens when you save a RAW photo after processing? The manual says the changes and adjustments are saved in a "side car" while the original photo is untouched. So if I save a photo in a processed RAW format and then open it up again sometime later on, how does the software know how and where to "grab" the changes that go with the original? And if I want to share the photo or use it in some other way such as Facebook, do I first have to save it in a JPEG format?

I know there are better programs out there than Capture NX-D but the price was right. If I get good enough at this and find that I'm enjoying working with it then I will take a look at an alternative. Until then I don't wan't to invest any more $$ than necessary. In the meantime this is what I am using. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The learning curve is pretty steep right now but it's all fun. Appreciate any help you can give me.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

The sidecar file is pretty much a text file that will tell the processing software what adjustments you made. This leaves the original RAW file as it was saved. This is something you want to have happen. One does not want to alter the RAW file.

Now, if you are using software A to process your RAW file and save the work you did. The sidecar file will be saved with the same name as the RAW file with a different extension. Look in the directory in which you saved your files and you will see this. However, if you decide to upgrade your software to let's say a different package from a different company, their software may or may not "see" the sidecar file. So, be prepared for that if you decide to go with a different processing software than Capture NX-D.
--Bob

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Typically Adobe products and On1 Photo Raw reads the xmp files, btw.

PhotoDerek Loc: County Durham, UK.

Some you tube videos to view and a manual from the Nikon site is worth a read. It is a steep learning curve but I use it as a raw processor save a TIFF for printing, convert to JPEG for email.
Derek.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I still have a D90 and still use it (along with several others), and use the Nikon processing tools, you can make some pretty amazing photos with those tools, have fun!!!

BebuLamar

It would use the sidecar files to do all the adjustments you already did to the RAW files. If you delete the sidecar files it would return back to default like when you open it the first time.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

I have NX-D software and other software as well. NX-D is very useful and allows one to explore the various Nikon seeings in post. For example on my d-7200 I usually use the neutral profile. In post, I can select, for instance, standard or vivid. Save corrections as .tif for further work in photoshop. Lightroom or aftershot have more extensive controls (e.g. a larger range of exposure controls) but NX-D is very often more than enough.

jcryan Loc: Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

I'm about a year into my journey into Raw file processing. I the the Nikon Transfer 2 software to download my pictures then process them all to JPG using the default settings. This gives me a quick JPG to look at and post on Facebook if I don't have time for other processing and gives the same result as RAW + Fine without taking up space on my SD card. I then move on to develop again in Darktable and, if necessary, finish in Gimp. However, I could certainly process further in NX-D.

All that said the answers are:
1> when you process a RAW file your changes go into the Side car file. If you reopen the file in NX-D and haven't moved or deleted the RAW or sidecar file, NX-D will also open sidecar file and apply any changes you have made. It's like picking up where you left off.

2> you need to convert/export the processed image to a format acceptable to the platform you are posting to. Typically, this I JPG. So Facebook, email, or cloud sharing of images go to JPG.

Hope this helps!
JC

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Thank you everyone for the responses, advice, etc. Lots of food for thought here.