Real World Nikon Capture NX
by Ben Long
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ben LongEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-03-25
ISBN: 0321489993
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Book Reviews of Real World Nikon Capture NX
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
After enduring several publishing delays, I eagerly dove into Ben Long's book on Nikon Capture NX when it was released. Signals of the disappointment coming appeared with the first words in the book, as Long states, "If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever end up writing a book on Nikon Capture, I would have probably laughed and said, `Uh, I doubt anyone will ever write a book on Nikon Capture.'" In fact Long was wrong because Jason Odell had his eBook on the market before Long's appeared.
Long goes on to say that among the fairly unquestionable photography rules is that "image editing programs made by camera vendors are always far inferior to standalone image editors." Although Long tries to mitigate this statement by explaining that Nikon enlisted the aid of nik Multimedia in improving the latest version of Capture, he doesn't change the reader's impression that he is not an admirer of NX--damnation by faint praise is his forte.
Regardless of his personal opinion, Long should realize that readers of this book believe that NX is of importance to them, or else they would not be willing to buy a supplement to the Nikon User's Manual in order to fully utilize the program's features. His attitude really surprised me as I have purchased several other books in the Real World series, and they have always been superlative.
Despite expressed contempt for NX, Long does handle some topics well, but his lack of enthusiasm is clearly evident in other parts of the book. The chapter coverage comprises:
Introduction
Basic Theory
Interface and Basic Workflow
Preparing to Edit
Basic Image Editing
Advanced Image Editing
Version Control and Batch Processing
Output
Long offers some meaty, well-done sections, which discuss selection brushes, control points, high pass filter, facial retouching, and contact sheet printing. Unfortunately, the remainder of the book slides downward from there. Long wastes 31 pages on basic theory of digital photography. While mine may be a minority opinion, I think that users of NX will know the basic workings of a digital camera, the difference between JPEG and RAW, and how to read a histogram. If they don't, their camera manual will provide that information. He also wastes a number of pages on workflow descriptions that are so elementary that they are useless, along with the tried and true admonitions to profile your monitor and use color management.
A comparison of Long's book with the Nikon User's Manual is enlightening:
Long
-Page count: 230
-Photos: Color
-Summary/appendix: None
Nikon
-Page count: 233
-Photos: B&W
-Summary/appendix: Short-cuts, RGB Profiles Supplied, Advisories & Additional Notices
Throughout his book, Long merely steps through each of the menus and dialogs in a manner much like the Nikon manual, except that Long repeats the material. I lost count of the number of times he tells the reader that NX can only process RAW images if they are from a Nikon camera. His coverage is incomplete. He assumes that the reader is knowledgeable all of the File menu items, because he talks about only a few, and the Help menu is skipped entirely. Among the topics not covered are:
Red-eye control point
Linking enhancements
Swapping enhancements
Definitions of blending modes
Shortcut keys (with a few minor exceptions)
Preferences (except for grid)
Long prefers to use detailed adjustments instead of the base adjustments, which may be more a matter of preference than a real advantage. He, however, fails to point out that detail adjustments cannot be modified using selective tools.
Every NX user can plow through the Nikon manual and learn the basic menu and dialog operations without Long's book, which does the same. What Long should have provided was how to put these operations together to accomplish photographic effects, which the Nikon manual reader may not be able to figure out alone. Some possibilities might include how to achieve the look of certain types of film (such as Kodachrome), or even how he made the hand colored/tinted photo he shows in the book (with no instructions on how to copy the effect).
Overall, Long's book offers little new to NX users that is not already covered (often more completely) in the manual.
Summary of Real World Nikon Capture NX
With his friendly, accessible style, photographer and writer Ben Long takes you on a tour of the ins and outs of Nikon's powerful new photo editing program, which can be used with any digital camera! Real World Nikon Capture NX is packed with the kind of detail you can't get anywhere else. Long knows which features are important, like how to make selective corrections to an image with just one click, and what you need to know to get your work done. His expert advice will help you take great pictures, then organize, edit, and output them successfully. In Real World Nikon Capture NX you'll learn how to:- Compose stunning digital images from JPEG, TIFF, and raw format photos
- Learn to correct color and tone using Capture NX?s state-of-the-art adjustment tools
- Use nondestructive editing techniques
- Create a comprehensive and efficient workflow for processing images
- Configure Capture NX for color management
- Use advanced editing features such as control points and selection brushes
- Output your photos to a variety of media, including print and the Web
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