Opening NEF files

Hi Guys,

I'm shooting with D70 and using NEF+Jpeg. On some occasions, when i open a NEF file in PS or Nikon Capture (4.4 or NX) i get different colors comparing to the Jpeg created by the camera. Most of the times it's OK and i like the results, and something i get greenish colors. I tried un-checking all the checkboxes in PS and Nikon Capture, but couldn't solve this problem.

In PS - i just get a greenish/yellowish photo. In Nikon capture the image appears yellowish in the editor, but when i save it to a jpeg and watch it with another program is seems fine (it's still a pain - i like doing all of the level/brightness adjustments in one program, and then do all the cropping and backscatters removal in PS).

Any ideas?

Here's an example:

Original photo (Jpeg from the camera):

NEF saved to Jpeg in PS (colors seems "dead". Check out the reds)

Screen capture from Nikon Capture

All RAW converters (including the one in the camera) typically apply a number of settings to the sensor data (colours, saturation, brightness, contrast, etc.). It is more than likely that your problem results from that.

To make sure you get the best and most consistent results, you should make sure that your screen is calibrated, and that all your editing programs make use of your monitor profile.

It's also possible that the jpg is in a different colour space from the RAW converter, e.g. PS is opening RAW into adobeRGB while your camera is creating jpgs in sRGB. I don't know what options the D70 has for colour space but on the D200 you can select the space that you want jpg saved into. You might try changing your PS colour space to see whether that changes the effect.

And, as mattdiver says, having a calibrated monitor will help you determine whether its an image issue or a hardware inconsistency.

rinjani

Well, i don't think it's a color space issue since the Jpeg was AdobeRGB, and the NEF was open as AdobeRGB in ACR and i still got wierd colors. I also converted both images to sRGB and there was still a big difference.

Maybe it's time to calibrate my monitor(s) properly, though i don't think that's the problem. Can anyone recommand on a good guide, and some reading about calibration and monitor profiles?

P.S - i manged to get good results when i messed around with Hue&Saturation of the Yellows and greens.

You can check out the following links:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13085&hl=

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11326&hl=

Hi-

I always use Capture to read the NEF files (you want loose as many reds)...save as tiff and open in PS to adjust levels and do other color correction.. There are a couple good threads about this on wetpixel. I've tried several converters that read NEF files and I still prefer Capture.

M.