Nikon Capture NX-D User manual

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 1
En
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Capture NX-D Reference Manual
Introduction
What CaptureNX-D Can Do for You ......................... 2
Capture NX-D and Capture NX/Capture NX 2 ...... 4
The CaptureNX-D Window ......................................... 5
Palettes ............................................................................... 6
The Toolbar ....................................................................... 8
The Status Bar .................................................................. 9
The Menu Bar ...................................................................9
Viewing Pictures
Viewing Pictures ...........................................................10
Side-by-Side Comparison ..........................................13
Filters
Rating ................................................................................15
Labelling ..........................................................................16
Filtering ............................................................................17
Image Adjustment
The Edit Palette .............................................................18
Exposure Compensation (RAW Images) ...............20
White Balance (RAW Images) ...................................21
Picture Control (RAW Images) ..................................22
Tone/Tone (Detail) ........................................................24
Tool Buttons ...................................................................25
Copying Adjustments .................................................31
File Format ......................................................................34
Other Features
Cropping Pictures .........................................................35
Batch Processing ...........................................................37
Printing Pictures ............................................................39
Printing Image Information ......................................40
Index Prints .....................................................................41
Preferences .....................................................................42
Menu Guide
Menu Guide ....................................................................43
 Save where otherwise stated, illustrations are from Windows 8.1. Default camera and software settings are assumed.
 The links at the top of each page can be used for chapter navigation. Click to return to this page.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 2
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
What CaptureNX-D Can Do for You
CaptureNX-D lets you retouch pictures by, for example, adjusting brightness
and hue, and can also be used to edit RAW images taken with Nikon digital cam-
eras and save them in other formats.
Retouch Pictures
With CaptureNX-D, it’s easy to adjust such settings as brightness and white balance
(page 18). Certain settings, such as exposure compensation and PictureControls,
are available only with RAW images.
Copy Adjustments
Save adjustments and apply them to other images (page 31) or copy them to other
computers (page 33). Saved adjustments can be applied to multiple images using
batch processing (page 37).
Save Pictures in Other Formats
Retouched or processed RAW (NEF/NRW) images can be saved in JPEG or TIFF
formats for use in other applications (page 34).
.NEF .JPG .TIF

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 3
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
What CaptureNX-D Can Do for You
Retouching Pictures in CaptureNX-D
CaptureNX-D stores image adjustments in a separate “sidecar” le that is up-
dated automatically as settings are changed.
Image data
Picture Control settings
Exposure compensation
Settings le
Because changes to settings are stored separately from the original image data,
the original picture can be restored at any time with no drop in quality.
Original image
Settings
Retouch preview
Retouch preview
Settings le deleted or
settings reset
Original image
When les are converted to JPEG or TIFF, the changes are applied to the image as
it is saved to create a new, modied image data le.
Settings
Original image JPEG or TIFF le
Image Adjustments
Image adjustments are stored in a “NKSC_PARAM” folder in the same folder as the original image. All
changes will be lost if this folder or the image adjustment le is deleted; similarly, because the image
and the image adjustment le are linked via the le name, changes will be lost or applied to another
image if the image adjustment le is renamed.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 4
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Capture NX-D and Capture NX/Capture NX 2
Capture NX-D can be used to process images that have previously been edited
in Capture NX or Capture NX 2.
Support is limited to images modied using the
tools in the “Base Adjustments” (Capture NX) or
“Adjust” section (Capture NX 2). Images modied
using other tools are indicated by icons in the
thumbnail list.
Note that JPEG or TIFF images converted to NEF in Capture NX or Capture NX 2
are treated as JPEG or TIFF images in Capture NX-D and can not be modied us-
ing options such as exposure compensation (page 20) and white balance (page 21)
that apply only to RAW (NEF/NRW) images.
nUnsupported Images
Images that have been modied using tools
other than those listed above can be edited in
Capture NX-D by rst resetting all changes using
the restore button in the edit palette (page 7).
RAW (NEF/NRW) Images
Changes made to RAW (NEF/NRW) images in Capture NX‑D, including those made using the restore
button, are not reected in Capture NX or Capture NX 2. RAW (NEF/NRW) images opened in Capture
NX or Capture NX 2 will be restored to the state they were in when they were last saved in these ap‑
plications, regardless of any changes made in the interim using Capture NX‑D.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 5
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
The CaptureNX-D Window
qw
e r
ty
u
i
q Menu bar: Access the menus (page 9).
w Toolbar: Choose a view and access image ad-
justment tools (page 8).
e Folder palette: Select a folder to display its con-
tents in the image area (page 6).
r Image area: View the images in the current
folder.
t Selected image: Selected images are high-
lighted in gray, with images that have been
modied indicated by a icon at the top left
corner of the thumbnail. Double-click to pre-
view (page 10).
y Histogram palette: View the tone distribution
for the selected image (page 6).
u Edit/metadata palettes: Retouch images using
the tools in the edit palette or switch to the
metadata palette to view image information
(page 7).
i Status bar: View information on the selected
image (page 9).
The Navigation Palette
A navigation (bird’s eye) palette (page 6) appears when a preview is displayed by double‑clicking a thumbnail in the image area.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 6
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Palettes
CaptureNX-D oers the following palettes.
The Folder Palette
The folder palette lists the folders in the com-
puter’s storage system. Click a folder to view the
images it contains in the image area or preview
display.
The folder palette menu gives access to recent
folders. Frequently-used folders can be added to
and then accessed from this menu.
Folder palette menu
The Histogram Palette
The histogram palette provides a constantly-up-
dated histogram for the selected thumbnail or
the image in the preview display. The histogram
shows the tone distribution for the color channel
selected in the channel menu. Choose RGB to
view overlapping distributions for the red, green,
and blue channels: tone ranges in which the dis-
tributions for red and green overlap are shown in
yellow, those in which red and blue overlap in ma-
genta, those in which green and blue overlap in
cyan, and those in which all three colors overlap
in white.
The Navigation (Bird’s Eye) Palette
The navigation palette is displayed above the
folder palette when you double-click a thumbnail
to display a preview.
When the preview is zoomed in, the frame in the
navigation palette shows the area currently dis-
played. Drag the frame to view other areas of the
preview.
Channel menu
Palette Menus
To access the palette menu, click the triangle ( ) at the top right corner of the palette. Select Undock
to open the palette in a oating window that can be moved freely about the display.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 7
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Palettes
The Edit Palette
Use the tools in the edit palette to adjust the
image currently selected or previewed in the
image area. The tool list (page 18) oers Exposure
Compensation, White Balance, Picture Control,
and Tone/Tone (Detail) tools that can be accessed
via pull-down menus or by clicking the tool icon
and adjusting settings in the adjustments palette
(page 14). Additional tools can be accessed using
the tool buttons (page 19) at the bottom of the
palette. The adjustment manager tool (page 19) can
be used to copy adjustments to other images or
save current settings for later use. To reset all tools
and restore the image to the state it was in when
rst opened in Capture NX-D, click the restore
button (note that any changes made to JPEG and
TIFF images in other applications since they were
last opened in CaptureNX-D will not be reset).
Tool list
Edit tab
Adjustment manager
Tool buttons
Adjustments palette
Restore button
The Edit and Metadata Palettes
Use the tabs at the top left corner to switch between the edit and metadata palettes.
The Metadata Palette
The metadata palette lists information on the im-
age currently selected or previewed in the image
area, including exposure, the model of camera
used to record the picture, and the date and time
of recording. The metadata palette can be dis-
played in the position normally occupied by the
folder palette (page 6) by selecting Dock to Left
in the palette menu.
Metadata tab

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 8
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
The Toolbar
Use the toolbar to choose a view and access image adjustment tools.
q w ertyuio!0!1!2!3!4!5!6!7!8!9@0@1@2@3
qPrint Print the image currently selected or previewed in the image area. Page 39
wBack/Foward Select the folder before or after the current folder. —
eOpen Folder Display a dialog where you can navigate to and open a folder. Page 6
rThumbnail View the images in the current folder as thumbnails. Page 10
tCombination View a preview at the top of the image area with thumbnails listed
underneath. Page 11
yPreview Display the preview only. Page 10
uFull Screen View images full screen. Page 12
iMulti Preview View images side-by-side. Choose from Compare Images and
Compare Before and After Images.Page 13
oCompare Images View selected images side-by-side. Page 13
!0 Compare Before and
After Images
View an image as it appeared before adjustment side-by-side with
the adjusted image. Page 14
!1 Current Apply current adjustments to the “before” image for use as a refer-
ence when making further modifications. Page 14
!2 Original Restore the “before” image to the state it was in before any adjust-
ments were made. Page 14
!3 Preview Display Mode Access the fit, combination, zoom, and hand tools or choose a
zoom ratio for the image in the preview palette. —
!4 Gray Point Sample Tool Click a point in the preview to adjust white balance so that the
sampled point takes on a neutral gray color. Page 21
!5 Straighten Tool Straighten images. Page 29
!6 Crop Tool Crop images. Page 35
!7 Open with Convert images to 16-bit TIFF and open them in an application
previously selected using the Register… option. Page 42
!8 Convert Files Save images in JPEG or TIFF format. Adjustments are applied be-
fore the image is saved. Page 34
!9 Batch Process Status View batch process status. Page 37
@0 Cancel Batch Process Cancel batch processing. —
@1 Filter by Rating/Label Filter images by rating or label. Page 17
@2 Filtering Filter images by rating, label, or camera settings. Page 17
@3 Clear Filtering End filtering and view all images. —

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 9
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
The Status Bar
View information on the image selected or previewed in the image area.
q w e r t y
qFile name The file name.
wZoom ratio The zoom ratio at which the preview is currently displayed.
eColor space The color space of the image in the preview display.
rImage size The size (in pixels) of the image in the preview display.
tColor value The color of the pixel under the cursor in the preview and com-
bined displays.
yPosition in folder The position of the current image and the total number of images
in the folder. Click or to view other images.
The Menu Bar
Access image adjustment tools or save images in other formats.
q w e r t y u i
qFile Convert files to other formats, run batch processes, and print and rename files.
wEdit Select, copy, paste, and delete images.
eView Choose a view mode, adjust zoom, and sort and select images.
rImage Straighten, rate, and label images or display a grid or the focus point, shadows, or highlights.
tAdjust Copy, paste, save, and load image adjustment settings.
yTool Access image adjustment tools.
uWindow View and hide palettes.
iHelp View online help or the current software version number.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 10
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Viewing Pictures
CaptureNX-D oers the following viewing options.
Thumbnails
At default settings, CaptureNX-D lists the images in the current folder as thumb-
nails. Selected images are highlighted in gray.
Thumbnail list
Selected image
Previews
Double-click a thumbnail or select a thumbnail and click the button in the
toolbar to display a preview.
Thumbnail Size
Use the slider above the image area to choose the thumbnail size.
Slider
Returning to the Thumbnail View
To return to the thumbnail view, click the button in the toolbar.
Same Name, Dierent Extension
At default settings, if the folder contains two images
with the same le names but dierent extensions (for
example, RAW and JPEG images recorded at image
quality settings of “RAW+ JPEG”), only the RAW image
will be displayed. To view all images, select Tool (or
on the Mac, CaptureNX-D)> Preferences> Show
a NEF/NRW image as separate les.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 11
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Viewing Pictures
Thumbnails and Previews Combined
To preview the current image with thumbnails above, below, or to one side, click
the button in the toolbar.
Preview palette
Thumbnail palette
Click thumbnails to preview other images.
Choosing the Location of the Preview and Thumbnail Palettes
The locations of the preview and thumbnail palettes can be selected from the palette menus.
Preview palette menu
Thumbnail palette menu

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 12
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Viewing Pictures
Viewing Images Full Screen
To hide the menus, toolbar, and palettes and view the current image full screen,
click the button in the toolbar.
Use the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard to view additional images.
Full-screen display is also available in the multi-preview view (page 13).
Compare images Compare before and after images
To exit the full-screen display and return to the previous view, click the button
or press the Esc key.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 13
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Side-by-Side Comparison
To compare multiple images side-by-side, or to compare before and after views
of the same image, click the button in the toolbar and choose (Compare
Images) or (Compare Before and After Images).
Multi Preview button
Compare Images Compare Before and After Images
Compare Images
On computers with at least 4GB of memory and a 64‑bit operat‑
ing system, clicking the button displays a menu that oers a
four‑image option in addition to the standard two‑image com‑
pare images option.
Compare Images ( )
Compare images side-by-side. When either image is zoomed or scrolled, the
other will be zoomed or scrolled to match.
Current image
When you click the button, the current image will be displayed on the left. To
select images for display, click the desired preview box and then click a thumb-
nail. Only images in the same folder can be selected for side-by-side comparison.
Click
Click a
thumbnail
The selected preview is highlighted in white. Image adjustments apply only to
the selected preview, as do the histogram and navigation palette displays.
No adjustment Exposure compensation set to +1.0EV
Comparing Images in the Preview Display
Clicking the button opens the images side‑by‑side
in the preview display.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 14
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Before and After Images ( )
Compare before and after views of the current image.
Before After
nUpdating the “Before” Image
To update the “before” image to reect current image adjustments, click the
button in the toolbar. The “before” image can then be used as a reference for
subsequent changes to image adjustment settings.
nRestoring the “Before” Image
To restore the “before” image to its unadjusted state, click the button in the
toolbar. The “before” image will be restored to the state the image was in when
rst opened in CaptureNX-D (note that any changes made to JPEG and TIFF im-
ages in other applications since they were last opened in CaptureNX-D will not
be reset).

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 15
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Rating
Pictures can be assigned ratings of from (no rating) to ve stars. Ratings are assigned using the thumbnail rating icons or the Apply Ratings op-
tion in the Image menu.
1 Select pictures.
 To select multiple pictures, keep the Ctrl key
(or on Mac computers, the /command key)
pressed while clicking each image in turn. To se‑
lect two pictures and all images between them,
click the pictures while pressing Shift.
2 Click the icon and choose a rating of from (no rating) to ve stars.
To assign the picture a three-star rating,
click the third star from the left. The rst
three stars will be highlighted in yellow.
“Apply Ratings”
Selected les can also be rated using the Apply Ratings option in the Image menu.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 16
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Labelling
To make pictures easier to sort and locate, you can assign them labels of from “0”
(no label) through “9”, each with its own unique color.
Ratings are assigned using the thumbnail label icons or the Apply Labels option
in the Image menu.
1 Select pictures.
 To select multiple pictures, keep the Ctrl key
(or on Mac computers, the /command key)
pressed while clicking each image in turn. To se‑
lect two pictures and all images between them,
click the pictures while pressing Shift.
2 Click a label (q; in the case of unlabelled images, the label “0” only appears
when the cursor is over the picture) and choose a label of from “0” (no label)
through “9” (w).
q Click a label icon.
w Click a label.
“Apply Labels”
Selected les can also be rated using the Apply Labels option in the Image menu.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 17
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Filtering
To lter pictures using criteria such as ratings, labels, and photo information,
click the button in the toolbar.
A dialog will be displayed where you can select
lters. Only pictures that match at least one of the
selected criteria will appear in the thumbnail list.
Filters
The options for the Model, Focal Length, Shutter Speed,
FNumber, and ISO Sensitivity lters are restricted to values
found in the images in the current folder.
Quick Filters
Use the button in the toolbar to quickly lter pictures by rating and label.
1 Click the button to display the lter bar.
Filter bar
2 Choose a lter or lters from the options in the lter bar.
 If you select multiple ratings, all pictures with ratings in the selected range will be displayed.
For example, selecting ratings of three and ve stars displays pictures with ratings of three,
four, and ve stars.
Only pictures that match at least one of
the selected criteria will appear in the
thumbnail list.
Viewing All Pictures
To cancel ltering and display all pictures in the current folder, click the button in the toolbar.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 18
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
The Edit Palette
Most image adjustments are performed using the
edit palette, which consists of a tool list, an adjust-
ments palette, and tool buttons.
The Tool List
The tool list contains the items listed below. All
but Tone/Tone (Detail) apply exclusively to RAW
(NEF/NRW) images.
Exposure Compensation Page 20
White Balance Page 21
Picture Control Page 22
Tone/Tone (Detail) Page 24
Settings for these tools can be selected from the
pull-down menus. Selecting Original restores set-
tings to the values in eect when the image was
rst opened in CaptureNX-D. At other settings, a
check ( ) appears in the box to the right of the
pull-down menu, and changes can be hidden by
removing the check from the box ( ).
Tool list
Adjustment palette
The Adjustment Palette
Use the adjustment palette to make detailed adjustments. Clicking a tool button
or an icon in the tool list displays settings for the selected item.
Tools that have been modied using the adjustment palette are identied by the
label Manual in the tool list pull-down menus.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 19
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
The Edit Palette
Tool Buttons
The following tools can be accessed using the
tool buttons at the bottom of the edit palette.
Note that some of these tools can be used only
with RAW (NEF/NRW) images; for information, see
the section for each tool.
Noise Reduction Page 25
Camera and
Lens Corrections Page 26
LCH Page 27
Straighten Page 29
Unsharp Mask Page 29
Levels & Curves Page 30
These tools are accessed by clicking the buttons
and adjusting settings in the adjustment palette.
The buttons for tools that have been modied
from default values are highlighted in yellow (e.g.,
).
Tool buttons
The Restore Button
Click the restore button to reset all tools and re-
store the image to the state it was in when rst
opened in CaptureNX-D (note that any changes
made to JPEG and TIFF images in other applica-
tions since they were last opened in CaptureNX-D
will not be reset). Restore button
The Adjustment Manager Tool
Use the adjustment manager tool to copy adjust-
ments to other images or save current settings for
later use (page 32).
Adjustment manager
Retouching Multiple Images
Image adjustments apply simultane‑
ously to all the images currently select‑
ed in the thumbnail list.

CaptureNX-D Reference Manual 20
Introduction Viewing Pictures Filters Image Adjustment Other Features Menu Guide
Exposure Compensation (RAW Images)
Adjust overall exposure, making images lighter or
darker.
The pull-down menu in the tool list can be used to choose from values between
+1.0 and –1.0EV.
+1.0EV
–1.0EV
For values between +5.0 and –5.0EV, incremented
in steps of 0.01EV, use the Exposure Compensation
control in the image adjustment palette.
The image adjustment palette also oers an Active D-Lighting menu that can
be used to bring out details in highlights and shadows.
Low Normal
High Extra high
Active D-Lighting
Active D‑Lighting is available only with RAW images taken using cameras that support Active
D‑Lighting.