How to set Custom Image Menu

[hankbeblazin]

i've never really messed with this before, the custom image menu....to get the best possible image that would be post processed or maybe not if its a good enough...what do i set everything at??

what values do i set the following

Sharpening

Contrast

Color mode (i've read II is the best for post processing?)

Saturation

and i assume you dont touch hue

thanks this is new territory for me i always put it on normal and did the rest in Lightroom

[fionndruinne]

I tend to use +1 or +2 sharpening, since kit lenses aren't the sharpest. Of course you could leave that and add sharpening in PP, but this makes it easier straight out of camera.

I use color mode II. Other than that, I haven't changed the default settings there, as they've worked fine for me.

I wonder if images would display better in AdobeRGB if the contrast and/or saturation levels were upped a little bit?

[hankbeblazin]

^^wtf?

ok sharpening i changed

anyone else know anything about contrast and saturation in adobeRGB?

[fionndruinne]

Spammers are getting awful darn lazy.:rolleyes:

[hankbeblazin]

anybody else?

[K1W1]

anybody else?

Allow a bit of time please.
It's only 6pm here in Australia and you posted 4 hours ago when most people would be at work. It's about 10 in the morning in Europe and you posted at 6am and it's 4am in New York and 1am in Los Angeles.

Wait 24 hours at least to give people a chance.

[Tony_V]

i've never really messed with this before, the custom image menu....to get the best possible image that would be post processed or maybe not if its a good enough...what do i set everything at??

what values do i set the following

Sharpening

Contrast

Color mode (i've read II is the best for post processing?)

Saturation

and i assume you dont touch hue

thanks this is new territory for me i always put it on normal and did the rest in Lightroom

If you shoot in RAW these settings are not as important as if you are shooting in JPG. I shoot RAW and use the following ONLY because I want the histogram and highlignts to match the RAW image better (histogram and highlights are viewed after the camera adds these settings to the image). Of course this means more PP.

Sharpening = 0
Tone Compensation (Contrast) = -2
Color Mode = II
Saturation = Normal

I've been using CaptureNX to adjust the color mode and noise reduction and then export to 16bit Tiff for final post processing in Lightroom. I always have to add contrast, brightness and sharpening in PP. I will say however I've never played with the in camera sharpening and maybe it could save a step.

If you shoot in JPG the settings you use should be whatever gives you the least amount of PP. I would go with fionndruinne's recommendation of +1 or 2 sharpening. I would use Color mode Ia for people and IIIa for everything else (I would not use II for JPG). Tone compensation of Normal or medium low (-1). And lastly saturation of Normal or Enhanced.

The bottom line is you will have to experiment to see what gives you the results you like best.

My 2 cents,
Tony

[tcadwall]

I always have to add contrast, brightness and sharpening in PP. I will say however I've never played with the in camera sharpening and maybe it could save a step.I am quite certain that sharpening wouldn't affect a raw image. The raw image is actually the values attained by the bayer pattern. The bayer pattern being interpolated into individual pixels is what causes a bit of "blur". All images could benefit at least slightly from SOME sharpening. Now, I am not a capture user - yet. I use Bibble. But Capture might actually import the camera's settings for sharpening? and apply those as a default? Bibble will do this with some things like white balance, and color mode, but I am pretty sure Bibble doesn't use camera settings for things like sharpening. I prefer not to apply sharpening until I have first removed noise (if a shot does suffer from noise). Otherwise you are sharpening noise.
--added--
Sorry, forgot to address the original question... I too shoot raw for images I really care about, so most of those settings don't make any difference with my Post processing.

It would be a bit different anyway on a D70s I imagine. But FWIW, here are my in-camera settings (unfortunately, it has been a long time since I have put any thought into what and why):
Sharpening: Auto
Tone Comp: Auto
ColorMode: IIIa
Saturation: 0
Hue Adjust: 0

[mugsisme]

cye
I replied to yesterday's.

[erichlund]

I am quite certain that sharpening wouldn't affect a raw image. The raw image is actually the values attained by the bayer pattern. The bayer pattern being interpolated into individual pixels is what causes a bit of "blur". All images could benefit at least slightly from SOME sharpening. Now, I am not a capture user - yet. I use Bibble. But Capture might actually import the camera's settings for sharpening? and apply those as a default? Bibble will do this with some things like white balance, and color mode, but I am pretty sure Bibble doesn't use camera settings for things like sharpening. I prefer not to apply sharpening until I have first removed noise (if a shot does suffer from noise). Otherwise you are sharpening noise.
--added--
Sorry, forgot to address the original question... I too shoot raw for images I really care about, so most of those settings don't make any difference with my Post processing.

It would be a bit different anyway on a D70s I imagine. But FWIW, here are my in-camera settings (unfortunately, it has been a long time since I have put any thought into what and why):
Sharpening: Auto
Tone Comp: Auto
ColorMode: IIIa
Saturation: 0
Hue Adjust: 0

You are correct, and not just sharpening. If it is set in the camera, Nikon CaptureNX has an identical setting.

One thing you can do is load images from the camera or card using Nikon Transfer, and in that application, you can have it use more default settings than you might use in the camera. So, for instance, while I turn sharpening on high in the camera for chimping, Transfer sets no sharpening, so I can start from the proper place for post processing.

DISCLAIMER: The above about Transfer is not my actual process, but from another discussion I had on another board on this very subject. I've been having a little difficulty getting the current version of Transfer to download to my computer, so I haven't had a chance to try this out yet. It would simplify my situation, since the first thing I do when I start processing is go through the camera settings and set them to my post processing defaults. Sharpening is one of those.

BTW: I didn't know Bibble would use Nikon's in camera white balance. That would make if fairly unique among the non-Nikon RAW image processors. Nikon encrypts their white balance, so you either have to use the Nikon SDK to handle white balance, or you have to hack the encryption (it's pretty basic, but the developer does risk lawsuit).

[hankbeblazin]

hey guys yeah i shoot in raw so then i guess it doesnt matter except for color space

[tcadwall]

BTW: I didn't know Bibble would use Nikon's in camera white balance. That would make if fairly unique among the non-Nikon RAW image processors. Nikon encrypts their white balance, so you either have to use the Nikon SDK to handle white balance, or you have to hack the encryption (it's pretty basic, but the developer does risk lawsuit).

Yes, Bibble cracked it, and supported it promptly with the cameras that Nikon chose to encrypt white balance on. Here is a report of it... (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05041901nikon_encryptnef.asp)

Bibble is typically very quick (often the first) to support new cameras.