Does Nikon charge for CaptureNX upgrades?

[Turo]

I have been playing around with a trial version of CaptureNX on my computer and I am completely in love with the way it handles raw images. The results I can get from it come out much better than any other imaging software I have used to date (including CS3, elements, aperture, etc). I want to buy the software since my trial period is up, but I was curious if Nikon charges for upgrades, or if they are free.

I assume minor upgrades are free since I have seen download links to upgrade to version 1.3.x, but what about major version changes (ie, 2.0)? Only real reason I ask is that there is a huge discussion thread about NX 2.0 on flickr and I would hate to but the software, then have Nikon release 2.0 soonafter with no free upgrade. Just wondering if yo guys knew, thanks!

[Rooz]

i havent paid for any upgrades yet. i would suspect though if it was a whole new version there would be an upgrade cost not dissimilar to CS2-->CS3 etc. it couldnt be too much though considering the whole program costs $150, so perhaps a $50 fee to upgrade from NX would be on the cards.

[K1W1]

Most software companies give free .xx upgrades but you have to pay for major upgrades (version 2.xx to version 3.x for example) I don't see why Nikon will be any different.
Adobe have indicated that when v2.0 of Lightroom is released v1.x users will have to pay to upgrade but that is a long time away just as with Capture NX.

[Turo]

I figured as much. I think I ma go ahead and buy NX as soon as my trial period expires, I'm loving the results I can get out of it! :cool:

[Visual Reality]

I guess I'm different. See my other posts in "Do you convert your .NEF files to .DNG"? explaining why I get better results in CS3 than in CaptureNX.

CNX is collecting digital dust on my HDD...

[Turo]

I guess I'm different. See my other posts in "Do you convert your .NEF files to .DNG"? explaining why I get better results in CS3 than in CaptureNX.

CNX is collecting digital dust on my HDD...

I read that, and I do love CS3 (I have access to it in my lab). But for my personal use at home, I really can't afford CS3's price tag. Plus maybe its just me, but NX has yielded equal results to me as CS3 using raw images from my D50. Then again I am no photoshop pro, so that could very well be my lack of knowledge. Either way though, CS3 is out of my price range unfortunately.

[T06]

I guess I'm different. See my other posts in "Do you convert your .NEF files to .DNG"? explaining why I get better results in CS3 than in CaptureNX.

CNX is collecting digital dust on my HDD...

Heres an idea. If you have a hard copy & you don't use it why not sell it to Turo.:)

[erichlund]

I started on Capture 4.0. All the dot-builds were free. However, I had to pay for CaptureNX, but at an upgrade price (I don't remember the amount, but it was about 30% off retail). While on vacation last summer, I bought a laptop and bought a second copy of NX, so I have two licenses, one on my home computer, and one on my Laptop. The copy I bought on the road was at a store, so I paid full price.

Because of that same thread mentioned, I downloaded a trial of CS3. This weekend, I did a test, editing the same photo in both, from scratch. Some things in CS3 are better, and I must admit, it is much faster, but the overall result still went to NX.

Of course, I'm very familiar with NX, and got the desired result on the first try. With CS3, you go through ACR first, and then load into CS3. I got a little too free with the ACR controls on my first try and messed things up a bit. That result was not very good at all. The second try got much closer to what I'd achieved with NX, and I'm sure, with practice, I could confidently get much closer still, but I did not see anything that was showing me that I could do better. One thing I did like was the ability to integrate Noise Ninja into the CS3 workflow through its plugin version. Overall, it was taking me just as long to edit in CS3 as in NX, even without retries, because there was more to do. That was largely attributable to lost camera settings.

What I didn't like about CS3 was losing all my camera settings. With NX, I get the shot as I intended it when I shot it, because all the settings are incorporated into the shot. With CS3 in ACR, all I get is the RAW data in the AdobeRGB color space (I could change this default to ProPhotoRGB or sRGB) and the white balance interpreted as shot. Any other EXIF modifications are up to me to restore in post processing.

I suspect that there is a way to set up a bunch of steps in PS that will restore much of how I shoot, but OTOH, that's only useful if I don't alter my camera settings. I really don't understand why Adobe refuses to acknowledge that cameras have controls other than WB. OK, I do understand, I just don't like it.

[Visual Reality]

My biggest problem was with color. Flesh tones especially were all wrong in CaptureNX and yes this was effected by my camera settings. However even with a neutral profile and no processing it still looked more true to life in Photoshop.

Besides, I can't work with layers in CNX so that's out :(

It is a good program otherwise. The layout and even the hotkeys are exactly the same - seems more like a Photoshop-lite to me.

[Rooz]

well, that cant be right. sorry, you cant claim it was NX's fault that the flesh tones were all wrong. there was obviously something you were doing wrong. to say you prefer the use of one to another is logical, but to say the flesh tones were all wrong is just not true.

btw: regarding layers, NX has layers of its own kind. what it cant do is advanced photo editing layers like adding text, special effects etc. but from a regular PP POV, the steps in NX are equivalent to layers and are in fact easier to selectively apply.

[Visual Reality]

Ok, let's see:

1. Take picture in RAW
2. Plug camera into USB
3. Open NEF file in CNX and CS3 ACR, both using the same color profile

Results aren't the same. Tell me what I could be "doing wrong"? This isn't that complicated of a process.

[K1W1]

I'm confused.

I think that you are the first person I have ever seen that thought CS3 had better tones straight away than Capture NX.

Why not post two examples of the same image?

[Rooz]

Ok, let's see:

1. Take picture in RAW
2. Plug camera into USB
3. Open NEF file in CNX and CS3 ACR, both using the same color profile

Results aren't the same. Tell me what I could be "doing wrong"? This isn't that complicated of a process.

lol i know it isnt complicated which begs the question...why is it coming out wrong for you ? you might have a dud copy of NX. as per kiwi's comment above, i've never heard that as a criticism of NX...ever. not trying to be a smart ass here btw.

slow ? yes. memory hog ? yes. average workflow ? yes. stepp learning curve ? yes. poor interface ? yes. all of those things...but to say the results are way off, just from opening a file, means somethings up.

[erichlund]

There are lots of things that could be causing the problem. Perhaps he has incorrect colorspace settings in NX. That would affect his colors. For instance, in the preferences, if you have the default sRGB selected, and you indicate in the checkbox to use this instead of the embedded profile, then you may thing you are looking at AdobeRGB, but you are not.

It's not likely to be an issue with a bad copy of the software. Bad would just not work. Also, if you are not correctly calibrated, or you are using an uncalibrated monitor, different applications will see color differently. Some applications need to be told what the calibration settings are. Others, like Capture, rely on the operating system to set calibration. You must make sure you are looking at apples and apples.

[Visual Reality]

Already stated that I have the same color profile loaded for both programs. I only use sRGB from start to finish.

I'll get some examples ready.

[toriaj]

I'm having a similar problem. When I edit photos in my trial NX and then post them on a webpage, or open them in PSP, the colors look different. Here is an example.

34758

I have a brand new computer, I'm sure it's just an issue with my settings, but I don't know what to check. I am using the Pantone Huey calibration settings for all displays. Paint Shop Pro displays the same colors that I see if I post the image on the internet and view it in a browser. What should I do?

[K1W1]

Paint Shop Pro displays the same colors that I see if I post the image on the internet and view it in a browser. What should I do?

The Internet displays in sRGB is Capture NX set to sRGB?

[Visual Reality]

Here's my example.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k245/BlackHawk2k6/Misc/CS3CNX.jpg

The most obvious part is the color of the wood. The more "accurate" picture is the one on the left, in Photoshop.

Note the color profiles, they are the same. Photo shot in sRGB mode with no additional processing in the camera, everything set to normal or 0.

Side note...toriaj, excellent choice of Kaspersky ;). IMO that is the #1 Internet Security suite right now.

Your pic on the left in PSP looks much better. The pic in CNX looks to have some highlight clipping in the clouds and incorrect color throughout.

[toriaj]

Both PSP and NX are using the Pantone Huey profile. PSP specifically notes it is using the embedded profile sRGB IEC61966-2.1 and the working profile of huey Unnamed Monitor .icc . NX says it is using huey D65 G2.2 A63.91. (I've only run the huey calibration once though, I don't know why they have different names?)

I don't see any difference when changing the NX color profile to sRGB IEC61966-2.1 But I would be willing to uninstall/disable Huey to see if it is the problem, if someone will tell me what I should do at that point.

In the pic above, I was going for the dark blue color in the NX version, but it was showing those funny warm-color edges in the clouds, and then when I opened in PSP the clouds have that blue color shift.

Visual Reality's pic shows approximately the same color shift mine does. Here is another view of the color shift, note the warm colors like in Visual Reality's pic (again NX is the version on the right.) The PSP version is the one I like.

34764

P.S. I'm glad you like Kaspersky, it seems to be working well and without any nasty side effects :rolleyes:

[tim11]

BTW: There is a new update version of NX yesterday.

[toriaj]

Was the new version NX v1.3.2 (http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14495&p_created=1203446763&p_sid=92_nkD*i&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9MjQsMjQmcF9wcm9kcz00MiwyOTgmcF9jYXRzPTA mcF9wdj0yLjI5OCZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlc nMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9ZG9 3bmxvYWQ*&p_li=&p_topview=1)?

[tim11]

It's V.1.3.3.

[toriaj]

do you have a link for it? I can't find it on Google ...

[tim11]

do you have a link for it? I can't find it on Google ...

North America, Canada; etc has different version to the one from Asia and Pacific. I don't know why and what the different is but I can't update with the patch from N. America, Canada and vice versa.

You can start up NX, go to Help menu -> UPDATE CAPTURE NX. Any available updates should come up in the list.

[erichlund]

Both PSP and NX are using the Pantone Huey profile. PSP specifically notes it is using the embedded profile sRGB IEC61966-2.1 and the working profile of huey Unnamed Monitor .icc . NX says it is using huey D65 G2.2 A63.91. (I've only run the huey calibration once though, I don't know why they have different names?)

I don't see any difference when changing the NX color profile to sRGB IEC61966-2.1 But I would be willing to uninstall/disable Huey to see if it is the problem, if someone will tell me what I should do at that point.

In the pic above, I was going for the dark blue color in the NX version, but it was showing those funny warm-color edges in the clouds, and then when I opened in PSP the clouds have that blue color shift.

Visual Reality's pic shows approximately the same color shift mine does. Here is another view of the color shift, note the warm colors like in Visual Reality's pic (again NX is the version on the right.) The PSP version is the one I like.

34764

P.S. I'm glad you like Kaspersky, it seems to be working well and without any nasty side effects :rolleyes:

To me, this looks like a Nikon WB thing. Nikon has some funny ideas about what kelvin settings belong in what white balance settings. Try using the same degrees kelvin, not just the same "Daylight", or whatever it was you used (I didn't look). In playing with PS CS3, I am finding the default tungsten is much better on PS than NX. I can get the same place, you just have to have an understanding of the quirks.

[jamesjaws]

Does anyone notice that Capture NX pauses for long periods of time when adjusting things such as d-lighting, and even the basic adjustments?

I'm using the latest version of Capture NX, Vista 64, Dual Athlon CPU, 2gb RAM... Interestingly, when i'm working with just one NEF file open, I notice in task manager that Capture NX is using upwards of 740mb RAM the whole time, quite excessive.

Has anyone found a solution (other than getting a Mac) or have the same issue?

Thanks

[tim11]

Does anyone notice that Capture NX pauses for long periods of time when adjusting things such as d-lighting, and even the basic adjustments?

I'm using the latest version of Capture NX, Vista 64, Dual Athlon CPU, 2gb RAM... Interestingly, when i'm working with just one NEF file open, I notice in task manager that Capture NX is using upwards of 740mb RAM the whole time, quite excessive.

Has anyone found a solution (other than getting a Mac) or have the same issue?

Thanks
Of course NX is memory consuming. Darn slow. One has to be thick not to notice that. I doubt if there is a solution. It's just how the software works.

[toriaj]

In my example, these are not RAW files. The shot is one processed jpg, initially shot RAW and processed in NX, saved as a jpg, and closed. Opened in PSP and then in NX. Does that make a difference? Wouldn't NX save the white balance into the jpg so that other applications could see it? (If not, what's the point? If your prints and online posts don't share the same white balance, why would you even want it?)

Also, NX does the same thing with any photo, even one not taken with a Nikon. For example, I can save a photo taken with an S5, open it in NX, and get the same warm effect.

[Visual Reality]

The color is saved into the file and assuming it is in sRGB, everyone will see the same image minus monitor differences.

[Turo]

Has anyone found a solution (other than getting a Mac) or have the same issue?


Getting a Mac is not a solution. I run three different operating systems including XP and Leopard and I have seen the slowdown in both (using the trial version of CaptureNX in each OS).

[erichlund]

OK, I just selected the first jpg in a directory and opened it in both NX and Corel PSP. I didn't waste a lot of time making them the same size, but you can see, they are pretty identical.

http://eric-lund.smugmug.com/photos/276507510_Cbyg4-L.jpg

In NX, for my color management, I have relative colorimetric, use blackpoint compensation, and profile Nikon Adobe RGB 4.0.0.3000. Since relative colorimetric is related to the output device, I also have a custom profile R1800 Premium Glossy for my Epson printer, done with Spyder 3 Studio.

In PSP, my color management is set to my Sony-1 monitor profile, which I get automatically in NX, also using the R1800 Premium Glossy printer profile, and AdobeRGB1998.icc

Since the web displays best in sRGB, this isn't perfect, but it is equal across both applications, and you can see that there is a vanishingly small difference in the images, as displayed in the two applications.

[toriaj]

I tried loading the same picture into all the picture-viewing programs I could find on my computer. (Paint, OpenOffice Draw, etc.) I found that one of them, Windows Photo Gallery, displays photos with the same "warm cast" that NX does.

If I'm not mistaken, that confirms that the "warm cast" is not due to any NX mojo, but to some setting that is selected in both NX and WinPG. All I have to do is figure out what it is and change it. RIGHT???

So ... what is it? how do I change it?

edit: I tried futzing with the settings as you listed above, Erich, and that didn't really help. (thanks though) I did find that viewing NX with the profile that came with my Samsung monitor was closer to PSP and the other programs than using the RGB or sRGB settings was. Nikon Apple RGB was 2nd closest.

[erichlund]

Toriaj, I'll have to look at this more this evening. However, I think you may have some of your settings installed incorrectly. You might notice that my NX doesn't have any reference to my Sony monitor profile. Only Adobe RGB. The monitor profile is installed for the OS, and affects all applications, including NX. However, PSP works a little differently. You have to tell the application which monitor profile to use, and this affects the display of your images. You also have to tell it what color space you are using. In the color management window, the value at the very top is your color space, and comes from a different menu. The thing you set in the dropdown is your monitor profile.

Both applications have a place to put your printer profile, if you use it.

[toriaj]

Toriaj, I'll have to look at this more this evening. However, I think you may have some of your settings installed incorrectly. You might notice that my NX doesn't have any reference to my Sony monitor profile. Only Adobe RGB. The monitor profile is installed for the OS, and affects all applications, including NX....

Thanks for your help! I agree it's probably settings, and I appreciate your contributions in finding them :) My Samsung setting was there in NX in the drop-down menu along with Adobe RGB, Apple RGB, Huey, and all the rest. I normally wouldn't have ever chosen to use it, so I was surprised when it was a closer setting to the one that PSP and the other programs are using (the one that I want, I think.) I had previously had it set on either the Huey setting or the Adobe RGB, which look the same as each other but put that warm cast on everything.

[Visual Reality]

Stick with sRGB for the color profile within the application. See my pic as an example (look at the bottom of each image open). Eric is an exception to this of course...most people should use sRGB however.

This will get you an image that looks like what everyone else will see on the web, as it is a standardized color profile.

[erichlund]

I depends on your usual output. I print my photos and I want the wider color gamut. If CaptureNX supported Pro Photo RGB, I'd use that. For web use or standard store prints, sRGB is the correct choice. For quality photo labs, it depends on the lab, and you should ask what they want.

[toriaj]

Stick with sRGB for the color profile within the application. See my pic as an example (look at the bottom of each image open). Eric is an exception to this of course...most people should use sRGB however.

This will get you an image that looks like what everyone else will see on the web, as it is a standardized color profile.

Yeah it would be awesome if sRGB looked right ... I wonder what you and I have set "wrong" in our computer that it looks so weird.

[K1W1]

I wonder what you and I have set "wrong" in our computer that it looks so weird.

To diagnose that would turn this into a video card forum not a photography forum.
It could be the chipset of the graphics card.
Or the revision of the chipset of the graphics card
Or the software driver
Or the revision of the driver
Or whether you are using the chipset manufacturers driver or the graphics card manufacturers driver
Or whether your graphics driver is conflicting with your display driver
Or if there is an issue with a previously installed driver
Or what version of the OS you are running
Or even things like what sort of cable you have or what other electrical devices are close by.
The list is almost endless.

[toriaj]

Um wow. Do you have any good video card forums? I thought maybe it was just a setting in the menu somewhere :rolleyes:

[K1W1]

No I don't know any forums I'm not that geeky. :)
All I was trying to point out is that the actual explanation could be very difficult to track down and diagnose. It may well be a simple setting but it could equally be something completely out of left field and impossible to track down there are a huge number of variables.

[Visual Reality]

To diagnose that would turn this into a video card forum not a photography forum.
It could be the chipset of the graphics card. No
Or the revision of the chipset of the graphics card No
Or the software driver Not likely
Or the revision of the driver Not likely
Or whether you are using the chipset manufacturers driver or the graphics card manufacturers driver No
Or whether your graphics driver is conflicting with your display driver Graphics = Display, one in the same.
Or if there is an issue with a previously installed driver Possible, but she has a new machine with no old drivers.
Or what version of the OS you are running Possible, but we are seeing this in XP and Vista both.
Or even things like what sort of cable you have or what other electrical devices are close by. Possible but this wouldn't show up in a screenshot.
The list is almost endless.

I don't think it's as complicated as you think...this is simply a color space interpretation problem. It can't even be white balance because she is loading JPEGs.

[erichlund]

I think considering too many variables is getting off track. Occam's Razor. What is the most likely cause of the issue. Certainly not sRGB itself. More likely, an error in the way the Huey Pantone profile was created and applied. You have to make sure that no other profiles are in effect before you do a color calibration, or you can get bizarre results when you replace the currently in effect profile with the calibration that took place with that profile in effect. In some video drivers, the "off" setting is the "default" driver.

The best resolution to this problem, at this point, is generally to start over. Set all software back to defaults and set your operating system's video driver profile (whether it be nVidea, ATI, or whatever) to it's default settings. Then see what the images look like. Now do a Pantone profile from scratch and apply that. Since the defaults for your software applications is the sRGB color space, you should then be OK.

[toriaj]

I uninstalled huey, the pics still looked the same. I set the software back to defaults, the pictures still looked the same. I set the Nvidia settings back to default. Pics still look the same. Reinstalled huey. Pics look WORSE. In fact, everything looked way worse (which would be expected I guess, since huey would adjust the entire display.) Huey made it way warmer, the grays looked gross, everything looked bad. So I uninstalled huey again. I guess it wasn't running at all before ??

Well now I'm even more confused ...

[T06]

As earlier stated it's a corruption of software download or possibly hardware, the rear end of the thing is finding it. Now heres a challenge to VR. If your precious IBM is that good, try analyzing the prob in last good configuration, actually this is a great tool & give it when it's due, WELL DONE, that tool has saved my ass so many times. Check the setting's, thoroughly, somethings amiss, my bet it's a version of software downloaded from.....etc or something similar.;)

[Visual Reality]

If you are talking about the "Last Known Good Configuration" at the F8 startup options screen, that is not an option. I've had the machine running in this config since last summer. I wouldn't touch it anyway as it would screw up more than it would solve.

BTW, I don't own an IBM...

And I have the same issue on our Vista 64 notebook, my XP Pro SP2 desktop, and toriaj has the same issue on her Vista 64 system. See a trend? Yeah, CNX is obviously doing something funny and this is not isolated to a "corrupted" system.

I just wish we could figure out what it is. Until then, CNX is useless for us.

[T06]

What, ??? Two people... hmmmmmm???:eek:

[Rooz]

that sux tor. i have no idea what settings i use, everything is standard the way it came. i have NX, LR, CS3 on both laptop and PC and NEF's, JPEG's look identical regardless of program.

RE: locking up NX, i have this happen ALL THE TIME on my laptop. i dont bother trying to edit in NX anymore on that machine. on my desktop it works flawlessly, NX needs serious grunt.

[erichlund]

I'm on Vista 32. I suppose it could be a driver issue with Vista 64. The NX program itself is the same on both machines, so it should not be that. What brand and type of monitor and how old is it? What sort of appearance to you get in non-color managed programs like Windows Photo Gallery? If your photos are warm in such programs, then your base monitor settings may be grossly off. Still, the colorimeter should fix that, but I'm not familiar with the capabilities of the Huey Pantone. If basic programs are showing the same color as PSP, then there appears to be a problem with NX on 64 bit. In that case, you should contact Nikon. They may have an answer that I don't.

[erichlund]

BTW: What were the camera settings??? What white balance did you use, and does it make a difference if you switch (in the original NEF) to daylight sunny? What were your saturation and hue settings? NX would pick these up, but PSP would not (except for the white balance).

[toriaj]

I tried loading the same picture into all the picture-viewing programs I could find on my computer. (Paint, OpenOffice Draw, etc.) I found that one of them, Windows Photo Gallery, displays photos with the same "warm cast" that NX does. The others display the same colors as PSP.

If I'm not mistaken, that confirms that the "warm cast" is not due to any NX mojo, but to some setting that is selected only in NX and WinPG. All I have to do is figure out what it is and change it. RIGHT???

My monitor is a brand-new Samsung SyncMaster 2220WM.
The same color cast shows up in any photo, any as-shot WB, any camera model. Thanks for your help, looks like it could be a 64-bit thing .... but then why would Virtual Reality be having the same problem? And why would my Windows Photo Gallery have it too?

[Visual Reality]

Well we already ruled out the possibility that it's a 64 bit thing, if I have the same problem on my 32-bit XP systems.

tori, could you post a screenshot of your settings window in NX? The one with the two drop down boxes for color profiles. Maybe we could try to hunt for differences in how we are set up.

[toriaj]

You mean like this?
34909
It doesn't matter what color space I choose, they all look horrible, some worse than others, all very warm. Doesn't matter if I choose to use this instead of embedded profile. The Samsung profile is still the best, although the colors are still a touch warm and rather flat.

edit: here's a link (http://www.videocardforum.com/showthread.php?t=9690) to my post on videocardforum.com :) (not too helpful as yet)

[Visual Reality]

Mine is identical except at the top I have it set to "Perceptual". Not sure what it does.

[erichlund]

Toriaj,

The fact that you get the same results in CaptureNX and Windows Photo Gallery, which should be the same, because they use the same hardware profile, indicates to me the problem is not in CaptureNX. However, I really think that it's beyond our ability here to help. I'd like to suggest that if you have another monitor to hook up, you might just see if different monitor hardware makes a difference. Otherwise, I think your entire system may need the attentions of a qualified technician. Unfortunately, qualified is getting harder and harder to find these days.

Here's what I would recommend. Go to a high end home theater store and see if they can recommend someone. They will know people who know video and can troubleshoot such problems. Don't go to the geek squad or some such. They simply won't know how to address a problem like yours. Make sure you tell them you are a photographer.

[XaiLo]

Toriaj, do you have the proper video drivers?

Have you reset the color and image reset?

[Rooz]

good question x. i'd be interested to note what the printed images looked like. ie: do they look like the "wrong" colour cast in NX or the "right" colours as per the in-cam image.

[K1W1]

Has anybody bothered to do a detailed search the 146,000 hits that come up when you search Google with the string "Capture NX Vista 64 problems"?

This issue is NOT something that will be resolved on this forum no matter how many theories are advanced or screen shots posted.
In nearly 20 years in and around the IT industry I have come to the understand that there are times when you have to understand that for no known reason something that should work doesn't and that you at that point need to either accept that or spend money on a solution that does work.

[XaiLo]

Rooz, I didn't notice that Toriaj, answered some of my questions on the previous page. So I removed those.

[toriaj]

Xailo, I re-installed the video driver, it didn't help. I went to the color display and made sure it was all on default, is that what you meant?

K1W1, I did search for the NX/64-bit issues. Most of them were from last summer, and considering that the program works well, it's just that the colors match one of my other programs (which is also incorrect) I didn't think it was really that. I know what you mean that it may not be something easy/possible to fix. Thanks for your input.

Visual Reality, yep I've tried moving it to Perceptual, no change that I can see.

Eric, thanks again, I'll try to get someone who knows what they're talking about :)

[XaiLo]

Toriaj, to be clear I'm not talking about software or the driver options the monitor should have it's own set of controls usually refered to as the "OSD". The OSD should display on the monitor when the appropriate button is depressed on the monitor. According to Samsungs site there is a reset for both color and image settings.

[toriaj]

Thanks, Xailo. I hadn't messed with the monitor settings at all. I found them and reset them, but since they hadn't been changed, nothing looks different. And the monitor seems to be correctly displaying the color information it is receiving -- most programs look right -- it's just these two (NX and Windows Photo Gallery) that seem to be giving incorrect colors on the photos. (Of course, I don't care about WinPG, I was just glad to see that NX isn't the only one.)

[erichlund]

toriaj,

I sent you a private message.

Eric

[toriaj]

Thanks, Eric --

I just downloaded the Silkypix trial. Silkypix is another RAW editor, not as good as NX or Lightroom. Silkypix shows the SAME color cast as NX and Windows Photo Gallery. So this seems to tell me there is some setting in my computer that is effecting this type of program (and apparently my huey calibrator,) but not any other programs. If I could only figure out what it is!!

edit: I just opened a vertical-orientation shot in Windows PG, and realized that the blank area of the display, which is supposed to be white, is actually a peach color. If that peach is being applied to the entire image as a "white point" instead of the normal white point, that would explain the warm cast. Apparently this is happening in NX, Silkypix, and huey. Hmm, we may get to the bottom of this yet :)

[Visual Reality]

After further investigation I believe toriaj and I do not have the same problem.

In testing JPEGs, both applications show the same image. She seems to have the color shift with all file types.

In testing RAW files, I find color differences. However I am starting to believe it's related to the "Tone Curve" setting within the camera which I have set to Auto. I believe this because something is different about my images and it isn't just a color shift. That is my only setting that is not set to "None". I'll have to make further test shots to prove this but, I believe I can still get better results in PS CS3 because of the amount of fine tuning available via ACR.

If I knew how to make a gif of the two images overlayed that would be perfect, but I don't.

[toriaj]

Well I'm glad to hear you may have a solution Visual Reality!

I just opened the original RAW file in Silkypix on both my laptop and my new computer to see any difference in display. Again I see the warm shift, more contrasty, darker on the new computer. Actually the pic looks much better on the new one :P but what that confirmed is that it's not the program, because the same program with the same file shows the color shift on this computer. But when I look at the jpg online on the two computers, the difference is much less pronounced, what you'd expect from two monitors since they're calibrated differently. (If anything, the laptop is a little warmer and darker than the new computer.)

So my problem definitely isn't about NX anymore :rolleyes:

[Visual Reality]

I set "Tone Compensation" (which it says, "Controls Image Contrast") to 0. It's closer, but there is still something funny going on. It's no where near as bad as Tori's example though.

This is clearly a color profile handling problem with Tori's Vista machine. I will try my CNX on my laptop which runs Vista x64 to see if I can duplicate the issue.