 Gary W. Lake |
What is the Nikon NEF file format work flow? I've always shot in JPEG large mode til now but want to start using the higher-quality file format for some shots. When I bring an NEF file into Photoshop the amount of editing I can do is very limited unless I change the file from 16 bit to 8 bit. If I have to do this to work with a file am I not losing all of that "extra" data I captured by using the NEF format? Can someone describe the full work flow when working with NEF files to take advantage of the additional data captured?
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doug Nelson |
If you can do your basic image editing in 16-bit, that's the way to do it. This means the contrast tweaking in Levels or Curves. What you could do is an archive a copy of your best images as 16-bit, with your contast/brightness on Adjustment Layers. Then, later, you can throw out those layers if you don't like them, or twek the layers with no image degredation. This way, you will always have a copy of the image at its best, with the most possible image data. Don't even crop them at this stage, because you never know what you might want from the image later. Save these archive layers as a PSD. For dust spotting, and any other razzle dazzle effects, you'll have to drop to 8-bit. No one, not even you, will be able to see the 8 vs 16-bit difference, but whatever you find worth saving as 16-bit will give you more flexibility for color correction and other tweaking later. You won't need to do this 16-bit drill for snapshots of the dog, but you would for shots of a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
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Gary W. Lake |
Thanks Doug. When I have a 16-bit file open I can't work it with layers - that option's greyed out. That was the biggest disappointment to me - am I missing something here?
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doug Nelson |
Sorry, Gary, I have to correct myself. A few weeks away from PS and I lose it. Do your Levels or Curves in 16-bit before you go to 8-bit. This will always give you far less image degredation. This is for situations in which you KNOW the contrast is off by looking at the histogram in Levels. If one of the end sliders is at a point that shows no image information, then the contrast is off. That's easily fixed and is best done in 16-bit. It's the other stuff, the retouch, that has to be done in 8-bit. Alternatively, you can go to 8-bit first and do things in adjustment layers. Again, I apologize for getting it wrong yesterday.
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Gary W. Lake |
OK - thanks again!
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