Customer Reviews

Nikon Capture NX 2 After the Shoot

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the moment I started this book, you can easily tell that Mike Hagen covers all parts of this program with ease and logic. Being a previous Capture NX 1.X user, I was familiar with the program, and Mike explained everything step by step. Finally a great tutorial for the Nikon Capture NX 2 users!! Highly recommend to anyone wanted to learn this powerful, but simple program . Get this book with no regret..I have gotten the Vincent Versace 3 DVD tutorial before this book and I was deeply dissapointed. I only wished that Nikon Capture NX 2 After the Shoot was on DVD!

As a Photoshop user I have become familiar with some very good writers, since there are so many of them. As a NX2 user (I use both programs)finding a good instruction books is difficult for the opposite reason. I must say that Hagen compares favorably with the Photoshop writers; in fact, he is better than half of them.

His book is straight forward, concise, well illustrated, and easy to follow. Your choices for a good NX2 are very limited, but if you wanted to buy only one book, this is the one I would urge you to buy. Second choice would be Ben Long. Third choice, none.

Lastly, anyone familiar with publishing companies knows that Wiley is one of the best for computer/technical books. They don't publish junk.

Finally, this is a completely unsolicited review. I am not a friend of Hagen, he didn't ask me to write this, and I don't belong to the Nikonians. If you have read Amazon reviews as long as I have, you can smell "set-up reviews". This is not one of them.

I have read or viewed several Nikon Capture NX2 manuals and for me this one is the best for my style of learning. I'm new to the digital workflow process and the main reason I like this manual the best is because after reading it I am no longer intimidated and overwhelmed by the digital workflow using NX2.

Mike Hagan does an excellent job breaking down the entire process. He explains how to set up NX2 on your computer and why he thinks it should be done that way. He also explains his views on adding star ratings, color ratings, and key words to give you an idea of what may work best for you. Then Mike goes through the entire NX2 process in a way that a person new to the digital workflow process can easly understand so that they are no longer afraid to open up the software and begin to use and explore it.

Something I really like about this manual is that Mike summarizes a lot of the important text into easy to read tables that make it very useful as quick reference guide I can refer back to at any time.

I actually like all of the NX2 manuals I've used but I truly wish this one could have been the first I read. I believe I would have been a lot more willing to just dive into NX2 and just use it instead of thinking that I needed to read another manual before it all would just click in my head.

This is a very well-written book that definitely doesn't leave you wondering "Now what was it that he was trying to tell his readers?" That's because Mike's style is to thoroughly explain the concepts in clear language and illustrate them with both images and figures so you can then easily use the software without hesitation. I have used the prior version of this software (Capture NX) and have even attended a Nikonians workshop on how to use it, but Mike's book added so much more to my understanding of what I'd been taught previously and why I was doing it. I like how he gives lots of personal examples that gives us additional insights into what might work for our style compared to his style. It also was very helpful to me to read about exactly what kind of photographers are likely to use certain features. For example, I'd heard about setting a gray point but never actually used this feature and I wondered if I should be using it in the post processing of my images. Mike explains that the kind of photographers using this feature are photographers that need to get the color perfect, for example, wedding and portrait photographers as well as those photographers who do product photography and advertising. Well, my main interest is in underwater photography and I could easily see that I'm not one of those who have to get the color perfect each time.

Although I'd used the prior version of the software before, I'd never used the Batch Processing feature. But Mike's clear explanations made me see that, with just a few simple keystrokes, I could save a lot of time by saving commands and edit steps that I used again and again to use on other images.

I pre-ordered this book a few months ago and when my copy of the book finally arrived a few weeks ago, I couldn't have been more delighted to finally have it in my possession. I've hardly been able to put it down since I got it.

If you use Capture NX software to process your RAW images, whether you're an absolute beginner or someone with a bit of experience, you can't go wrong buying this book. You'll be glad you did!

I think that the best thing about this book is the fact that it is a book - already printed, compact, in color and readable without a computer. To me another good source of material is Jason Odell's e-book which has more detail and would make an excellent source of advice for the more advanced user. "After the Shoot" gives good clear advice on using Capture NX2 and is a great place for the new user to gain facility with this unique photo processing software that does away with layers used in Photoshop. The writing is clear with many hints and illustrations - much better than the manual that comes with the software. And the price is right too.

But I wish that there was a web site associated with this book to get the pictures and command files (settings files in Capture NX2) to help illustrate the book. Odell's book does have this web side which is one of those things that makes Odell's book more valuable for the advanced user. (and it is about one third longer also because it has additional discussion, tips and advice).

I am one of those that believes that postprocessing photos greatly enhances many of them. It turns out that Capture NX2, once learned, can help significantly with this postprocessing because it greatly facilitates making selections (local adjustments) that can add emphasis to your photos. This book, along with the NX2 software, can help even those who don't use Nikon cameras improve their postprocessing skills. Capture NX2 doesn't do everything, however, so most advanced users will still occasionally need some other photoprocessing software to add text, remove complicated defects or add borders and picture frames among other things.

With all the Nikon Capture NX 2 books on the market, it is nice to find one that offers solid instruction, comprehensive coverage and authored by an experienced teacher. The book is a real keeper. The format is easy to read, nice layout, provides many clarifying examples and covers all the features of the program. The selections of images are great with supporting screen shots. Both tips and issues of the program are revealed in the book. The author was recently named Managing Director of the Nikonian Academy so he knows a thing or two about Nikon equipment. I am an experienced Adobe Photoshop user and I plan to use Nikon Capture NX2 more since reading the book.

Ronald A. Gasser
Image Reflex

Once I decided to make the jump from a P&S camera to a Nikon dSLR, I knew I'd need powerful software to bring my images to the print stage. Having taken more than one run at Photoshop in the past, I was pretty sure I didn't want to take another. By accident I wandered into the Capture NX2 site via Nikon's website, and after 10 min. of video tutorials, I knew this program was for me. As intuitive and logical as Capture NX2 is, most users will benefit greatly using Hagen's book to guide them through the variety of settings and adjustments available. He writes in a clear, easy to understand fashion and touches on all the major aspects of the program. Note that this is not a "Step 1, Step2, etc." type of guide. Instead, the author explains in detail each part of the program and how you can use it to enhance your images, with plenty of examples. I can now use Capture NX2 successfully in ways I never could use Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw. It's a really good book to introduce you to a program you ultimately have to teach yourself how to best use. Recommended!

I got into serious digital photography about five years ago with a Nikon D70s. About a year ago, I upgraded to the D300. I've used all versions of Capture, and have labored through PhotoShop ad nauseam. Fortunately, Capture NX2 eliminated the need to devote huge chunks of disc capacity to PhotoShop. I'll use Photoshop Elements on occasion, but very rarely.

In the past I relied heavily on Jason O'Dell's very authoritative guides, including for NX2. But I heard this one was exceptional, so I ordered it. Exceptional is an understatement. It's editorially and visually the best I've seen. He just seems to have a knack for laying out what needs to be done, then how to do it. And it's segmented to cover various aspects in a style that avoids jargon and technical terms. If you're like me, your workflow can be catch as catch can. Hagen helps with that and gives me a great comfort level with my post processing. And he's honest, pointing out shortcomings of the software when needed. If I had to sum up my overall feelings about this book: Hagen is a great writer and understands what you need to know to make it happen with digital.

Maybe I'm a klutz, but I couldn't make head nor tails of Nikon Capture NX 2, even though I had used Capture 4 for several years. The new interface, new features, and new paradigms like "control points" were simply too much for me to wrap my mind around.

Then I discovered this book, and everything was clear. It's a detailed tutorial that leads you step by step through learning how to use Capture NX 2, organized in easy-to-digest steps. I'm finally able to get this program to work the way I want. Thank you!

Pros: This book provides a comprehensive review of the many features of Capture NX2.

Cons: My only wish would be for something more along the lines of the Scott Kelby books -- narrowing down the number of ways to do a certain thing to the best ways. As it is, you learn better tools to use as you go (e.g., the various mechanisms for adjusting the curves). The book does advise you on which tool is the best for a given job, but you need to read it cover-to-cover to get that (and you need to remember it, which can be a problem). Personally, I would prefer "To make such-and-such a kind of adjustment, use tool XYZ because it has the fewest undesired side-effects".

Summary: It is probably the best book out there on NX2. For >50% of my (amateur) photography, NX2 is all I use and I have become much more effective after reading this book. I mainly use PSE7 for more complex stuff (e.g., portrait finishing techniques and panoramas) because NX2 makes it so easy (= fast) to get great-looking final photos!