Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vs. Nikon Capture NX – part II
Posted by photonovice on April 26th, 2007
I keep testing Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Nikon Capture NX.
The first thing one might need in a software designed for professional photographers is a photo organizer that helps labelling, rating, naming, keywording, and later finding a photo.
Capture NX calls it’s organizer Browser.
click on the screenshot to see it in full size
You can add labels to images and rate them, but there is no way to assign keywords. The worst thing with the Browser of Capture NX is that when you resize the browser window or change the size of the thumbnail images with the Bird’s eye tool in the top right hand corner the images are not rearranged and you are forced to scroll right-left to find a picture.
Lightroom’s photo organizer is called Library.
click on the screenshot to see it in full size
In Litghroom’s Library you can flag, rate and keyword your images and assign them to collections. You can make some basic adjustments as well activating the right hand side panel.
click on the screenshot to see it in full size
The user interface of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is much more handy with its folding and unfolding panels. I also prefer it’s black and grey background color which is – apart from that it looks stylish – supports color perception throughout the image adjustment work. I also like the shooting details – EXIF info – that is available on the screen without a mouse click.
Looking at the photo organizer capabilities of the two software packages I’d vote for Lightroom.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
[...] Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vs. Nikon Capture NX – part II [...]
April 26th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vs. Nikon Capture NX – part II – organizing photos
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vs. Nikon Capture NX story continues with screenshots: comparing the image organizing capabilities of the two professional tools.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Hi Photonovice,
alpenglowpro here…..which OS are you using mac or pc…..I am currently on pc but really considering mac because of there program compatability….
i do have nikon i have an older 80-200ed that is really sharp and I think lightroom is better thatn what nikon offers. that combined with cs3’s bridge you can’t go wrong
take a look at my site occasionally good job on your photos greg
April 26th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Hi Alpenglowpro,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m using Windows XP for these tools although I’m a big Linux and Unix fan. I’d love to use a Mac.
I’m planning to write about UFRaw later, as an alternative solution and available for Mac OS, Windows and Linux as well.
Regards,
photonovice
April 27th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Hi Photonovice,
Have you considered integrating them together?
Certainly Lightroom has a strong browser-its strongest feature in my opinion.
The NX browser is designed to allow batching and quick views for selection; it is not designed for moving images around the hard drive, although it can.
Lightroom allows for “round tripping” where you use Lightroom to organize and make selects (Edit); then click on a NEF, JPEG or TIFF and have it sent to Capture NX. From NX you can send it back to Lightroom as a finished file and add it to your library, and also save the NEF file with all the changes intact.
Feel free to visit: CaptureNX.com for more general info and also:
http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=14234
or:
http://tinyurl.com/33jera
Good luck in your quest,
Michael D. Rubin
Sr. Manager, Product & Software
Nikon Inc.
mrubin (at) nikon (dot) net
April 27th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comment and the great links.
It’s good to know that relevant people are reading users’ opinions.
photonovice
May 24th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
[...] Lightroom vs Capture NX part II [...]
May 24th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
[...] Lightroom vs Capture NX part II [...]
September 12th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
You said regarding Capture software that: “…You can add labels to images and rate them, but there is no way to assign keywords. ”
I’ve been testing Capture NX 2 versus Corel X2 versus PS versus Lightroom 2 for two weeks now; Now by my estimation, Capture NX 2 does in fact provide for keywords. Not only does it allow for them, I counted no less than 37 OTHER “fields” of information that you can assign to each photo / image file while using the image browser or even while you’re in the middle of editing!
You said: “… In Litghroom’s Library you can flag, rate and keyword your images and assign them to collections. You can make some basic adjustments as well activating the right hand side panel.”
Again, Nikon’s Capture product does the same thing as Lightroom’s so-called “collection” feature; Nikon calls these things “folders”. Yep, hate to break it to ya but … you can do the same thing with your plain ‘ole Windows operating system file folders that Adobe calls “collections” (Yah right … And wants us to pay extra for this new-found “feature” of theirs).
Also, both products use the “workspace save” feature so they’re both “even” on that account. And as for the “right hand panel” you’re describing … the Nikon software is almost identical to the Adobe product in every way! Hey … What are you looking at? Sorry but I think an extra key or two got pressed accidently on your system before you wrote this fine feature of yours.
Right out of the box and right immediately after the first install they’re almost identical products, both in terms of the user interface as well as feature for feature! Oh wait … that’s right Adobe does have an edge … they want you to stay on the Photoshop bandwagon forever without even the slightest thought of ever jumping off (for a cool $600 plus every year for PS … go figure) … I say, if you need or want’ the Photoshop tools that badly download yourself a copy of GIMP (open source and free) and then get yourself a copy of either Corel Print Shop Pro X2 or Aperture or even Capture NX 2.
And then you say: “The user interface of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is much more handy with its folding and unfolding panels. I also prefer it’s black and grey background color which is – apart from that it looks stylish – supports color perception throughout the image adjustment work. I also like the shooting details – EXIF info – that is available on the screen without a mouse click.”
1.) Capture uses the exact same interface as Lightroom and they’re not “folding and unfolding panels” … they’re called “palletes” and yes both products use them.
2. If you like black and grey, you can customized the Capture work surface any way you want … it comes shipped with standard white background … So change it already!
3. They both use EXIF and I’m sorry but you’re not doing nothing with Lightroom without a, “mouse click”. They BOTH function the exact same way regarding EXIF access / features.
Know something? I don’t have a single thing against Adobe or their products; I’ve used them for years now, but listen man … if you’re going to provide folks out here in cyberland your trusted, honest, unbiased, level-playing-field opiniions here, do them all a favor and spend some more time with the products that you’re “testing” for us before you rush to jump in the sack with Adobe! Sorry, but you’re not doing anyone a service here spinning Adobe for the sake of not taking the time out to see what else is out there!
September 12th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
TO: Michael @ Nikon (re: his post above)
You said; ” From NX you can send it back to Lightroom as a finished file and add it to your library”
I actually think I found the perfect setup here Michael and I couldn’t wait to tell people out here looking for the same thing … I’m using Microsoft’s Expression Media 2 product for managing all the media files across my three PC’s on a small network at our Photography Studio, as it does everything one could possibly imagine in for a media management tool — and quite cheaply I might add.
By the way, Nikon built in an interface right into their Capture product which allows MS Media metadata fields to match perfectly with their own — no more, “… do it this way …” with one software package and then, “… do it that way …” on another. Buy ‘em, install ‘em, run ‘em … these two just plain WORK!
Nikon and Microsoft build and support quality products at a fair price … these guys rock !
By the way, I would recommend everyone looking for a great PC media library solution to run (don’t walk) to your computer and download the free trial from Microsoft for this software (Oh yah and Nikon’s Capture too)! Search for Microsoft Expression Web or Microsoft Expression Suite using your favorite search engine. The MS-Media 2.0 product can be had for under $100 bucks and I can all but guarantee you’ll never need to go out and research another solution again — it’s a great product and can’t believe I was so fortunate to come across it!
September 12th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Ike,
Thank you very much for your comment. I’m sure you noticed that my blog post about Lightroom and Nikon Capture NX is more than a year old. I compared the versions of both products that were available at that time. Those versions are pretty outdated today and both packages have improved a lot since then.
I should definitely give a try to the new Capture NX.
Anyway, I might consider adding a comment in the header of the post referring to it’s age.
Tibor
November 19th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Adobe Photoshop is my favorite photo editing software and also Paint Shop Pro. Adobe photoshop has more useful features compared to other photo editing softwares.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
I run a small photo studio and i also work as a web designer and Adobe Photoshop has been the bread and butter of my job. Photoshop is really the best photo editing tool that i have ever used.