Nikon have just released the latest version of it’s image browsing and minor editing software, View NX2. There are a range of new features to this latest update including some video editing tools, and best of all, it’s all free to download! A brief outline of the editing features include:
A revamped interface
New image editing tools
Movie editing functions
And more…
Some of the tools View NX 2 offers
I’ve been using View for years since my D100 days, so it’s always nice when a new version comes along, and this one is no exception. I could go in to all the features of this great software in more detail but hey, I’d only be repeating what you can read on Nikons website here, and, as it’s free…the best bet is you go download it and check it out for yourself! On another note, Nikon View NX2 will come bundled with future CoolPix compact cameras and D series DSLRs.
Downloads
Mac users download here
Windows users download here
And if you need other languages etc, you can check out the main worldwide regions download page here.
Really? There is one thing that I hate with Nikon, it’s the software. Capture 4.4, NX and NX 2 all proved to be really bad user experience, especially since we thought that they were mandatory to get the best out of our cameras : crashes, dumb interface, crashes, no update 6 months after the release of new OSes, crashes…
Now there is Lightroom/Aperture (and others) that finally can extract the quintessence of the NEF files. I gave a shot at View NX, but still I wasn’t so efficient with it as with any modern days software. But I’m open to the challenge and will give a try to this one. Maybe
Eric, you raise a good point to an extent. Nikon can be very slow at bringing out updates and I won’t argue that Capture really needs improving due to being so slow. View I’ve always liked though (although in the old days before if was NX, is when it was at it’s best for me, as a simple browser).
My problem with the Adobe range of products (although I’ve not tried the latest LR) is they all use the Adobe Camera RAW plugin, and in my experience that is not as good as Nikons own software at reading NEFS. If you convert an NEF to a TIFF in Capture or View, then open that in Photoshop alongside the same NEF image opened using just Adobes Camera RAW, the contrast and saturation is always slightly lacking compared to the image that was first saved off as a TIFF using Nikons software (I was telling a friend about this the other day, and he was amazed by the difference when I showed him). For me, I want my images to start off as they looked in camera, before I start editing.
So, until Adobes Camera RAW offers identical performace to Nikons software at reading NEFs I’ll carry on using NX – although now I can save TIFFs in View, I can put Capture to the side.
I hate this software, and Nikon Transfer is no better. I had a full memory card soi I dumped it to a usb drive, now there is no way in hell to import the pictures into the ViewNX 2 library. Oh sure I can view the pictures on the card, but get get them in my photo library. the glossies say it can be done, but there appears to be no way to do it. Don’t tell me to select Removable Media in the app either, it doesn’t help. I love Nikon cameras but there software leaves a lot to be desired.