It’s always fun to watch the waves of new digital technology pound on the shore of established workflow. On June 3rd, Nikon announced the introduction of Capture NX 2 — the second-generation of its innovative approach to RAW processing. Simultaneously, Acme Educational, the brainchild of Vincent Versace, announced the release of the 2-DVD set “Unleashing The RAW Power of Capture NX 2“. So, you can get a headstart on your NX 2 workflow by getting the disks from Acme now at an early-bird price {details below}. Nikon is slated to start shipping NX 2 around June 20th.

Just as Lightroom brought a new interface to Adobe’s approach to RAW processing, Capture NX uses an equally intriguing, yet competing, approach. At the heart of Capture NX are Control Points - essentially a set of sliders that you drag to the point of correction. Think of Control Points as a heads-up display on the windshield of a jet fighter… your controls are right at the point that you want to watch. [Read more →]

Let’s embrace the obvious. Many photographers feel that investing time and effort into learning color management is the digital equivalent of going to the dentist. Unless you are an uber-geek, I bet that you would rather study DIY acupuncture, medieval French literature or the genome of the common fruit fly than cuddle up with a long piece on the theory of color management. Fear not. Color management is built upon simple truths. Many of which are close at hand.

Let’s start with the following. I think you’ll recognize it as irrefutable proof about why it’s important to know at least the basics of color management.

Huh? O.K. Stick with me and I’ll lay it out for you. [Read more →]