View NX2 befuddlement

[Organnyx]

Having got a copy of View NX2, I decided to give it a twirl. I run Linux Mint, so first of all tried running it using "Wine"- it runs after a fashion, but really isn't usable, so installed it on a partitioned laptop on which I've kept 10g of hard drive with XP2 on it...
It runs well, it's pretty slow, but I'm finding it rather confusing, and despite consulting the "help" files am still baffled.
In brief, you bring up a "nef" file, and make the adjustments - no problem, but then it all seems to go to pieces - you then have to "save" it, which alters the original NEF file, you can then "process" that to give a jpg, but it leaves the NEF file altered (which I don't want at all) - if you do several files and then process them, you're left with several altered "originals" - am I missing something simple? (If you try "save as" there is no dialogue for creating a jpg file....):bang:

 

[f1charlie]

Assuming ViewNX2 works the same as Capture NX2, the original NEF is not altered. All of your adjustments are saved alongside the original. So, if you open your edited file, you can undo all of the changes you made and return to the original NEF.

 

[Jan K.]

...If you try "save as" there is no dialogue for creating a jpg file...

Choose from menu File -> Convert Files for wanted file(s) to save as jpeg/TIFF (16/8bit).
It also gives you options for save in different folders, size etc.

Assuming ViewNX2 works the same as Capture NX2, the original NEF is not altered. All of your adjustments are saved alongside the original...

Not alongside, but within NEF.
And as you said, there's always the option to return to original in dropdown list.

 

[Organnyx]

Perhaps it's me "getting it wrong", but I couldn't get several NEF files back to "original" (the "revert to original" was greyed out), so had to download them off the card again

 

[Suvv]

Ignore this -I must learn to type quicker.
After you have converted to JPEG the NEF can be put back to how it was before editing and saving by clicking on the Revert to Original button.
That is the button that you cannot see without 30/30 vision .
It is located near the top right of the adjustment panel. If you put your mouse over the word Adjustments and move it to the right past the drop down box (where you can select All, Quick or custom settings) and hover over the grey box it should come up with - Revert to Original. Click on that and the NEF goes back to its original state.

I have Capture NX2 now and don't use View NX2 much, I found it a bit slow and quirky but still a very useful and powerful program.

 

[Suvv]

Perhaps it's me "getting it wrong", but I couldn't get several NEF files back to "original" (the "revert to original" was greyed out), so had to download them off the card again

If it was greyed out then some of them had not been altered by View NX2, it is only available if edits have been made.

 

[Organnyx]

But the thumbnails still showed them in their "edited" state.....(which is why I'm confused!)

 

[Suvv]

But the thumbnails still showed them in their "edited" state.....(which is why I'm confused!)

So am I now.
I just had a quick play and the revert to original works even if you include files that have not been changed!
It even works if you include unchanged protected files, although it does warn you that a file is protected before it reverts the altered ones.

 

[Organnyx]

I'll have another "play" - I gave up with it after a while in complete frustration.......

 

[Xjacktar]

View NX2 does change the NEF files, but reversibly (theoretically). I have had a number of problems with ViewNX in the last year or so. I still blame the program for mysteriously disappearing a whole month's images. Still, I continue to use it because the JPEGs look better than those processed in PSE 9 (to my eyes).

As a workaround to the problems, I download the NEFs to a folder, and then COPY them to a ViewNX Work Area folder. When I've done all my JPEGs, I move the JPEGs back across to the original folder to delete the NEF non-keepers; leaving me with pristine NEFs. I delete everything left in the Work Area.