Nikon has launched NX Studio, a free photo and video editing application that appears to have many features found in Lightroom and Capture One but is tailored specifically to Nikon cameras. The company says that NX Studio enables viewing, processing, and editing of still images and video.
NX Studio merges the ViewNX-I and Capture ND-D applications into a single solution to offer view, process, and editing of Nikon-created photos and videos. The new application uses the XMP/IPTC information editing and preset management functions from the ViewNX-I app, and it incorporates the editing functions from Capture NX-D, including color control points that enable the adjustment of colors within a specified area, allowing for the precise editing of images.
NX Studio has the same interface of previous Nikon software apps but the company says this new version improves operation by consolidating its menu into a new organized workflow-oriented category layout: browsing, processing/editing, and export/sharing. Nikon also promises that it has enhanced the overall response speed for each function to make working in the application faster and smoother.
“To further improve workflow and expand the possibilities of imaging expression, NX STUDIO supports the transfer of images to NIKON IMAGE SPACE, Nikon’s image sharing and storage service, and enables users to easily upload edited videos to YouTube,” the company says.
NX Studio allows for the viewing, processing, and editing of images and videos in one place, including JPEGs, TIFFs, and Nikon RAW NEF files. The menu and terminology in the app match Nikon cameras and are designed to offer a seamless experience from capture through edit. The app has a variety of display options, such as filmstrip with both horizontal and vertical preview options, as well as a 2/4 screen comparison option, in addition to a simple and easy-to-read shooting information display. NX Studio works with other software such as Nikon Transfer 2 and Camera Control Pro 2 for a smooth post-shooting workflow.
Nikon’s marketing seems to indicate that NX Studio is a legitimate contender to compete with Lightroom, Capture One, and to some degree Premiere Pro or Final Cut, but specifically for Nikon shooters. To date, most if not all editing applications produced by camera manufacturers do succeed in very accurately reading RAW files but have been hampered by poor user interfaces and bad optimization. Nikon appears to want to change that with NX Studio.
NX Studio is available today for free for both Windows and Mac computers. PC users will need to be running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions only), and Apple users must be running MacOS Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur. For a full list of system requirements and recommendations, visit Nikon’s NX Studio software page here.
You can download Nikon NX Studio for free here.
Author: Jaron Schneider
Source: Petapixel
