Digital photography is
a two stage process,
capture the image and then edit it
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We are not a fan of everything with a Nikon label, and if you have attended the HNK course you will know we often show you how to achieve some requirements cheaper. Software wise we don't like the Picture Project package that comes with some Nikon cameras. ViewNX is better. What we are a great fan of is Capture NX/NX2, the photo editing package. The main reason we like it so much, and do nearly all of our editing with it, is that it is so quick to use. Particularly if you shoot RAW rather than JPG's you have so many more options, including changing the colour balance and to a small degree the exposure after you get back. In our view you have a tremendous advantage by using this. We can edit just about any photograph in less than 10 minutes. |
We have developed a day course to take a person who has little or no knowledge of editing and by the end of the day for them not only to be able to use all the features in Capture NX but feel confident to do so. We start with a demonstration of what can be done, then look around all the features, before moving on to edit a series of real photographs. We have selected a large number of images, that allows both a wide variety of situations to be explored but also done using images that the client finds interesting. From at least lunch time on you are using the mouse and keyboard, with our dedicated help. We don't leave you or try and do anything else, but concentrate on looking with you at how to get the most from each photograph.
Normally we don't produce a load of handouts, in most cases people get handouts on a course and never look at them again, but to run with this course we have produced a 36 page A4 guide, so that afterwards you have convenient reminders of how the various features worked and how you set about the editing task. Quite a lot of what we show you is not in the instruction book.
Perhaps it would also be helpful to say that you can't learn editing by copying a set sequence of stages or tasks, those who do get into a habit of trying to think of which exercise they have done that could be applied to the image before them. To edit well you need instead to look at an image and decide what changes you wish to make and confidently make them. We have found the best route to achieve this is to start by understanding the individual features and then undertake editing while discussing options and actually undertaking them.
If you wish you can bring along some of your own images with you, and edit these here with our help.
Capture NX2, the latest version, is not expensive, and you can also get a 60 day free trial of the whole package, if you want to try before you buy.
CaptureNX2 (CNX2)
CaptureNX2 came out in June/July 2008, and is about 50% larger than NX, is more stable, and has a number of new tools and other features. An upgrade from NX is available. Report of the differences can be found on Photographers Resource, and looking on recent editions and selecting the 20th June 2008 edition. This links to an article on the differences between capture NX and Capture NX2. Read .. Capture NX2 on Photographers Resource . The same Photographers Resource issue also covers the changes in ViewNX.
We have a new 3 fold laminated shortcut sheet we have produced for CNX2, and can train anyone to use this in a standard 7 hour day, but there is not very much time for practical hands on experience.
If you have already done the CNX course then consider a half day conversion or spend a day and get to edit a range of your own images or ours to get some more experience supported by us.
Coming fresh to this, if you are going to use CaptureNX2, then forget about CNX and do a day or two directly on CNX32 although this software is powerful its able to be leant and you an become confident in its use very quickly.
Training available
CNX - day 1 to 1 on Capture NX
CNX2 - day 1 to 1 on Capture NX2 (can also be a day and evening or 2 days if you wish)
CNX2plus - an extra day, either for those who have mastered CNX 1, or started to edit having done the CNX2 day to look at the more advanced and combination features and resolve editing problems you have encountered. Ideally you should get some experience between either CNX or CNX2 before doing this day.
Short CNX2 - 3 hour upgrade from CNX1 to CNX2, or make another full day by combining this with some other topic.
Another option, as all our courses are 1 to 1, call us and we can construct the ideal training day for you. However please don't try and start afresh with Capture NC2 and also try to do something else as well in a single day, you need at least a standard day for this
How long a day to have for this course
The CNX course ideally requires a full day, CNX2 can be done in a day, but as there is about 50% more ground to cover, you may want to consider an evening session as well or spreading it over two days. so we would suggest that you don't try to combine this with another course. We can find the odd hour to answer other questions or review an area you have problems with but if you try to put much more in, you will not get to a competence level on the day that we are aiming at.
Like all our courses you can select the day length, varying from the silver day 5 hours long up to the platinum plus that is 10 hours long. This CNX course was originally developed to run in what was our standard day, now our Gold Day, that is 7 hours long, and this length works well, in that there is time to both get to see how the various parts of the program work and also to have a fair bit of hands on experience using many different combinations and getting into a routine to be able to edit quickly. Chopping an hour off is possible as is adding an hour on. There is little point in adding more unless you want to bring in a collection of your own work to edit with assistance, in which case a longer day may be the ideal for you. If a second person is going to be present add at least an hour on, so you both get a chance to get your hands on the keyboard, if you are able its better to do this course separately, as editing is all about making decisions and there is the risk that one can become a passenger.
CNX2 has around 50% more content, we can just about get this into 7 hour day, no shorter, but with limited hands on experience. You could extend the day, ad an evening session or spread it over two days if you wished. We can also get this into a day with more hands on by simplification, not covering those features that as a new user you are unlikely to use for a while. Call us to sort out what arrangement would be ideal for you, or just book and ad your requirements to the note box.
If you want to do this course as a 'short', then the 3 hours we have is not long enough to cover all the normal course contents, although we can cover all of the main items, and you don't get any hands on time, so this is far from ideal. We look at this as a demonstration of the capabilities of Capture NX or CNX2, however you would still get far more out of this than attending a day as a part of a group of people, as you can still ask questions and it will still cover far more than would be possible with a group. We don't recommend this option but where time is short on a multi day and you can't fit it in any other way or where you want to get to see just what it can do and then get the free 30 day trial version to gain experience yourself this might be worth considering.
If you have already done a CNX course with us and are moving up to Capture NX2, then a half day would be OK, or you could have a day and gain some supported editing practical time or go over other areas that perhaps you haven't made full use of up to now.
You have so many options available from the short at just 3 hours up to the platinum plus at 10, and with the savings available by using training vouchers the price range is from £103 to £570. Or of course a day and evening or two days.
If you can't decide which is the right one for you then go for the Gold day, 7 hours long. This would usually run from 09:30am to 4:30pm stopping only for long enough to eat lunch which is provided on gold and longer days, or call us 9am to 9pm ant day, to talk over the options you will speak to a photographer experiences in using capture NX/NX2.
To find out more
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