Nikon D100 Software (Windows)

Supplied with the D100 are all the applications shown on the top row (below), Nikon View Acquire, Nikon View 5.1, Nikon View Editor and Camera Control. Additionally Nikon View 5.1 also installs a Photoshop file format plug-in which allows you to open NEF (Nikon RAW) files directly (it also allows exposure compensation adjustment and white balance adjustment). Nikon Capture 3.0 is an optional application which will enable you to get the most out of the NEF (Nikon RAW) file format.

Nikon View 5.1

Nikon View is the application suite supplied with the D100 to assist the user in the transfer and management of images once you get the camera back to the computer. Nikon View 5.1 is split into four main 'tools' (all support JPEG, TIFF and RAW - NEF files):

• Image Transfer - responsible for the transfer of images from the camera to your computer, either via USB or a card reader.
   
• Nikon Browser - a thumbnail image browser which allows you look through your images and examine shooting data, can also print single or multiple images and contact sheets. Images can be viewed at any one of five thumbnail sizes.
   
• Nikon Viewer - a full size image viewer, magnify and scroll the image.
   
• Nikon View Editor - a rudimentary image editor which can be used to change the image colour balance and contrast. Supports basic RAW features such as digital exposure compensation and white balance (single images only).

Nikon View Acquire: Image Transfer

Image Transfer is the first link in the chain, it can be installed to 'monitor' connections of a camera to the computer or even insertions of a card into a card reader or can be launched manually. If set to monitor mode it will automatically pop-up and then transfer images from the camera to a pre-programmed destination folder.

Each transfer is made into a unique folder (naming can be a running number or date / time). File naming can also be changed to either a running number or be based on file date & time. You can even set up default IPTC information to be embedded in each image as it is transferred. Once images are transferred you can have Image Transfer launch Nikon Browser or any other third party application.

Nikon Browser

Nikon Browser allows you to (as you'd expect) browse through images (JPEG, TIFF, RAW - NEF) on your hard disk has a list of thumbnails. You can select five different thumbnail sizes for viewing (click here to see the largest). The window is split into three panes; Shooting data (which can be hidden) - includes full EXIF data information as well as additional "manufacturer unique" information you may not be able to get from other EXIF header readers. Folders - An explorer-like tree of folders and the actual thumbnail window itself.

Function of toolbar icons

• Back / Forward / Up folder
• Favourites list (list of favourite folders)
• Transfer destination (as setup through Image Transfer)
• View (with an image selected, same as double-click)
• Edit (Typically Nikon View Editor, but can be configured to any other application)
• Print (single or multiple images)
• Rotate (90° CW or CCW - only marks JPEG header, doesn't rotate image)
• Slideshow
• E-mail
• Publish to NikonNet or PDA
• Thumbnail size

The thumbnail window operates just like any other explorer window and you can drag and drop files, select multiple files, delete etc. (you can't for some reason rename files..) Nikon Browser also provides the ability to create a list of favourite folders, transfer destinations (places where you commonly copy images), run slideshows, view the image in a separate window (Nikon Viewer), rotate images (doesn't actual rotate the JPEG file, it just marks the header) and upload them to Nikon.Net (for sharing) or your PDA. Image editing can be linked to any third party application (such as Photoshop).

You can email an image or multiple images directly from Nikon View, it will produce a reduced size version of the image (if required) and will create a new email message with the images attached.	Click on the 'Publish' button to upload your images to NikonNet or to a PDA. Here you can select image resizing options and also add captions to each image before it is uploaded.

Nikon Browse has a powerful built-in printing subsystem which allows you to choose from a wide variety of layouts, crops, trims and picture information (single or multiple images).

IPTC Information

In Nikon Browser, Viewer and View Editor you can edit / assign IPTC information for an image. There are two 'levels' of IPTC information, a basic and a more advanced dialog box. Both of these dialog boxes are identical for all applications. You can save IPTC information in the Nikon 'NID' format and load in the 'NID' or 'FFO' formats.

Basic IPTC information dialog	Extended IPTC information dialog

Nikon Viewer

Nikon Viewer operates in a similar fashion to Nikon Browser except that you are of course viewing a single image at a time and have the ability to zoom in and out of the image. Nikon Viewer supports JPEG, TIFF or NEF (Nikon RAW) files. You can still browse through the underlying list of images by using the left and right arrows on the toolbar. I found the way the software 'painted' the image a little erratic, especially zoomed in dragging the image around the window is not as smooth as ACDSee or Photoshop.

Nikon View Editor

Nikon View Editor is a rudimentary image editor for JPEG, TIFF and NEF (Nikon RAW) files. For JPEG and TIFF files it can carry out tone and colour balance adjustment. For NEF (Nikon RAW) files Nikon View Editor can also perform digital exposure compensation (on the full 12-bits of data) as well as post-shooting white balance adjustment.

Nikon View Editor Major Features

• Open JPEG, TIFF and NEF (Nikon RAW) files (understands image colour space)
• Save as JPEG (EXIF or JFIF) or TIFF (RGB or CMYK)
• Full view, zoom (up to 1600%) and scroll images
• Detailed shooting information (general, lens used, exposure, camera settings etc.)
• Selectable colour spaces for monitor, printer and CMYK separation
• Edit IPTC information (see previous page) - although can not save back into RAW
• Print single image
• Copy & Paste Image Adjustments between images
• Load & Save Image Adjustments
• Flip (horizontal / vertical) and rotate (-90, 90 or 180 degrees) image
• Image resize
• Select image area and save selection
• Automatic image adjustments
  • Contrast & Colour
  • Just Contrast
• Manual image adjustments
  • Brightness
  • Contrast
  • Red / Green / Blue balance
  • Digital exposure compensation (+/-2.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps) *
  • White balance (Recorded, Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent High, Direct Sunlight, Shade, Cloudy, Flash) *

* NEF (Nikon RAW) files only

Probably the biggest feature missing from Nikon View Editor is the ability to process a batch of images, something which will be a common requirement for those who shoot RAW. Note that you can not change other 'Advanced RAW settings' such as sharpening or tone, you'll need Nikon Capture 3.0 to process images with these settings.

Photoshop Plug-In

Also supplied with Nikon View 5.1 is an update to the 'Nikon NEF' Photoshop plug-in. This latest version now allows you to apply digital exposure compensation and white balance adjustment to the NEF as it is imported into Photoshop. NEF files opened in this way appear as 16-bit images in Photoshop.