What's the best p900 picture control setting for post processing

da7329 said:

I was wondering what the consensus is for p900 picture control settings that allow for best post processing of jpg's

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..Did you get chance to browse through this link below(?)..


..I recommend for you try the different mentioned settings..

..and find out which one's you may prefer, and to your likings..

..thanks for sharing & happy shooting..

..Cheers, John..

da7329 said:

I was wondering what the consensus is for p900 picture control settings that allow for best post processing of jpg's

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Hey DA -

Not sure you'll find a consensus - but I saved some info. from Paul K. Payne - one of the best posts ever imo - it was 2 parts on Capabilities of the p1000. Info. that would apply to either p900 or p1000 -

On picture control settings - here is what I saved, and what I changed my p900 to - it made sense to me. I think its a lot individual taste.

I have not gone through all of the picture control settings, each setting has 3 parameters and each of those have 7 levels of adjustment , an incremental comparison of each change is not practical.

I suggest you pick one you like the most and stick with it, but I would not push saturation or contrast too far, these will reduce detail. Push sharpening in some test shots and look at the JPEGs at 100% and choose a setting that you're happy with, I use Standard with contrast and sharpening +1, saturation in the middle or 0 position.

page 3 of that discussion: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4343443?page=3

Ev

da7329 said:

..for p900.. post processing of jpg's

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..another something that I do, to post process my jpegs..

..is to send them through Nikon's Capture NX-D software..

..and save the output files as "TIFF" image formats, (think of it as "reverse engineering" for the jpegs), the tiff image files seems to give me more latitude in post processings..

..for me, I usually post process these tiff image files using Lightroom & Photoshop, but you can use any of the softwares you are familiar with..

..then afterwards, to save the processed tiff image files back to the jpegs..

..(can see the below to to download Nikon's softwares)..


..thanks for sharing & happy shooting..

..Cheers, John..

That's interesting I have nx-d. I was interested in what picture control setting gives the most latitude for post processing not general shooting settings. I shoot raw on all my other cameras but p900 is jpg only so have to work with jpg output. Seems like standard with all levels at 0 might allow the most latitude. Or maybe neutral with settings at 0. That's what the manual says is best for post processing at least for dslr jpg's.

Hi EV

So you are using standard with sharping at +1 and contrast and saturation at 0? Have you tried neutral PC?

Thanks

DA

I use neutral picture styles, with only sharpening increased. All in camera processing is off or set to low if no off option is offered, including noise reduction. Exposure compensation is typically set at a negative value to avoid blowing out too much detail. ISO is limited to 800 because of inherent noise with this processor, although I have used 400 as an upper range in some situations.

My biggest problem in post is introducing more noise, especially with sharpening. The good news is that you can get some very nice IQ with this camera ... you just have to be very careful in PP.

da7329 said:

That's interesting I have nx-d. I was interested in what picture control setting gives the most latitude for post processing not general shooting settings. I shoot raw on all my other cameras but p900 is jpg only so have to work with jpg output. Seems like standard with all levels at 0 might allow the most latitude. Or maybe neutral with settings at 0. That's what the manual says is best for post processing at least for dslr jpg's.

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..Yes, if you are going to be doing extensive post processings..

..using the "Neutral" picture control is probably the way to go..


..from the P900 pdf manual..

..I'm mostly using the picture control "Standard", and generally works well..

..thanks for sharing & happy shooting..

..Cheers, John..

da7329 said:

Hi EV

So you are using standard with sharping at +1 and contrast and saturation at 0? Have you tried neutral PC?

Thanks

DA

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Hi DA, no I haven't tried neutral PC - no reason. For that matter no real reason I'd been using Standard, other than the recommendations I'd been using for all my settings are from Stephan Ingraham's book and website.

I'm not sure I could tell any discernible difference between any of these PC settings. I'll give Neutral a try. I'll also get out the White book and read up on PC settings.

Probably something I need to get up to speed on.

Then I think I may have missed the intent of your post - I was referring to PC settings in general and you were asking about PC settings and post-processing. That I don't know anything about.

Ev

Thanks for the info. Yes the manual says neutral is for more latitude in post processing. That brings up another point that I should have ask first. Is it better to fine tune PC and use in camera processing with little post or keep in camera processing to a minimum and twik it in post. Maybe 6 of one and haft dozen of the other. A lot of data is lost when the camera saves a jpg. What do you and others think?

Thanks

DA

Hi Stan

Do you increase sharpness from the default neutral sharpness setting? Do you think you can get better results by shooting in neutral and post processing even with the lost data from jpg creation?

Thanks

DA

Hi EV

i don't know either about PC setting for post or to even do much post with this camera. I am not a jpg shooter. See more questions I ask in replies below. Till now I have just used default standard PC. I want to get the best out of this camera but not reinvent the wheel. So I ask what others are doing. Think I will post about this in the retouching forum as any camera that shoots jpg only is similar. One way to deal with PC is just shoot in the scene modes! LoL

thanks for your input and thoughts about this subject

DA

da7329 said:

Hi Stan

Do you increase sharpness from the default neutral sharpness setting? Do you think you can get better results by shooting in neutral and post processing even with the lost data from jpg creation?

Thanks

DA

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Yes, increase sharpness in the neutral menu. How much depends on your own taste. I will then apply some sharpening in post, but be careful of color noise .... which can get pretty obvious.

Any jpeg can take a lot of processing before artifacts show up. While certainly not as flexible as a RAW file, you still have plenty of latitude in PP. I find using a negative value for exposure compensation helps avoid at least some blown out highlights, but you'll always be aware of the limited dynamic range of the small sensor.

You can do a reasonable amount of cropping as well but, again, be careful and watch for image degradation.

The P900 is a very flexible camera, and very nice to have around when you need one lens that will cover wide angle through super zoom focal lengths. It has its own set of drawbacks, and learning how to minimize those liabilities while maximizing the advantages is a real learning experience. I've always had a love/hate relationship with my P900 ... when it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it can be really bad.

Bottom line is that there are times when it's the only camera I want on a shoot ... when lugging several lenses or a heavy body around all day just won't cut it.

Play around, make mistakes, and eventually you will figure out what the P900 does well, and what it won't do well. You'll also find that PP sweet spot, so you can take advantage of this camera's output.

da7329 said:

Thanks for the info. Yes the manual says neutral is for more latitude in post processing. That brings up another point that I should have ask first. Is it better to fine tune PC and use in camera processing with little post or keep in camera processing to a minimum and twik it in post. Maybe 6 of one and haft dozen of the other. A lot of data is lost when the camera saves a jpg. What do you and others think?

Thanks

DA

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..For me, I try to get the jpeg looking the way I would like to see, when out of the camera..

..this way, I don't need to do as much post processings to get to the final image output..

..however, many times if want the image to have more dramatic looking results, more processing steps may become necessary..

..there's all sorts of techniques folks may use..

..to take pictures underexposed, then to brings things up in post..

..or to take pictures "ETTR" (expose to the right), then to bring things down in post..

..there's really no right way or wrong way, it's all techniques for creativity..

..and many times, it's just a matter of one's own preferences..

..thanks for sharing & happy shooting..

..Cheers, John..

da7329 said:

Hi EV

i don't know either about PC setting for post or to even do much post with this camera. I am not a jpg shooter. See more questions I ask in replies below. Till now I have just used default standard PC. I want to get the best out of this camera but not reinvent the wheel. So I ask what others are doing. Think I will post about this in the retouching forum as any camera that shoots jpg only is similar. One way to deal with PC is just shoot in the scene modes! LoL

thanks for your input and thoughts about this subject

DA

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Hi DA,

I'm kinda like you but I don't have enough "camera know-how" to reinvent the wheel, or even come close. I'll check in the re-touching forum and see what turns up there. Good idea.

Ev

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with the p900. I will put it to good use

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and tips. I will try some of your ideas to see what works best for me