I'm sure you guys all enjoy your D300 a lot. I'm still tweaking my settings to the max so i will have the best colors/contrast possible, straight out of the camera. Not that it matters that much since i shoot RAW, but it's nice to reduce the processing time afterwards. I'm using a few custom picture controls now and ended up with a version i like to share with you.
Why all this effort? I just didn't like the default picture controls. Standard seems to be a tad over the top already, Neutral looks to flat and even slightly hazy or to bright (lacks contrast). Vivid? ehhhrmm they remind me of Ken Rockwell's images. nice... but not really something for me, way to saturated and to much contrast. The D2x modes look just like my D2x... they need some work done afterwards. Nevertheless i like the D2x mode I as a base setting, but it lacks contrast and saturation is a but flat too. So this is what i've tweaked:

- D2x mode I as the base
- Saturation +1
- Sharpening 4
- A custom curve... Just leave the contrast and brightness sliders as they are. Instead of using those, select the custom curve option. I've chosed for a slight s-curve. On the shadow side: input 64 - output 53. On the highlight side: input 192 - output 201.
- At the moment i don't use active d-lighting... i wonder can i still use that? even if i use a custom curve?

Anyhoo, export that picture control to your camera and try it out. I like it. But i might tweak it a bit more, it gives me a great starting point. I really like the way i can customize this camera. I'll probably end up with a few picture controls to master all lighting situations, but this one works great as a general setting for now

I hope anyone finds this helpfull...

Best,

Raymond

Steve Carlton wrote:

LoL

Hey Raymond, you could make it even easier for us if you could post the picture control file that you saved to your CF card.......

Thanks!

Neddie Seagoon wrote:
LoL

Hey Raymond, you could make it even easier for us if you could post the picture control file that you saved to your CF card.......

Thanks!

Hmm i don't have any webspace to do so. If anybody is interested, i can mail it or maybe someone else is able to host the picture control?

here ya have a picture. First one is with the D2x mode I and the 2nd is my adjusted picture control. hmm i've added a bit more saturation too. So this still doesn't make any sense i think. Both resized in Capture NX and 20%, 5, 0 sharpening added. All i can say is: Have a try in tweaking the picture controls for yourself... Ofcourse only if you want too, it's all very personal
D2X mode I

R. Francois wrote:

yay... it still is worthless hmm? The blue sky here looks a bit to much blue hmm darn... i must tweak a bit more


Perhaps, but it is certainly a huge improvement over the first image. I really like it. Just back off a touch and I would think about perfect.

The ape man pops and adds a dimensionality. It must be Friday in the Netherlands, similar reactions here...

- Joe

Raymond,

I've enjoyed your posts and photos immensely and I was intrigued by the idea of exploring more picture controls. I have since downloaded and installed the D2x picture controls from the Nikon website and made the Sharpening & Saturation adjustments you suggested in the first post. However, I am stumped by the custom curve adjustment. How do I do that? Is that done in-camera, or is this a step that must be done in Capture NX and imported into the D300?

It's been an interesting exercise so far . . . and I'm looking forward to giving the new setting a try . . . but I haven't quite finished the job.

Thanks in advance!

Our friend hkgharry helped me out with finding a place to host the mentioned picture controls. I've two versions, one based on D2x mode I and a version based on D2x mode III. The monkey in the sample above was shot with D2x mode I but processed with my custom picture control.

You might try my picture controls for yourself by downloading them (1kb each) and copy them to your camera.

Custom picture control based on D2x mode I

Custom picture control based on D2x mode III

or both zipped: both

The custom picture control based on D2x mode III is kinda experimental. It works best with active d-lighting set to low, otherwise the contrast might be to much.

I'm curious if others have custom picture controls too? I like to experiment a lot with my camera. It's all very personal, but i like to see what others are doing with the highly customizable controls...

Raymond

Hi Raymond,

Not sure I'm ready to try these (I tend to be conservative and play with baseline settings for a while before making major settings changes to the camera), but I appreciate your showing us what can be done. This will help me later on!

Gerald

chemprof wrote:
Hi Raymond,

Not sure I'm ready to try these (I tend to be conservative and play with baseline settings for a while before making major settings changes to the camera), but I appreciate your showing us what can be done. This will help me later on!

Gerald

don't get me wrong here, i'm not sure either if i will use these if i really have to get it done straight away. But since i shoot a lot in raw it's nice to experiment. You can alter your settings afterwards. But It's nice to see how your jpg file could look straight out of the camera

Raymond,

Thanks for going through this my friend. I sincerely appreciate what you have done. I managed to upload your Mode_I curve and so far I like what I am seeing. I have not performed any extensive tests as the weather in London is quite dull at present. Applying your Picture Control setting on my previous shot look very good indeed. So far so good.

Thanks very much.

R. Francois wrote:
here ya have a picture. First one is with the D2x mode I and the 2nd is my adjusted picture control. hmm i've added a bit more saturation too. So this still doesn't make any sense i think. Both resized in Capture NX and 20%, 5, 0 sharpening added. All i can say is: Have a try in tweaking the picture controls for yourself... Ofcourse only if you want too, it's all very personal
D2X mode I

Thanks for making the files available for download, but when I downloaded them, they have a *.NCP file extension and not the *.NOP file extension I downloaded from the Nikon site last evening. Consequently, I don't know how to use them.

Nice looking curve, Raymond. Thanks for providing the set. The download site seems to be down at the moment, so I'll try to grab them later.

Chris Noyes wrote:
Thanks for making the files available for download, but when I downloaded them, they have a *.NCP file extension and not the *.NOP file extension I downloaded from the Nikon site last evening. Consequently, I don't know how to use them.

On your CF card create a directory called NIKON in the root directory, then in that directory create a sub directory and call it CUSTOMPC, then transfer Raymond's curves into that subdirectory.
Load the card in your D300-->Shooting Menu.-->Manage Picture Control -->Load/save-->Copy to Camera... the files will appear there, select the one(s) you want ET Voilą....

Hmm. I tried to load/save it but the camera tells me that "no picture control file found on memory card". I've followed John's process and no luck. Is it a mac thing because the file name that I down loaded is "piccon02.ncp"

Thanks John for the assist. I was reluctant to try the install because of the different file extension (*.NCP vs *.NOP), but I went ahead and followed your instructions (which aren't really any different than those provided by the Nikon .pdf file on the Nikonusa website). I did use my Windows XP machine to transfer the files to my CF card rather than connecting the D300 to my MBP, but other than that, the process was straightforward and successful. I'm looking forward to shooting with these picture controls and comparing them to the rest.

I guess I'm still confused about the file extension difference though . . . the instructions Nikon provides discuss *.NOP files and say nothing about *.NCP files. I also don't understand the "custom curve" Raymond created and where it was created (in Camera, or on the computer with a specific software package).

hmm i have no idea. What i do know is how i made those files...

I used the picture control utility provided in capture NX. You can make your own picture control and export it to your CF card. When i look at my card i see a NIKON folder and in it there is a CUSTOMPC folder. In that folder i have my custom picture controls. When i place the CF card in my camera it recognizes he files as picture controls and my camera is able to import them...

In the picture control tool you are able to make your own curve adjustment. There is a radio button, which disables the brightness/contrast slides and enables the curve option.

Hope this helps...

raymond

Raymond,

OK, now I've got it. I hadn't found the Picture Control Utility in Capture NX before.

In the Edit List, under Base Adjustments, go to Camera Adjustments, and then Picture Control. I found it as an option when I clicked on one of the small inverted black triangles under the Quick Adjust slider and just to left of the Reset button. I might not have ever noticed that before if I hadn't gone searching! Now, the Custom Curve settings you recommended in the first post makes sense to me, and perhaps I'll be bold enough to create my own in the future.

I'm still lost with the file extension names, but my camera recognized both the *. NOP and *.NCP files, so I won't hesitate to load either in the future when necessary.

Thank you Raymond for this little project, and the new Custom Picture Control setting. I'm now just a little bit more dangerous with my computer!

Chris Noyes wrote:
I guess I'm still confused about the file extension difference though . . . the instructions Nikon provides discuss *.NOP files and say nothing about *.NCP files. I also don't understand the "custom curve" Raymond created and where it was created (in Camera, or on the computer with a specific software package).

I too was confused by the file extension, and then I tried a save to card, checked my card and there was that *.ncp file in the subdir I mentioned to you That's how I found what to do, btw

Thanks Raymond, I created teh folders off root, and did NOT rename the files as I had done previously. Your instructions worked!

Hopefully I can get some tulip shots today and check them out,

- Joe

Lets see some pictures! Other than the chimp of course.

Let's see some of your comments on the pictures

- Joe