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How To Convert Nikon D4s RAW Files to DNG So You Can Edit In Adobe Lightroom
When new cameras come out you generally will not find a lot of support outside of the camera manufacturer for opening RAW Files. That has been the case for the first two weeks of owning the Nikon D4s. As of now I can not open the D4s’s RAW Files in Adobe Lightroom which is where I like to edit.
The only programs that will open the D4s RAW Files are Nikon’s new NX, DXO Marks program and the latest Adobe Photoshop Beta. Adobe Photoshop with ACR 8.4 which is still in beta will allow you to open and process the D4s’s RAW Files.
That is all well and good if you like editing in Photoshop but I personally like editing my files in Lightroom. So I finally figured out the simple process for how to batch convert all my D4s NEF Files to DNG which can be imported into Lightroom.
Simple open up all the RAW Files you wish to convert in Photoshop. Once they open into a viewer hit select all. Than you are going to want to click the save button in the bottom left corner which will prompt you on where to save them. At that point make sure DNG is selected, than export.
Now that you have the DNG Files you can import them into Lightroom and start processing them in a much quicker fashion.
To download the BETA of Photoshop Camera RAW click here
Once Adobe updates Lightroom 5 to accept the RAW Files this method will not be needed.
Now This Is A FANTASTIC Photography Website and Portfolio
For a 14 day FREE Trial of Squarespace please CLICK HERE. If you decide you would like to sign up please use code “FROTUBE” to get 10% OFF your first order!!!
I get hundreds and hundreds of links to photography websites for me to critique. I have critiqued sites that need a lot of work but needed that push in the right direction. What I can tell you is that this Squarespace Rapid Fire Critique is one of the best examples I have seen so far.
In this critique I take a look at http://jonathangipaya.com/ . Jonathan is a Seattle based photographer and musician who is capturing images and telling stories that I truly love. His site is put together so very well it is almost perfect as a photo portfolio. It showcases his fantastic work not just in how the site is laid but the photos he is capturing.
His photos have a style to them that I am drawn to. I could honestly see hiring him to photograph me one day and I would not have a problem recommending him to anyone who is getting married or who would like a portrait session. His images are thick with emotion and contrast and of course I am drawn to that.
The way the site flows really makes it easy to navigate. He puts his best foot forward in each section and showcases the best of the best work. He has a few photo sections, a great about me section and a blog that you want to keep looking at.
If you have been waiting for a great example of a photography/portfolio website to follow, this is the one to look at.
Great work Jonathan!!!!
Here is a Nikon D4s RAW File for you to Edit
I wanted to share with you a Nikon D4s RAW File. As of now Adobe Lightroom does not let me open the Nikon D4s RAW Files but the beta candidate for Photoshop CC does. Since that allows me to tweak the D4s files I converted the NEF to a DNG which allows me to open it in Lightroom.
I went ahead and saved the DNG as a file that just about any version of Lightroom will recognize so you can download and edit it.
A lot of people like to see how I edit the file so I went ahead and did what I think is an edit I am happy with. Yes I BOOMIFIED it slightly and tweaked a bunch of other settings. Like with any form of art, editing is subjective and subject to personal preference. Some people like softer images, others like them to be more boomey and others are just wrong, jk jk.
CLICK HERE TO download this DNG file. Feel free to edit it and post it on the FroKnowsPhoto Facebook Fan Page. Please be sure not to take ownership of this image and give me full credit when you post it online (Jared Polin FroKnowsPhoto). This image is for personal use only do not try and sell it or pass it off as your own.
As soon as Lightroom allows me to import all my Nikon D4s RAW FILES I will be making more videos about the camera.
These Sports Photos Are In Need of Some Help, So I Helped: AdoramaPIX Rapid Fire Critique
My first love in photography came in the way of photographing sports. I shot every event that my high school had, from football to baseball to attempting and failing and shooting volleyball.
Sports can be very difficult to shoot. Many people work on just freezing the action first before branching off into anything else. You may think that the only thing important about freezing the action is having a fast shutter speed. That is correct in some ways but if your aperture is to high or you are using slower glass you may freeze the action but the background becomes an issue.
I am going to create a video showing you that you can use a kit lens and still blow out the background but in the meantime take a look at this Rapid Fire Critique.
The photos I believe are from a schools photography program but that was all the information I had to go on.
This was a tough critique in my opinion knowing that the photos may have been taken by students. I never want to be to overly critical of someones work especially if they are a student. My goal was to give as many pointers as possible to take the images to the next level.
This Is How To Get The Proper Exposure In Any Situation
The other night I went out to test out the D4s again in the real world. This time, I went and shot a men’s league ice hockey game.
I brought with me the Nikon 300 2.8 AFS as well as the 70-200 2.8 VR II. The image below was shot with the Nikon D4s and the 70-200 2.8 VR II at 200mm handheld with VR Off.
The settings were 1/800th of a second at F3.5, ISO 5000. I used continuous focus set to the new Group Area AF. The image is not cropped and was shot in RAW+JPEG. The edited file is from the JPEG since as of publishing this post Adobe Lightroom does not support the D4s’s RAW Files.
This is what I would call an almost perfect ice hockey image. The players head is up, the puck is on the stick and the lines are right on. You can see from the background that the horizon is straight and there is no dutch angle in site.
As you know I am not a big fan of dutch angles or horizons where the lines are not straight. Cameras today give you a virtual horizon which you can activate to help you get your lines straight. However, I personally do not use that when shooting sports. I don’t know what it is but my lines generally tend to be pretty spot on.
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