ViewNX-i problems

[Ilkka Nissilä]

When it launches it seem to default back to a specific folder on my compute and is never able to load the files. I'm so disappointed as this was my favourite software for viewing and adjusting NEFs.

Can you move to a different folder (by selecting the folder in the tree on the left)? How many files do you have in that folder where it defaults to?

Which operating system are you using, and which version? How much RAM do you have and how much free disk space? Thanks.

Question: Does anyone know if any Nikon employees participate in this forum?

I have not noticed such participation on any online forum. But they do respond to customer feedback, in my experience. They might not be able to help directly (depending on the problem) but will pass comments on.

[Andrea B.]

Question: Does anyone know if any Nikon employees participate in this forum?

I don't think so. At least there is nobody who will admit to it. 


You should be able to click Browse in the upper left corner and see the list of folders on your system. Click down to the folder which contains your images.

[James Farrell]

Unless I am wrong or missing something, ViewNXi cannot run on Mac OSC Sierra 10.12.x - at least it does not on my MacBook Pro. It worked until the upgrade (?) to OSX Sierra. Before I updated to OSX Sierra it was certainly buggy. It crashed often, and at times you have to re-select the folder of images that you wanted to look at. But, in the end, it worked.

I hope they update the software soon. Even though my images are in a Lightroom catalog-folders, I used ViewNXi often - primarily to look at the focus points to evaluae how my focus technique is doing (usually not so good). It is also useful when doing AF fine tuning as you can see the AF adjustment info with each file in the metadata if you selected that viewing option. Unfortuntely, I know of no other software that will display the focus point.     

[Frank Fremerey]

Since I upgraded I haven't been able to use the software. When it launches it seem to default back to a specific folder on my compute and is never able to load the files. I'm so disappointed as this was my favourite software for viewing and adjusting NEFs.

I do not know any Nikon emploees in this forum.

Yet for your problem I can say that on my notebook I could not install View NXi or Capture NX-D for a while. Then I did something that can be done with Windows 10 that could not be done before:

Clean reinstall without needing to reinstall the software.

After that I could install the newest versions and I am quite happy, esp with NX-D as RAW processor for my D500 files.

[arthurking83]

Previous version of ViewNX was simply ViewNX2.

....

Since I upgraded I haven't been able to use the software. When it launches it seem to default back to a specific folder on my compute and is never able to load the files. I'm so disappointed as this was my favourite software for viewing and adjusting NEFs.

Question: Does anyone know if any Nikon employees participate in this forum?

I reckon you're probably better off uninstalling ViewNXi and trying CaptureNX-D.
It has many more tools than ViewNX2 used to have.
But I find it's still buggy and slow(by way of comparison to VNX2).

I found ViewNXi to be one of the worst software I've had the misfortune to have experienced, and that includes the buggy and slow Capture NX-D.
The most annoying aspect was that it forced an uninstallation of VNX2(which is my most used software), so I had to install it again after I removed NX-i.

What I can't understand is why Nikon would waste resources(time/human effort/money) on NX-i, when those resources would have gone a long way to make CNX-D a slightly better program.
This is possibly the most accurate indication that Nikon are being mismanaged at some level, or at all levels!

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Arthur, are you using Mac or Windows?

In its very first versions I felt ViewNX-i wasn't working reliably for me (I kept using ViewNX2 until I got a camera which wasn't supported by it) but in its latest versions I haven't had other problems than the crashing caused apparently by having too many files in one directory. I need a fast browser that shows me the images according to the picture control information set in the camera, the focus point that was used, and any device specific settings such as the fine tuning. I don't make any edits to the images in ViewNX-i although I do use the start rating system. I just hop from there into Photoshop CC for editing. I find the browsing software to be very fast and it renders the images better than e.g. Bridge (which doesn't properly resample the images for display, it shows some aliasing artifacts  that aren't there in the files but a product of improper algorithms for resampling). Also I just can't make myself like the user interface in Bridge. For browsing Lightroom is too slow and lacks key features that I use in PS CC. However, I do use Lightroom for batch printing.

Capture NX-D is too slow on my computer to use and it stores the TIFFs in a directory specified in the settings. I want the TIFFs in the same directory as the NEFs and displayed side by side so I can browse and see the different versions. If I set the current directory as the directory to use for the TIFFs, it works but it doesn't display the TIFFs next to the NEFs. It seems very confused with what to do with these files. I often make several different edits and it's mandatory that I see them properly when browsing. ViewNX-i doesn't have any problems with having TIFFs and NEFs, by sorting by filename they are displayed side by side. To achieve this in NX-D I have to close the software and restart after editing, and even then there are problems where they are displayed in the wrong place. Sometimes the thumbnail grid goes completely haywire in NX-D.

However, I like Nikon's raw conversion algorithms and would like to use Capture NX-D once they sort it out. However, for now it is ViewNX-i, Photoshop CC and Lightroom that I use. I would like Nikon to put in more resources into their software as this is just not good enough.

[tommiejeep]

Ikkla, well the requirement for ViewNX-i for the D500 really took the shine off shooting a new camera for the first time  .  If I was happier with the D7100 I probably would not have bought the D500.

I also use viewNX as a browser and open Photoshop, LR or CNX2 from there.  It even opens Sony and Olympus jpegs so I can do a quick Label/delete and then go to the file in Bridge.  I was not paying enough attention.

I'll delete ViewNX-i for the moment and re-install viewNX2 unless I can figure a way to have them both on my Desktop.   Nikon is getting less fun to shoot 
Edit: re-installed ViewNX2. It did not delete ViewNX-I.  When I opened ViewNX2 the D500 files were there , both jpeg and nef  .  An extra step but at least my way of doing things does not really change.  Funny, I almost bought a second Df instead of D500, shutter count 1 for 1,350 UK pounds (a grandfather's estate) .

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Just a side remark: Photo Ninja has got a good and speedy browser in the last incarnation, plus it deals with TIFs as well. However, it'll only emulate NEF-specific edits.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Right, you can reinstall ViewNX2 after installation of ViewNX-i removes ViewNX2. ViewNX2 should display the NEF files correctly (even with D5 files) but some of the device dependent details are not shown, so it doesn't fully support the new cameras.

When Capture NX2 was discontinued, my heart really sunk as I feel it was the most elegant implementation of local adjustments in the raw conversion. It took a while for me to find other ways of doing things and those other ways are really time-consuming sometimes. I guess over time Nikon may recover a part of what was lost, but it doesn't look like they're pursuing this ambitiously enough. I find it very hard to understand how software technology can take a decade step back just like that.

[arthurking83]

@ Ilkka: I use Win 10 now, but previously Win7 and before that, WinXP.

When I first tried VNX-i it had no ability to do any edits at all(must have been the first incarnation) and my primary use for VNX2 is to keyword my images quickly.(maybe not as easily as it should be tho).
While many would argue otherwise, I prefer my keywords embedded in the NEF files, so that wherever I place the NEF file, the keyword is also there. Handy when browsing with just about any software with the ability to preview NEF files(predominantly Windows Explorer).

That was one major fail for me WRT ViewNX-i ... among a few others.(the other being that it did uninstall VNX2)

I use VNX2 in a similar manner, in that it's my ACR/Bridge equivalent. I tweak some settings, and then either open with CNX2 or CNX-D depending on what's needed.

Two things I don't like about VNX2:
1/. major dislike is the vignette correction whether you want too or not, and then the inability to adjust NR in any way.
2/. the inability to organize keywording to your liking. You have to use their idea of organization(which is subpar)

If CNX-D had the ability to set keyword data directly into the NEF file, I'd probably use that program more than VNX2 and just suffer it's limitations. It's basic editing ability is superior in every way.

.....   When I opened ViewNX2 the D500 files were there , both jpeg and nef  .  An extra step but at least my way of doing things does not really change.  Funny, I almost bought a second Df instead of D500, shutter count 1 for 1,350 UK pounds (a grandfather's estate) .

This is interesting in that I didn't even try to install VNX2 after VNX-i.
It gives me some cause to try VNX-i again. Although I assume that whenever an update is installed, it probably uninstalls VNX2 again.
Tommie, the reason you see your D500 files both jpg and NEF in VNX2 is that you have it set to view the jpg preview file.
Just above the browser window(LH corner) is a small box marked RAW.
1/. When it's coloured GREY, it only displays the embedded preview jpg within the NEF file. The default setting is for it to be set to jpg preview(faster loading of images).
2/. When you click on it, it changes colour to an orange-yellow tone. This is now set to view the decoded RAW file in itself. Slightly slower loading of the images (on my PC that slowness is measured in micro seconds), and you notice it if you scroll through the filmstrip repetitively using the arrow key. it eventually can't keep up as quickly as the jpg preview mode can. Also, you may(probably will) notice a ever so slight change in the histogram switching from raw mode to jpg mode on certain images.

So, if you click the raw tab to activate direct raw mode, on the D500 images(and any non supported images in VNX2) you will only get an 'unsupported file' message.
Obviously you can't do or set any parameters on raw files for non supported images.

I'll probably give VNX-i another chance(more out of curiosity) knowing that I may be able to re-install VNX2 concurrently.

[tommiejeep]

Arthur, many thanks, yes you're correct but it does allow me to "Open With.... " so does work as an easy , fast catalogue .   I still use CNX2 with all supported cameras.  It is a shame that Nik and Nikon did not continue their relationship.  The selective controls of Nik are the best I've found (or learned to use  .  I hope the guys made lots of money from the Google sale since it looks, to me, that Google will kill it and go the Apps route.

For what , and how, I shoot I've never really worried about batch processing.  For Sports , I normally have the controls for jpeg set up so that I normally do no, or just some quick L&C, shadows, highlights, and then post for the players/teams/Newspapers.  I do sell some un-post processed RAW images and let someone else worry about the PP  .
Cheers,
Tom

[David H. Hartman]

I've installed ViewNXi (Latest version) on both Windows 7 Professional and El Capitan OS X 10.11.6.

Windows: it's running reliability but, and it's a big one, when viewing at 100% as when checking focus on eyes it show a gray screen with "processing" when the NEF has a sidecar with development information this last a long time. The makes moving from one NEF to the next deathly slow and renders ViewNXi pretty much useless.

Does anyone know a way to force ViewNXi to use the imbedded JPG and ignore the sidecar files for previewing NEF(s)?

MAC OS X 10.11.6: ViewNXi (Latest version) crashes 100% on starting and I don't know where to start to cure this.

I've reinstalled ViewNX2 on Win7 and disabled its version of Transfer 2 which is unsupported and use only the Version installed by ViewNXi.

On the MAC I've copied ViewNX2 back into the applications folder with the help of AppCleaner.app to delete all the files use by VNX2 and rescue then from the Trash. Those files are then saved in a folder. Finally they are copied back to their rightful places here and there.

ViewNXi looks promising but when will it be fun to use?? ...or when will Nikon get its Stuff together?

Dave Hartman who seeks advice

I pecked this on a smartphone and I'll fix typos later. I hope it's understandable.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

ViewNX-i moves from one image zoomed 100% in to the next very quickly (< 1s), clearly faster than Lightroom. However, I don't make adjustments in the browser; I load it into ACR and PS CC and PS uses its own sidecar files, so it doesn't affect ViewNX-i rendering. I would like all of this to be compatible of course, and ACR to recognize picture control settings made in the camera and the Nikon browser to recognize Adobe conversion settings, but I guess this isn't happening.

I can try applying some adjustments and seeing how that affects ViewNX-i speed the next time I do editing. 

[Tom Hook]

This afternoon, I bumped my ram to 24gb from 12gb so finally ViewNX-i (version 1.2.4) works much more quickly. Still, it can not transfer from a memory card without spoiling the images with those infernal streaks across the bottom two-thirds of the image rendering them of course unusable.

As David suggested, by manually moving them with the finder on my Apple iMac, they can be viewed and edited in ViewNX-i and transferred to Capture NXD for a more thorough job (if I so desire, but out of spite I'm not sure I do so desire).

What a pain using Nikon software has become, and it's really too bad.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I always move files manually from the card to the computer.