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Author Topic: ? about the newest "NKWide.icm" codec.  (Read 9944 times)
Mack
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« on: March 03, 2013, 06:36:53 PM »

Is there a reason why the "NKWide.icm" that comes with the Nikon NEF Codec makes JPG images appear so much redder in the QI viewer vs. normal sRGB JPG images?  Huh?

New Nikon NEF Codec version 1.17 for "Windows 8" I guess.  Here: http://www.nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/

Opening the "NKWide.icm" JPG in 'Windows 8 Preview' isn't too bad, but the QI one is really red.  Nikon must be messing with their red channel a bit, or increasing the red gamut somehow.

Mack
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Terry-M
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« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2013, 09:27:53 PM »

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Opening the "NKWide.icm" JPG in 'Windows 8 Preview' isn't too bad, but the QI one is really red.
Is Windows 8 viewer colour managed? I'm not convinced W7 is.
QU is of course fully colour managed, so what is showing in the Exif bar under the thumbs panel when the mouse is hovered over the thumb? If it shows the Nikon profile and it's embedded there are will be asterisks either side of the profile name.
Terry
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Terry-M
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« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2013, 09:46:30 PM »

I've been told that Nikon "NKWide.icm" is not a proper icc profile but some special/custom thing that only works in their software. I would think you'd need to convert to a conventional prfile before checking in other software.
Terry
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Mack
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« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2013, 05:13:43 AM »

Quote
Opening the "NKWide.icm" JPG in 'Windows 8 Preview' isn't too bad, but the QI one is really red.
Is Windows 8 viewer colour managed? I'm not convinced W7 is.
QU is of course fully colour managed, so what is showing in the Exif bar under the thumbs panel when the mouse is hovered over the thumb? If it shows the Nikon profile and it's embedded there are will be asterisks either side of the profile name.
Terry
Terry,

QU shows the following in Windows 8-64 bit:

Correct color JPG shows:
Cam/clr: Nikon D800E, *sRGB IEC61966-2.1*

The "very red" JPG shows:
Cam/clr: Nikon D800E, NKWide.icm  (without the astericks)

Both images were processed in CS6 too.  Fwiw, CS6 seems to handle that NKWide.icm and they look alike (NKWide.icm looks like the sRGB one for some reason Huh?), and Nikon's ViewNX2 shows them looking the same too.  QU is handling the two color icm's differently than those two.  InfranView shows a slightly warmer color for the NKWide.icm.  The QU one is really red though.

Okay.  I give up.  Corel Paint Shop Pro 5 makes the sRGB one very red and the NKWide one appears normal in it.  Huh? I'm not fond of PSP X5 as it likes to take over and reset the default monitor color from the ColorMunki setting so I have to recalibrate with the CM if I open and use PSP X5.

The "Details" in Windows 8 File Manager shows 'Color Representation' as "sRGB" in one, and is blank in the other which I am guessing is the NKWide.icm image.

Not really a big deal as I print from a ProPhoto TIFF generally, but the Nikon JPG's sure look very red with the NKWide.icm in QU.

I'll send you a skin-tone image and you can see the NKWide.icm vs. the sRGB icm JPG difference from screen captures in QU if needed.


Mack
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Fred A
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« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2013, 11:05:41 AM »

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QU shows the following in Windows 8-64 bit:
Correct color JPG shows:
Cam/clr: Nikon D800E, *sRGB IEC61966-2.1*


Here's the information.
 
Doesn't work on 64 bit.
It is designed to allow windows 7 and Vista to view these raw images.
 
You can read for yourself.
 
http://photographylife.com/free-nikon-raw-nef-codec-for-64-bit-vista-or-windows-7

It is written ambiguously, but if you read it closely, it is OK for 64 bit Vista, but not 64 bit W7

Maybe this helps

Fred
 
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Fred A
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« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2013, 11:09:13 AM »

Here's a little paste!

For those who do not know what a “RAW codec” is, when you import a RAW image from your camera into your machine, if your PC has no support for that RAW file, it will not display the image thumbnail. In addition, none of the Windows image applications and viewers will be able to open the RAW files. Not that the latter is critically important, especially for those who always process RAW images in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, but it is still helpful to be able to see the image thumbnails of files when opening RAW images for editing directly in Windows or when browsing through the archived RAW files.
So, with no support from Nikon for NEF files in 64 bit operating systems, the only other option is to use third party codecs. As of today, there are multiple types of third party codecs, but I will only write about the one that works very well and is 100% free (as of 06/17/2010, the product is no longer free, as explained here. The codec pack is now $9.99. If you want to get the older version that is still free, either Google for “Fastpictureviewer codec 1.70″ or download the file from CNET – not sure how long CNET will keep the file).


Read more: http://photographylife.com/free-nikon-raw-nef-codec-for-64-bit-vista-or-windows-7#ixzz2MZIGBPPA
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Terry-M
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« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2013, 12:08:50 PM »

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For those who do not know what a “RAW codec” is
Dooh!  Roll Eyes I'd forgotten. I do in fact have a FastPictureViewer set of codecs for viewing raw images in Windows 7. It covers all makes of cameras but I've not got the latest set.
I'm pretty sure that all it does is show the embedded jpeg.
Terry
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Mack
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« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2013, 03:52:55 PM »

Here is one that the intent was to make it a "monochrome" where her skin color matches the canyon wall - sort of.

Two of the same JPG images saved out of PS CS6 captured as screenshots:
One JPG (i.e. the left one) has that darn NKWide.icm mysteriously attached in it somehow according to the InstaView info, and the other is a SRGB one out of CS6.  Sort of a mess as to why one is so red in QU whereas they appear much the same in PS and even in "Windows 8 Picture View" pane, but yet so red in QU?

Fwiw, the above Nikon 1.17 codec pack link I posted must be working with Windows 8 64 bit now, or at least it says that in the description about halfway down the page so it is both 64 bit and is also Windows 8 compliant.

<rant> Even JPGs are now getting difficult vs. Adobe sRGB, Nikon-Adobe 4 sRGB, Nikon NKWIde.icm, Profoto, etc.  Ugh!  Wish someone would standardize on this color icm thing a bit better.  Too many different renderings out of differing programs to sort out. </rant>


Mack
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Terry-M
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« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2013, 05:49:16 PM »

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Ugh!  Wish someone would standardize on this color icm thing a bit better
They have, it's called the International Color Consortium. I suspect the NKwide thing probably does not conform and is not a "proper" icc profile. I think Fred has already pointed out, with relevant link,s it's a codec for viewing raw images in Windows and not suitable for 64 bit. Stick to the tried & tested Adobe RGB. Wink
Terry
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