NX2 Install

[Diff]

Q: How many times can I install NX2 on my home computers?

Circumstances: New desktop I'll install it on, plus an older labtop. The laptop will be replaced in 1 year.

With Elements 9, you can install it as many times as you want, but you must deactivate it from one of the computers, before installing it on a new one.

Support said I can only I install it 2x! Otherwise, purchase a new key code for $180!! That is more than Impaid for it new (-:

Thanks!

[Diff]

Well, as a new member to this forum, I'm disappointed that there were no responses to my questions. Not a welcoming feeling for newcomers. Therefore, I'm seeking membership and support elsewhere. Will not recommend this site to others.

[howardm]

I wasn't aware that anyone *owed* you an answer here.

As you may be able to determine, this particular forum is not well frequented here as most visitors seem to be Adobe-centric.

That said, the EULA that comes w/ NX2 should spell out what you can do.  Most of the time, you can install on 2 machines as long as only 1 copy is in use if you want to remain within the legal letter.  I do not think NX2 has a 'phone home' protection system like Adobe products do.

[Schewe]

Well, as a new member to this forum, I'm disappointed that there were no responses to my questions. Not a welcoming feeling for newcomers. Therefore, I'm seeking membership and support elsewhere. Will not recommend this site to others.

Wow...pretty harsh...did it happen to occur to you very few people actually uses NX?

Yeah, you go right ahead and suggest other people like you avoid LuLa...thanks!

Helps keep the chatter down...

:~)

[Norman]

I found the replies rather harsh but will nevertheless ask my question and hope for a helpful reply. I've been very busy elsewhere for a couple of years and now wish to return to my old love of Landscape photography. I have an old copy of Photoshop 7 and a two year old + copy of Capture NX2.  It will cost a fortune to update the Photoshop and I must admit that what little I have done with NX2 is very impressive.
So the question... Should I bite the bullet and upgrade Photoshop or put my efforts into NX2?
A secondary question... Is there a group of the same standing as LL that is NX2 based?

Any help and advice will be most appreciated.

Norman.

[Peter Stacey]

Norman,

Since NX2 is still the current version of Nikon Capture, the 2+ year age of your copy shouldn't matter, though having used NX and NX2 myself in the past, I would still recommend you consider other alternatives, even if you like what your previous work with NX2.

However, whether you jump up to Photoshop CS5 or not, depending on your processing needs, I think you probably don't need to.

You  might however want to consider Photoshop Lightroom as an alternative to Photoshop and a good comparison between NX2 and Lightroom 3 can be found here:

http://ishootshows.com/2010/01/22/lightroom-3-vs-nikon-capture-nx-2/

Regards,

Peter

[EDIT] On the other part of your question, for NX2, there is nothing close to the same level of expertise anywhere that is available on LuLa in relation to Photoshop and Lightroom.

[Norman]

Hi Peter,
Thank you for your very useful reply. I found the Comparison posting interesting but I'm not sure it's relevant in my case. I shoot very few images at any one time, rarely more than 10 or 12 at ISO 100. So the workflow disadvantage with NX2 is not serious. The thing I find most troublesome with Photoshop, and presumably Lightroom would be the same, is the whole Layers Saga! I think I've just not done enough to really get the hang of it all. NX2 seems to be much easier to learn and quicker to use.
So I think I'll use that for now but keep an open mind to any changes in the future.
I thought there would be no equivalent to L.L.
Thank you once again for your help .

Norman.

[Peter Stacey]

Norman,

Actually Lightroom is much closer to NX2 in terms of editing than it is to Photoshop. There are no layers to worry about. The editing produces a list of instructions for the rendering of the file (like NX2 does) and it is easy to adjust and re-adjust changes. No layers, no destructive editing possibilities and everything is very intuitive.

If you are only shooting a few images at a times, perhaps you don't have a large DAM issue to manage (which LR does better than NX2), but if you are intending to print your files, produce galleries for the web or even post them to hosting sites like Smugmug, Flickr, etc., there are other advantages to LR (including hopefully Soft proofing in the next version - we can only wait and hope).

I always liked the quality of the images produced by NX and NX2, but LR is definitely worth looking at, even for the free 30-day trial period.

Regards,

Peter