DXO Software recently acquired the Nik Collection from Google. Yesterday, they released the first new update to the Nik Collection in several years. The seven plug-ins are available directly from DXO and support the latest Mac and Windows OS. My printable PDF guides and custom presets will help you get up to speed with the Nik Collection quickly and easily!
I’ve recently been adopting Skylum Software’s Luminar as a Photoshop plug-in to replace my aging Nik Collection. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Nik, but it’s outdated and I’m not sure where it’s going to end up (yes, I realize it’s been purchased by DXO). With a little practice, I’ve gotten to the point where Luminar is effectively replacing Silver Efex Pro 2 for monochrome conversion work.
With Luminar I’m able to replicate most of my go-to Nik filters, all in a single plug-in application. Luminar also supports Smart Filters, so you can create non-destructive edits if you use Smart Object layers in Photoshop. Instead of having to run multiple plug-ins (usually Silver Efex and Color Efex), I can do everything in a single interface
This image is a digital infrared capture (590nm) that I processed to emulate deep black (830nm) infrared using Luminar.
With the recent announcement that Google will no longer support the Nik Collection, I’ve started using Macphun’s suite of editing tools more and more frequently. Most specifically, I’ve jumped feet-first into their newest editor, Luminar. I’ve found it to be an excellent choice for photographers who are familiar with the Nik Collection suite. You can read my initial thoughts on Luminar here.
Here’s why I’m moving to Macphun:
Get Luminar for Mac Here
Get Luminar Public Beta for Windows Here
While there are several Macphun software plug-ins available for Mac users (and they are excellent), Luminar is so incredibly flexible that it can take the place of most of the other filters, provided you know where to look. Because Luminar is coming to Windows, too, it’s the one Macphun product I think you should be familiar with. Here are some tips for getting the most out of Luminar. Continue reading Moving to Macphun: Tips for Nik Users
I’m pleased to offer my Nik Collection instructional videos for 50% off through July 31, 2017. That means you can get the full set of tutorials for Color Efex Pro 4, HDR Efex Pro 2, and Silver Efex Pro 2 for under $15. Simply use code nikvideo at checkout to get the discount applied. Each video complements my comprehensive PDF tutorials and is presented in high-definition QuickTime (.mov) format. Playback requires QuickTime (MacOS) or VLC player (Windows).
Need the PDF guides to the Nik Collection?
Download them here.
Cooking With Color Efex Pro
Regular Price: $9.99Sale Price: $4.99
Mastering HDR Efex Pro 2
Regular Price: $9.99Sale Price: $4.99
Mastering Monochrome with Silver Efex Pro 2
Regular Price: $9.99Sale Price: $4.99
I offer the most comprehensive set of guides to the “big three” Nik Collection plug-ins available, including:
You’ve probably read by now that Google is no longer going to update and maintain the Nik Collection. While that’s true (and disappointing), the plug-ins are still a great set of (free!) tools that deliver professional results, and I will continue to use them until they stop working on my computer. My guess is that the plug-ins will continue to work for quite some time until changes to Photoshop or computer OS become significantly drastic. In the meantime, you can get any of my three PDF guides for free through July 1st.