Just announced:
Google has acquired Nik Software, effective today, September 17th, 2012. I have no further information at this time, but you can check out the announcement on the Nik Software Blog.
Just announced:
Google has acquired Nik Software, effective today, September 17th, 2012. I have no further information at this time, but you can check out the announcement on the Nik Software Blog.
Very interesting… will be curious to see what this means for Nikon and Capture NX2?
This is not good news. I fear for the future of the best Photoshop plugins out there, and I fear even more that this will be the death of any new version of Capture NX.
Chris-
As far as Capture NX goes, it is, and always has been, a Nikon product. Any decision about its development must come from Nikon. Nik was merely a development partner for Nikon on this one.
It’s all about money!
Quality?…. well oh no not that important, we need to make $$$$.
I would say bye bye NIK plugins, hello OnOnesoftware and Topaz. – Fred –
I don’t think its good news for the plugins and certainly not for NX. I use them daily.
Thom Hogan has an interesthing comment on the acquisition on his website: http://www.bythom.com
Under Photokina, Surprises
I share the concerns that have been raised by others (see Nik’s web site) and hope this is not the end to a great line of products.
Comments on NIK’s site were overwhelmingly negative, not surprising given the nature of earlier buyouts. My worry is that Google bought NIK solely for Snapseed and has no interest in any of the other tools. Or worse, that they deny Nikon the right to use the NIK tools that make CNX my only choice as raw converter/editor. CNX is surely (over)due for an update, and that now looks less certain.
Does not look good for the future. How long before the current management and talent leave or are pushed out?
Lorne-
Google does have an interest in photography, but you’re right that it is hard to see beyond the mobile apps right now. As for Nikon and NX, they pretty much cut Nik out of that development program years ago. It’s their product and I don’t see them innovating it.
with this being sad “It’s their product and I don’t see them innovating it.”
do we move off Capture NX2 and use lightroom or photoshop for the RAW Development
or just keep using Capture NX2 for RAW and get it to a point to jump over to Photoshop?
John-
One thing remains is that Capture NX2 is still a competent NEF converter. The major advantage of LR is the catalog function it provides. As I’ve always said, you should go with what you know best. I’ve dabbled with LR and Aperture and gotten perfectly good results with both of them.
This does not bode well at all for NIK. The folks at Sketchup, a 3D modeling package are rejoicing that another Graphics company bought the company from Google several months ago. In their blog the Sketchup folks not so subtly indicate that during its several years of ownership, and despite the considerable resources Google has at its disposal, Google throttled-back the Sketchup’s development, and squeezed their yearly budgets to the point of jeopardizing on-going development. Apparently Google used some of the 3D technology for its mapping applications. I would expect, and will plan accordingly, that NIK is finished as a developer of high-end software for serious NIKON photographers.