Tag Archives: Nik Software

The Image Doctors #188

New Fujifilm X-S20 Mirrorless Camera

This week, Fujifilm announced a new mirrorless camera to improve upon their previous small form-factor body, the X-S10. The new Fujifilm X-S20 offers a 26 megapixel APS-C sensor in a compact body with fast frame rates and AI-based subject detection autofocus. It’s an excellent choice for photographers looking for advanced features in a small form factor.

Nik Collection 6

We’ve been using the Nik Collection suite of plugins for over a decade, and they are our go-to filters for fine-art image processing. We’ll take a look at the new features in the latest release, which we both agree is well worth the $79 upgrade price. Our patrons can tune in to our bonus video this week and get a tour of the new features.

Luminar: The Nik Software Replacement?

Luminar from Macphun: A full-featured plug-in with lots of Nik DNA.

As most of you know, the future of the Nik Collection is in jeopardy as Google is no longer planning to support the software. While that doesn’t mean it will stop working immediately, it does mean that updates to your OS or to Photoshop/Lightroom may cause issues in the future.

I really do love my Nik plug-ins, and I don’t plan to stop using them in the short term. But I do accept the future, and in looking for an alternative, I’ve found that the Macphun software plug-ins are very good, especially their newest all-around editor, Luminar. My only hesitation for recommending these products is that they have been MacOS only. However, that’s changing as of today! Continue reading Luminar: The Nik Software Replacement?

Google Makes Nik Collection Free

Today, Google announced that it is offering the complete set of Nik Software plug-ins for free. That’s right, the suite that used to cost over $400 is now freeware. That’s excellent news for anyone looking to get these professional image editing tools (and maybe not so excellent news for those of us who purchased them for full price). However, as stated in their announcement, Google will offer anyone who purchased the Nik Collection in 2016 a full refund:

Starting March 24, 2016, the latest Nik Collection will be freely available to download: Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine. If you purchased the Nik Collection in 2016, you will receive a full refund, which we’ll automatically issue back to you in the coming days.

Nevertheless, Google continues to support this software, and I still think that it’s the best out there for certain applications. I use Color Efex Pro 4 all the time, and Silver Efex Pro 2 is still one of the best monochrome editors around. Viveza is incredibly useful if you are into digital infrared photography. All the Nik plug-ins feature Control Points for making local adjustments.

The Nik Collection Includes:
  • Analog Efex Pro (Film effects)
  • Color Efex Pro (Color and monochrome effects)
  • Silver Efex Pro (monochrome conversion)
  • HDR Efex Pro (HDR tone-mapping)
  • Viveza (color & contrast adjustments)
  • Sharpener Pro
  • Dfine (Noise reduction)

Visit this page to download the Nik Collection by Google

Master the Nik Collection Plug-ins: 25% off through March 31st
Download my complete guides to Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, and HDR Efex Pro here.

Update: Google honoring low pricing and discounts on international sales of Nik Collection

Colorado State Capitol, Denver, CO. Enhanced with Color Efex Pro 4.
Colorado State Capitol, Denver, CO. Enhanced with Color Efex Pro 4.

Now that Google has purchased Nik Software, I have been able to confirm that all customers get the new low pricing on the Nik Collection. It’s very nice to hear that now everyone can enjoy comparable pricing and discounts on the Nik Collection of plug-ins, no matter where you live.

The Nik Collection of professional photo plug-ins includes:

  • Color Efex Pro 4
  • Dfine 2
  • HDR Efex Pro 2
  • Sharpener Pro 3
  • Silver Efex Pro 2
  • Viveza 2

Get my three popular guides to Color Efex Pro 4, Silver Efex Pro 2 and HDR Efex Pro 2 for a bundle discount when you purchase them together!

Google Releases Nik Collection: $149 for the complete software suite

Google has rebranded the complete collection from Nik Software and is offering the entire bundle for $149 USD
Google has rebranded the complete collection from Nik Software and is offering the entire bundle for $149 USD. Save an additional 15% with code JODELL

Today, Google announced the release of the re-branded Nik Collection of photo enhancement and editing plug-ins. The complete collection of plug-ins, is now delivered by a single installer. Individual plug-ins are no longer available, but you can get the complete set of pro plug-ins for $149. That’s a steal.

Even better… if you own ANY single current Nik Plug-in, they’re going to upgrade you to the Nik Collection for free!

At this point, the only major change is the installer and the product branding to “Nik Collection by Google.” The software also has been updated to support Windows 8.

All the plug-ins remain the same as they were before. The Nik Collection includes:

  • Color Efex Pro 4 (photo filters and special effects)
  • Dfine 2 (noise reduction)
  • Sharpener Pro 3 (sharpening tools)
  • Viveza 2 (image adjustments with Control Points)
  • Silver Efex Pro 2 (monochrome conversion)
  • HDR Efex Pro 2 (HDR tone-mapping tool)

The Nik Collection can be purchased for $149 at www.niksoftware.com Use coupon code JODELL and save 15%, for a purchase price of $126. That’s a great value for something that until recently cost over $400.

The other good news is that it is clear that Google intends to support these products for the foreseeable future. I use the Nik plug-ins every day and they are simply the best quality out there.

You can also download a free 15-day trial version of the collection.

Don’t forget to check out my comprehensive set of guides to the “Efex” plug-ins, including printable eBooks and video tutorials.