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?→
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.
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:
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:
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.
Join me April 13th for a hands-on HDR workshop in Denver, CO.
Join me for a day of hands-on HDR photography at the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, April 13th. I’ve teamed up with the good folks at Front Range Photography to arrange this class, limited to 20 photographers. We’ll have special tripod access before the museum opens to the public, so we can photograph the antique cars, motorcycles, and trains with the intent of capturing HDR images. After the shoot, we have a classroom set up where you’ll be able to download your images. I’ll then show you how to create stunning HDR tone-maps using Nik Software’s HDR Efex Pro 2.0 plug-in. I’ll also demonstrate finishing effects for HDR images with other plug-ins, like Color Efex Pro 4 and Silver Efex Pro 2.
