Nik software. Does it still make sense in 2016?

<p>I have downloaded and installed the Nik Collection. For the moment I’m testing it together with LR6. Before delving deeper into Nik and spending a lot of time with it I would like to hear your opinion about this software. <br>

Does it really add something to LR’s possibilities or is it surpassed by Adobe’s developments? I realize that this may differ per Nik module so your ideas about all of these is appreciated. I hope that with your help prospective Nik users can speed up the process of (not?) using Nik.</p>

Nik Silver Efex Pro is still the best tool I've ever worked with for producing state of the art BW images.

<p>Very much a personal thing, I've had the Nik Collection for some time and find that I use Color Effects and Dfine but rarely if ever go to the others. That said I have heard some swear by Silver Effects for Black and White processing. I think they do expand the possibilities in Lightroom, no experience with PS so can't comment.<br>

Now they are free ~ perhaps I should have waited! ~ installing and trying is not a problem and probably worth doing, if the time exists to play. They integrate well with Lightroom and as far as I know with PS and Elements.</p>

<p>From a workflow, image processing standpoint, just keep in mind that ANYTHING that Nik affects in LR is being done on rendered data (not raw data). From that POV, wouldn't make any difference if you applied Nik in Photoshop or Lightroom in terms of the data.</p>

<p>I do think Silver Efex Pro and Vivesa are useful programs, and if I don't like them I suppose I could demand my $0.00 back. I don't use Vivesa often, but there's a couple of things I do like it for. Silver Efex on the other hand works pretty well. As Andrew says it works in rendered data and you will have an extra file when you close and go back to LR or Photoshop. </p>

<p><strong>Silver Efex Pro 2</strong> is the reason why I downloaded the free version last week.</p>

I almost exclusively used to use silver efex for BW conversions, but trying to switch to LR now. I don't like to have extra tiff

files just for BW effect where I cannot reverse any changes if I want to. I have tried to recreate the look obtained from

silver efex in LR for several of my images, and in most cases it works. However, silver efex is still quite versatile, and

have some great transformation routines to convert color space into BW while maintaining contrast between diverse color

shades. Such conversions may be possible in LR, but I am not that expert to comment on it. Also, I like the soft contrast

feature of silver efex, and not yet figured out the corresponding feature in LR. The color filters are also easier to use in

silver efex than in LR.

 

Another program I use sometimes is color efex, where I mostly use the "extract details" and "Pro contrast" features. While

details can be enhanced in LR using the clarity slider, the "Pro contrast" feature of color efex gives great result.

<p>I use it for BW. Very handy.</p>

<p>Does anyone have a favourite online (or otherwise) tutorial for Silver Efex? I've heard such great things about it that I downloaded the collection primarily just for it, but I've no idea where to start with it. And as my time right now is very limited, meaning I can't just play around with it to learn by trial and error at the moment, I was hoping someone might steer me to the best of the many online guides that seem to be available for it. Thanks!</p>

<p>Hi Bernard,<br>

Google Nik collection website has good tutorials on silver efex, in the form of youtube videos. Just click on "learn" from the homepage of nik collection and then navigate to "silver efex pro".</p>

<p>I've tried the Nik collection when it still was paid for, and decided not to pay for it. While it makes a number of actions really easy, and speeds up things considerably, it wasn't worth the money to me.<br>

Silver Efex seems to get the highest praise here. While I've tried it several times now, I fail to see what's so special about it. It does nothing I cannot get done in Photoshop Elements, CaptureOne or given a bit of time Lightroom (which I do not use, hence I need the time). Yes, it has some pretty great presets, and that's a time saver, but to me, technically, it's not a plugin I'd spend much money on.<br>

Viveza and Dfine probably have a lot less immediate appeal, but they're to me the big timesavers. Especially Viveza, which uses the same technology as I was used to in CaptureNX2... it's a very intuitive and immediate way of making selections. But I feel it's more at home in an editor like Photoshop, or at least, that's how I'd use it more often.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>It does nothing I cannot get done in Photoshop Elements, CaptureOne or given a bit of time Lightroom </p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

My versions of Lightroom and Photoshop don't have borders and edge burning like Silver Efex. What versions are you using?</p>

<p>i agree with the Silver Efex software...it's expensive but easy to use and I found it worth the expense...I have the color efex pro which is also very good but i rely on it less and can often get the effects with my editing software (photoshop)...</p>

<blockquote>

<p>i agree with the Silver Efex software...it's expensive but easy to use and I found it worth the expense...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Isn't it free now?</p>

<p>Since I use Photoshop Elements 11 (having just recently upgraded to 14), I have found the NIK bundle to be extremely helpful. </p>

<p>Bernard, I suggest you try youtube.</p>

<p>Barry: Yes, to repeat, it is free as mentioned in my comment above.</p>

<p>"Nik software. Does it still make sense in 2016?" Yes it makes a lot of sense because it's free!<br>

Try it and do some experimenting and make your own evaluation. </p>

<p>I have tried to recreate the silver efex effects in LR, and while most of them can be achieved, one effect could not be. That effect, called 'soft contrast' in silver efex has no equivalent in LR. If someone has figured out how to create the same effect in LR, I would be interested to learn.</p>

<p>Thanks for your replies so far. I downloaded Nik software and was underwhelmed by the results. Now I have a bit more information on where to look for the best parts of the software. </p>

<p>Just a reminder... Seeing that I have over a thousand Raw images and assuming others do as well, I'm not eager or tolerant having to manage duplicates of all my thousands of Raw images since I'll have to work on a 16bit tiff using NIK software.</p>

<p>So I'ld suggest you see if it's worth it to get that extra "punch" or enhancement at the expense of adding another level of complexity to an already complex workflow editing so many images that might end up looking the same as everyone else using the same "Jerry Bruckhammered" software image enhancements.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Laziness and hard-disk space are not acceptable excuses not to reach a state of the art result (the extra "punch", like you named it), unless it could be "perfectly matched" through the use of the "plain" LR as well.<br /> Even going through Photoshop will produce a duplicated raster image. And, honestly, for most fine-art productions LR is just (and only) the first step of the workflow. A workflow that proceeds till the equally crucial choice of the perfect frame for the final print. :)</p>

Tim has to be joking

<p>Absolutely. I use Color Efex and Viveza all the time, DFine when I'm scanning film, Silver Efex when I convert to black and white, and Sharpener Pro when I make prints. A bargain at $150. Even more of a bargain at $0.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Tim has to be joking</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No, I'm not joking. </p>

<p>Someone post a before and after sample image applying any of the free Nik software that makes an image look like something new and unique and never seen before out of the trillions posted online.</p>

<p>Really! I'm serious. I don't think it's worth the added complexity in my workflow having two versions of my Raw images.</p>

<p>Is that your standard, new and unique? I suppose it depends on how you use it. Working in LR, its not any big complexity in workflow. You rt click, edit in silver exfex, do your conversion and save, it ends up right next to the original image in the film strip. Depending on how often you convert to b/w it does take up more space. But the complexity of workflow is basically in your mind. I try to take interesting pictures, I don't need to create unique and never before seen b/w conversions...I prefer good tonality appropriate to the photo. </p>