Nik Softwares

[auriel_dahan]

<p>Hi,<br>

I am looking for some feedback about the Nik softwares (Color efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro..) I find them very interesting and easy to use with the U points technology.<br>

Is it really worth to invest a lot of money, since they are very expensive?<br>

Do you have any feedback on identical softwares?<br>

Thank you for your advices.<br>

Guinod.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>I have the whole package and mostly use the two you mention. I find Silver Efex Pro to be an incredibly useful tool, far easier and more versatile than what is in LR/PS, which I don't particularly like. The u-point technology is very effective, I use it quite a bit for image adjustments. Color Efex Pro is good for certain types of effects - I find one called "Pro Contrast" to be very effective - but some of what's in it is as bad as the special effects filters in PS.</p>

[melmann]

<p>Like Jeff I have the whole package as well and have been very pleased with it over the past 4 months. The noise reduction and sharpening tools are better than Photoshop for me. The Silver Efex Pro really gives me better control over B&W conversions. Viveza make fine adjustments for color and brightness a breeze.</p>

<p>I've pretty much stopped making selections and layer masks in Photoshop for general workflow, relying on NIK to handle the bulk of my adjustments.</p>

<p>I found it more economical to get the whole package rather than buy a few now and more later. The components work together so well you'll find yourself using them as a package anyway.</p>

[reinante]

<p>I have the complete package and is extraordinary and wonderful. It's expensive but worth it. I use it on all my photos and am very satisfied with the results</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>I prefer the Photoshop versions to the Lightroom ones...and use two: SilverEfex (Black-and-white) and Sharpening. I want to like Viveza but it is more expensive than this one:<br>

<br /> Color Mechanic Pro from Digital Light and Color (about $29.95)<br>

<br /> In Photoshop, the Nik filters will only work in the 32 bit version. My guess is that Nik will charge a good amount to upgrade to 64 bit versions when they become available - so if you purchase individual filters, beware.<br>

<br /> The Nik filters can often be purchased with discount codes that the company sends out to folks on their email list.</p>

<p> </p>

[auriel_dahan]

<p>Hi, <br>

Thank you very much to Jeff, Mel, Jose Luis and Robert for your thoughtful feedback. I agree it would be better to get the complete collection. </p>

[john_demott]

<p>Robert,<br>

The Nik website now states that upgrades to 64 bit capability in Photoshop will be made without charge to purchasers of the current version. I had the same concern as you, so I was glad to see Nik addressed the issue.</p>

<p>Color Mechanic Pro appears to be mainly directed at changing <strong>color</strong>. Viveza changes color, brightness, contrast and more... and it generates selections (or masks) based on a variety of factors including color, brightness, and texture. Each of those products may have their uses, but I wouldn't think of them as interchangeable.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>Color Mechanic Pro from Digital Light and Color (about $29.95)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Website says $70, and, as John points out, Viveza is a lot more versatile.</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Ditto about Color Mechanic vs. Viveza. I have had both for at least a year or two and use both. They definitely are not equivalent / interchangeable.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

[kyleweems]

<p>Nik is offering free 64bit upgrades when they are available, on all their products.</p>

<p>I use their software in certain instances, but I still prefer photoshop for some things.</p>

<p>Silver Efex Pro is undoubtedly the best black and white software out there. In my opinion, it is -the- way to convert to black and white.. it goes far beyond what photoshop does here.</p>

<p>Viveza is extremely useful in certain cases where you want to tweak certain areas very quickly. U-Point generates some extremely nice masks.</p>

<p>Color Efex Pro... um.. yes and no. It's a large collection of filters essentially, but with the added feature of u-point. Some are good, some are not. Dynamic Skin Softening goes too far too fast for me, but pro contrast is usually a nice tool. Overall probably not worth the cost however, at least for me.. I can replicate most of the things it does easily enough without it, where as some of their other software goes far beyond what PS does.</p>

<p>Dfine I like as well, the ability to fine tune it so quickly is a plus for me. I do not like that it shows 'working' every time you blink, but it does its job pretty well.</p>

<p>Sharpener Pro 3 - I wasn't a big fan at first.. but I've come to use it pretty consistently. Again it's really the control of u-point that I like.</p>

<p>Overall.. they're all good, some are better than others. Look at each carefully and figure out which ones you really have a use for.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>When I first purchased Color Mechanic Pro in 2001 it was $30 - and the upgrade is/was $30 - but they indeed have raised the price to $70...and nowhere on the site (or in email exchanges) do they mention if/when it will be 64 bit compatible.</p>

<p>And thanks for the tip that the NIK filters will be a free upgrade to 64 bit compatibility.</p>

<p>Convert to Black-and-white Pro was a good converter too - but not compatible with Windows 7. I used it until Windows XP Pro. That software left a more "picket fence" histogram after conversion - Nik does do a better job there.</p>

<p>Thanks for the corrections/updates - always good to learn aand have accurate information.</p>

<p>rdc</p>

[michel_leclerc]

<p>"I prefer the Photoshop versions to the Lightroom ones...and use two: SilverEfex (Black-and-white) and Sharpening."<br>

Robert,<br>

on what is the Photoshop better than the Lightroom version?</p>

<p>Thanks!<br>

<br /></p>

[kyleweems]

<p>The photoshop and lightroom versions shouldn't show any real difference, despite being (I believe) different software. They use the same algorithms, but how they are treated by LR and PS demands that they are written differently. Lightroom treats 'plug-ins' as separate programs (which also means when LR goes 64bit they won't have a problem running in 32bit)</p>

<p>PS treats them as an integrated part.. that's the only real difference, and it just changes how they are written.. the functionality is the same.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Sometimes I prefer the Canon forum, and sometimes I prefer the Nikon one...neither is "better."</p>

<p>I prefer the Photoshop NIK plug-ins to the Lightroom versions because I use Photoshop much more often...My comment was a heads-up to the OP that there were choices to be made....</p>