NIK Complete Collection (5 plug-ins). Anyone familiar? I am interested...

[dan_hall4]

<p>I saw this 5 plug in package in a magazine tonight. I used PSE 6 for about two years, just touched the surface of what it can do likely. RAW conversion, crop, resize, etc.. basic stuff like that. Doing the same now with Lightroom 2 that I got a few weeks back and absolutely love LR2. I am not wanting to invest the time/energy into a full version of Photoshop. I am scared of it to be honest. Seems the skills needed for it would exceed the amount of time I am willing to spend on my images at the moment.<br>

<br />Anyone familiar with the NIK complete collection? Would this be a good software bundle for a post processing greenhorn like me. I shoot landscapes and the color and light correction tool seems cool. As does the filters and noise reduction tools. Just not sure if it is suitable for me and was hoping for some insight.<br>

<br />For anyone using it, does the "plug-in" aspect of this software interface directly with Lightroom 2. For example, I have the Flickr and Photomatix Pro plug in for Lightroom 2. When I select "Export", these two options (along with "to disc") pop up and I choose where I want to send the image/images. Would NIK interface in a similar fashion?<br>

<br />Below is the list of included software in the kit. It states compatible with Lightroom so I assume I don't need CS4/5 to use it. Some other software bundles had that requirement. Thanks for any comments. Buying today if I can get some good feedback. <br /><br />Dfine 2.0 <br />Viveza 2.0<br />Color Efex Pro 3.0 <br />Silver Efex Pro <br />Sharpener Pro 3.0</p>

[dan_hall4]

<p>While I am begging for info, anyone have any logic for why I shouldn't order it as a download? I see the boxed option is there as well as a download. I work out of state and will put it on my laptop now, but also want it on my desktop back home in NC. Would the download make that difficult?<br>

<br />Lastly, any current discount codes floating around. In reading on some old posts, I see NIK sends these out pretty regularly. If applicable, the wife says thank you:)<br>

<br />-Dan</p>

[richsimmons]

<p>As plugins go, they are top notch. Very, very good at what they do. Can they do anything that Photoshop can do? No, but it's much easier and can give you ideas that perhaps you never thought of. I would also suggest you watch their workflow video <a href="http://niksoftware.com/completecollection/usa/entry.php?view=intro/workflow_lesson.shtml">here</a>. The way you listed them above is their suggested workflow. Another thing I like about them is that they are non-destructive. They take the original and copy it onto another layer so you can always go back and change things or just keep creating different layers with different effects. <br>

There's no reason to get a boxed version if you are good at keeping your downloaded software secure and backed up. Also, if you learn PSE really well, you'll know 80% of the full version of PS. Why not just upgrade your PSE version if you don't want to go full-blown? PSE does have some limits that PS will eliminate. Like bit depth. Go to adobe's website and compare the two. </p>

[john_demott]

<p>I think the Nik plug-in products are first rate. Many other products do similar things but I think the results from the Nik products are more convincing. You really should try the free download of the demonstration version and find out for yourself. Also watch the videos on the Nik website--I think they are listed as "webinars."</p>

<p>There are usually some discount codes available--often Jason Odell has a code available. Recently there were steep discounts available for the boxed version at Adorama.</p>

[kyleweems]

<p>They are extremely good at what they do. I'll break them down for you a bit so you can see what you really need, you might not need/want all of them.</p>

<p>U-Point Technology - Not a product, but a feature. This is found in all Nik products, and it's the key to their usefulness. What u-point does is basically take information about where you place a 'control point' and try to figure out what the constraints of that object are. It's an intelligent masking algorithm, and it really works well. The 'circle' you see is really only a representation of the area you want it to look in, not what it's doing.. when you start to play with control points, be sure to turn on the show mask feature so you can get a better idea of what it's doing. If the control point starts bleeding into areas you don't want, simply place a blank point in that area to constrain it.. it learns from itself as you place more points.</p>

<p>Dfine - great noise reduction, very intelligent. The ability to fine tune your noise reduction based on object/area very quickly is great. As noise reduction goes, it's as good or better than anything else out there, but you don't have the ability to infinitely fine tune every technical aspect (which really, most people don't want anyway since they don't understand the technical side of it). So unless you're a huge tech geek, it's perfect for you.</p>

<p>Viveza - Color, color, and more color. The quickest way to adjust your images. The default workspace here is very straightforward, but you can hit the expand menu and do all sorts of nifty things with it like adjusting specific colors, adjusting warmth, tone, etc.</p>

<p>Color Efex Pro - At it's base, a large collection of filters.. but each has its set of controls to fine tune it, plus the u-point technology you find in all Nik products. Some are awesome, some aren't.. it will take some time experimenting to find what works for you. Specific ones to look at.. sunshine, skylight, tonal contrast, all the contrast variations, dynamic skin softner (beware, use very lightly).. those are probably the easiest to find use for, but I'm sure you'll find others.</p>

<p>Silver Efex Pro - THE way to do black and white, period. Not even photoshop can keep up here. Extremely intelligent, extremely flexible. If black and white is something you do, or want to do, this is the way to do it. It can do everything from traditional conversion to film simulation (with realistic grain patterns based on the film type you choose to simulate).. and everything in-between.</p>

<p>Sharpener Pro - Great sharpening tool, easy to go too far. I mainly use it for output sharpening as it has presets for various resolutions and paper types.. but it works all around once you adjust to using it.</p>

<p>As to the person above who said the plugins can't do anything photoshop can't... that simply isn't true. This is an archaic view of plug-ins. No longer are they simply sets of actions like they were years ago.. they use their own custom algorithms to do things photoshop simply isn't as good at. PS is great at a lot of things, but because it does a lot of things, it isn't spectacular at everything.. that's where plugins come into play. Silver Efex Pro for example goes far beyond what photoshop can do.. it's a purpose built product, which will almost always beat out something built for everything. Can you get good results in photoshop alone? absolutely.. but will they be -as good-, nope.. will they be as fast to get? not even close.</p>

<p>Hopefully the above will give you some guidance as to what will work for you.</p>

[dan_hall4]

<p>Kyle, awesome post. Thanks! Just the kind of insight I need. Thanks to all who replied. I bought the software and downloaded it from the Nik site. The bundle for Lightroom 2 is $299, but I found a discount code PPS that makes it $199! Awesome software, but now I need to learn how to use it of course. Ha ha.. Got my first black and white. Took about 20 seconds. Felt like I was cheating. Feels good:)</p>

<p><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4669270185_bfc7b89999_b.jpg">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4669270185_bfc7b89999_b.jpg</a></p>

[kyleweems]

<p>Dan</p>

<p>Be sure to check out their webinars, they do some great educational stuff. There is one going on right now actually that covers their whole collection.</p>

[david_luery]

<p>Kyle,<br>

You mentioned something about being able to show the mask in NIK's software. How do I do that? I hadn't seen anything about that in NIK's user guides.<br>

Thanks,<br>

David</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I don't think Nik has masking in their software, but there are others. I've also found the Topaz Labs plugins (especially for masking) to be very good. Nik is great software; congratulations. Your photography will take a huge step forward.</p>

[melmann]

<p>David,<br>

When you set a Control Point in NIK it creates a mask you control with the sliders. To see the mask, look on the right column under the Control Points section. For each Point you set there is a checkbox on the far right of each line. Click that on/off to see the mask.</p>

<p>Dan, I've found the selection capability of NIK software to exceed PS CS4, especially for fine detailed objects like tree branches, hair, etc. Been using the Complete Package since March and significantly reduced the amount of time I spend in PS making selections and adjustments.</p>

[robert goldstein]

<p>I have the complete Nik Suite and use all of the programs regularly. Quite honestly, I don't know how I ever got by without them. You can download free trial versions to see if you will like them. I cannot imagine that you will not.</p>

<p>Rob</p>

[robert goldstein]

<blockquote>

<p>Dfine - great noise reduction, very intelligent. The ability to fine tune your noise reduction based on object/area very quickly is great. As noise reduction goes, it's as good or better than anything else out there....</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Sorry, but this is no longer true--if it ever was. Topaz DeNoise 4 has surpassed every noise reduction program currently available. The one unique feature of Dfine (other than local application via control points) is its de-banding function. This can be very useful for high ISO images that have band-like pattern noise. For such images, I first perform de-banding in Dfine and then remove the remaining noise with Topaz. The results are quite amazing.</p>

<p>Rob</p>

[david_luery]

<p>Mel,<br>

Thank you so much for explaining how to show the mask. Very neat!<br>

David</p>

[jackaldridge]

<p>While you will invariably get the "which plugin/program is best" arguments I can say that I have been very happy with the Nik collection. It's pretty much part of my regular work-flow now, for sharpening if nothing else (in truth I use the other portions a lot as well...).</p>

[piotr_radzyminski]

<p>Silver FX and Sharpener are amazing. The former is the only digital software that gets close to BW film look. The latter easily adds double the sharpness to your images (for the lack of a more scientific measure of sharpness).</p>