Nik Collection for Google

cmason

Wow, basically all the Nik plugins for $149, which is heaps less than before.

http://www.niksoftware.com/nikcollection/usa/index.php?view=intro%2Fmain.shtml


Of course, if Google Reader is any indication, Google will pull support in 6 weeks when it gets tired of them '[still angry]'

Harryb

That is a great deal.

CoreyD

Even Better, If you have ever purchased any of the plug-ins Google is going to upgrade you to the full suite for free. I Just received an email from Google with a link to download but it does not seem to be working.

From Christian Pesch's Google+ post:

"If you've already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don't worry, we've got you covered. In fact: we're going to upgrade you to the entire Nik Collection by Google for free. Just keep an eye out for emailed instructions in the next few days."

CoreyD

Also, if you are going to purchase you can use a coupon code, BEDGE or DZISER for example to receive an additional 15% off of the $149 price.

HarlanBear

I'm having same problem as CoreyD. Downloads, but does not open. Says windows can't open it, etc.

CoreyD

I figured it out. For some reason the file extension is left off of the windows download. I saved the file to my desktop, re-named it just by adding .exe to the end of the existing file name, then double click on the re-named file, the installer loadded and all worked as it should.

HarlanBear

You da man, CoreyD. That worked! Thanks for passing fix along.

TonyCooper

I downloaded the trial and I'm in the process of trying out the various NIC programs.

Any recommendations for useful tutorials other than NIC's? A Google search turns up
many, but what are the favorites of those using NIC?

ziggy53

TonyCooper wrote: »

I downloaded the trial and I'm in the process of trying out the various NIC programs.

Any recommendations for useful tutorials other than NIC's? A Google search turns up
many, but what are the favorites of those using NIC?

I think that Nik Software Sharpener Pro is what made them successful, but Color Efex Pro and Viveza are very nice too. I like Neat Image noise reduction better than Nik Dfine, but the "U Point" capability of Dfine 2, plus the new pricing for everything, has me considering the bundle.

tebogan

Love the U-point
I have been a user of NIK HDR Pro 2 since it came out. It was the only product from NIK that I had purchased. What made me fall in love with the product over the other HDR products was the U-point selectivity. This makes it possible to make very localized adjustments. The initial cost of HDR Pro was almost what they now want for the complete collection. Just hope that Google keeps up the development of the collection. Being an Android producer, I expect the collection to be in the Google App store and the collection for PC and Mac to fade away.

Zerodog

I am considering this bundle. Some new kung fu would be nice to add to my arsenal. Does NIK run fast and smooth or does it tend to drag a system down? I have tried some of the OnOne stuff and it is horribly slow.

cmason

I am giving the demo a go. They run fine, I have noticed no slow down at all, and that is with both Lightroom 3, and the Nik tool running at same time on my Core2Duo iMac with 3GB RAM.

So far, I really like HDR Efex Pro 2. Silver Efex Pro 2 I like as well, but can't decide if its any better than Lightroom. Dfine is a nice noise remover that seems to work well on Automatic mode.

FlyNavy

Zerodog wrote: »

I am considering this bundle. Some new kung fu would be nice to add to my arsenal. Does NIK run fast and smooth or does it tend to drag a system down? I have tried some of the OnOne stuff and it is horribly slow.

No issue with speed at all for me on my old Mac using Aperture 3. I love the software.

babowc

I don't see a vast improvement over in terms of what LR can do, as far as few of these plug-ins(?) go.
Are these for the sake of quick, one-touch editing?

My computer doesn't process the images super rapidly, as I'd like.
I'm running Samsung 830 SSD, 8GB RAM, AMD Phenom X4 820, but crappy GFX card.

Zerodog

babowc, the hope with these is a little more automation in editing. My computer is similar spec to yours. Mine is not as fast as I would like, but it gets it done.

I downloaded the trial. It is really involved. I would need lots of tutorial in what exactly I am doing with these adjustments. But I tried the NR and the Sharpening. They are both pretty smooth. I like the interface with CS6. Seems like things can be either straight layers or layer masks. And with this opacity can be adjusted of these layers to mellow effects. It seems all of these are just presets and ways to adjust things already within photoshop. It is just maybe a more intuitive easier to use process. It is much better than the OnOne stuff.

babowc

Hmm.. I've also used the PerfectlyClear, and I think PC is even slower (at least on LR4, do they support CS6?)
I also got the trial version of Nik, but I'd be more inclined to purchase each "plug-in" separately.
Color Efex does absolutely nothing for me I can't see a working pro using that plug in.

cmason

babowc wrote: »

I don't see a vast improvement over in terms of what LR can do, as far as few of these plug-ins(?) go.
Are these for the sake of quick, one-touch editing?

I agree in some respects, that these are not entirely 'better' than LR, and certainly not as convenient. Integration with LR is similar to PS, in that a separate document is created, in this case a TIF file. But it works just as well.

The interface takes some getting used to, and watching some of the videos on the Nik website should be considered mandatory.

The thing that I find really differentiating is the intelligent masking that Nik is doing. Compared to LR, which does almost no masking at all, Nik is a great tool for fine tuning in LR.

babowc

cmason wrote: »

I agree in some respects, that these are not entirely 'better' than LR, and certainly not as convenient. Integration with LR is similar to PS, in that a separate document is created, in this case a TIF file. But it works just as well.

The interface takes some getting used to, and watching some of the videos on the Nik website should be considered mandatory.

The thing that I find really differentiating is the intelligent masking that Nik is doing. Compared to LR, which does almost no masking at all, Nik is a great tool for fine tuning in LR.

THAT's the word!!
"Fine tuning"!

cmason

Yeah, fine tuning.

Except for HDR Efex Pro 2, which of course is nothing like LR. In fact, interacting with it in LR is very different, as you do not choose 'Edit in..." but instead you 'Export' to HDR Efex Pro 2.

The amount of options and control is quite good, nearly as good as Photomatix, and far superior to anything PS pretends to have regarding HDR. For the money, I prefer HDR Efex Pro 2.

I think you would prefer HDR Efex Pro 2 if you like your HDR to not look like an HDR photo. If you prefer the "HDR Look", then Photomatix is the best choice for HDR. It is really quite good at producing that HDR 'glow', that I can't, so far, seem to replicate in HDR Efex Pro 2.

NikonsandVstroms

cmason wrote: »

Yeah, fine tuning.

Except for HDR Efex Pro 2, which of course is nothing like LR. In fact, interacting with it in LR is very different, as you do not choose 'Edit in..." but instead you 'Export' to HDR Efex Pro 2.

The amount of options and control is quite good, nearly as good as Photomatix, and far superior to anything PS pretends to have regarding HDR. For the money, I prefer HDR Efex Pro 2.

I think you would prefer HDR Efex Pro 2 if you like your HDR to not look like an HDR photo. If you prefer the "HDR Look", then Photomatix is the best choice for HDR. It is really quite good at producing that HDR 'glow', that I can't, so far, seem to replicate in HDR Efex Pro 2.

You just answered a lot of my question before I even got to ask it, thanks

I'm working with HDR's for a client right now but it's for a studio shot of a very light color on a bright white background so I'm going for a more mild/natural effect. I'll likely be using HDR for applications like that in the future and since I know there's a learning curve in this and I wont be using either to their full potential at first I was wondering what your take is on Photomatrix VS EFex Pro 2 for that.

karlabbott

babowc wrote: »

Hmm.. I've also used the PerfectlyClear, and I think PC is even slower (at least on LR4, do they support CS6?)
I also got the trial version of Nik, but I'd be more inclined to purchase each "plug-in" separately.
Color Efex does absolutely nothing for me I can't see a working pro using that plug in.

To each his own, of course, but Color Efex Pro is massive! Lots of CEP is pretty gimmicky, but there are some plugins (Pro Contrast, White Neutralizer, Skylight Filter, Dynamic Skin Softener) that are actually pretty useful once you learn how to use them. Pro Contrast is often the only reason I open Color Efex Pro. Once in a while, I use some of the other plugins in CEP, but mostly it's Pro Contrast.

Karl

Zerodog

So I have been trying this collection out a bit. Here are a few things I have tried.

NR is awesome. Seems to keep more detail and smooth more noise

Sharpening is really nice. Not sure what it gets over a multilayer PS sharpening routine. But it sure is easier. The brush application is fantastic.

Color FX has a really cool tone function that really gives images some more pop with little effort. I am sure these controls could be very valuable to learn.


Workflow is easy. And it runs fast.
I think I'm buying it.

AceCo55

For those that have upgraded:
Went to do a batch resize with Perfect Resize in Photoshop CS6.
File > Automate > ???????? ... ... none of the batch processes there.

I eventually found out that they are no longer part of the plugin. You will find them in the stand alone application. Whew!!

divamum

Does anybody know if it's possible to get JUST Nik Silver? I did the trial, and the only thing which really floated my boat was the bw conversion (including the awesome included border effects!) I don't need or want the whole thing, so $149 is a bit steep. Anybody know a workaround for that, or where I can get just the BW program? Thanks!

cmason

Considering each program was around $150 before, consider you are buying SilverEFX and getting the others free