Nik Collection now free

Raid - the downloaded file is saved as an Application (Windows) in your computer's Download folder. You have to double click the downloaded file to install it. Depending on which version of Windows, the default download folder could be: My Computer/Download or This PC/Download, unless of course you had changed the defaults.

Not sure about Mac defaults.
 
Thanks, Keith. I found the file under download, and I then tried to install it.
Now, it is installed on my computer.
 
Dear Raid,

I linked the download right to Photoshop CC and it comes up automatically when I select the filters tab when editing a photo.

I don't care if Nik is headed for the boneyard. It does a much better job eliminating noise than I can do using any other editing software that I use. I have Adobe CC as well as Corel PSP7 and AfterShot that I paid for along with several other free editing applications.

The ones I have done so far are much better than the ones I had done with my other editing software. It works and it didn't cost anything. What's not to like about that? If it dies in two weeks I will have saved many of my favorite pictures by then anyway after reprocessing the RAW files.

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
Dear Raid,

It actually took me a while to find it under the filters tab in Photoshop. When I opened Photoshop I got a small pop-up window that listed the NIK software I downloaded with arrows and tabs for each program. Clicking on them did nothing as the window stayed grayed out like it was a non-functioning program.

I then started fiddling with Photoshop until I found the NIK software under the filters tab. When I open it there I get a pop-up window that is active and lets me select which of the NIK programs I want to apply.

I wish I could help you more but I've only been using Photoshop CC for about two weeks and I find something new every time I open it!

Regards,

Tim Murphy
 
Keith said:
Google .... free! :eek:

I'll download it and have started that process but suspicious I am! :D
Click to expand...

I'm with you Keith. As much as I've enjoyed using Silver Efex Pro over the years, I am suspicious as to what Google wants in return for letting me use the new "free" software.
 
raid said:
Thanks, Tim. I linked the download to LR5, and then I cannot find it there!
Click to expand...

Raid, in LR, from the DEV panel select Photo from the Menu. In the drop down, select Edit In. This should then list all the components of the NIK software.
 
Thanks to all who gave me tips on what to do.
Larry's suggestion worked for me!
I can see all components.
 
This is my first-time use of the software! Very amateurishly done ...

NIK-XL.jpg



My second attempt ...


NIK2-XL.jpg
 
Timmyjoe said:
I'm with you Keith. As much as I've enjoyed using Silver Efex Pro over the years, I am suspicious as to what Google wants in return for letting me use the new "free" software.
Click to expand...

Don't worry - what Google wanted in this case was simply to kill the applications. If they'd done that by saying the Nik Suite was discontinued, then they'd have a legion of very discontented photographers complaining about yet another Google shutdown.

But they're much smarter than that! They killed it by giving it away to anyone who wants to take it instead. High-fives for Google all-round!

And when they officially kill it - who cares? It didn't cost anything...
 
Yes, but will there be any fun left in such manipulations? Will people then say "I want back silver based film and a manual camera".
 
jarski said:
my decisive moment to buy the collection was last December :bang:

I thought I'd use Silver Efex most, but turned out Color Efex tonal contrast has been my most used tool. its bit like Clarity slider in Lightroom, but with more control.
Click to expand...

I agree, Color Efex has a range of excellent tools that can be used by a creative photographer and "tonal contrast" is right up there at the top of my list of useful tools. When used carefully (if over-done the image looks like an over-cooked HDR image) it can help pull back a good deal of otherwise lost detail. When followed by application of the Nik Sharpening tool it will really pull out detail you just did not know was there provided of course it WAS there in the first place and the image was properly focused etc. Just be careful not to over do it as this produces an unpleasant "overcooked" look as I said above. I also make a lot of use of "darken/lighten centre" for applying a realistic vignette (it is better than the vignette tool in color efex or any other vignette tool for that matter) and "classic soft focus" which if selectively applied can heighten bokeh effects to the background.

Probably my most used tool, believe it or not, is "Glamour Glow". Unlikely sounding as it is, this tool produces a lovely softening effect to images without making them too soft. So having gone thru a process to sharpen up an image and produce as much detail as possible, effectively I then use a tool which takes it away again (in a controlled fashion). Go figure. It is also wonderful for dramatic effects as it darkens up shadows nicely producing a wonderful "noire" effect (the tool produces a kind of dark glow not a bright one as you might imagine). All of these tools can be applied selectively using the little dot/button "u-point" application thingy or globally. Also, some like glamor glow, can be applied selectively using the slider on the tool. For example, sliding the highlight slider on the tool to the right globally reduces the impact the glamor glow effect has on any highlights in the image. This is often essential as the glow takes detail out of highlights - something you do not usually want. The result is the effect only applies to shadows and mid tones.

Other useful tools include "Contrast only" and "Pro contrast" for alternative contrast adjustment options and the "Brilliance and warmth" tool that allows you to adjust vibrancy and color warmth. One other I find a use for now and then if the camera screws up color balance (or I do ;) is "white neutralizer". It's the best tool I have found for fixing color balance automatically with one click. For the portrait photographers out there the skin tone tool ("dynamic skin softener") is good too. Just be aware that default settings on a lot of tools are far too high and need to be dialed down. I also find that the "Contrast color range" is useful too as it provides a means of adjusting contrast dynamically so it affects different colors with differing levels of intensity - just move the color slider to observe the effect till you find one you like. Or back out of it if you decide its not for you. Very easy.

There are a couple of others I use now and then but many of the Color Efex tools are too over the top and I never bother with them unless I really want to take the final image away from the bounds of reality. One of the things I really like about Nik products, is this. They are so simple to use and so quick to apply that it encourages you to EXPERIMENT with your images. This produces learning and allows you to develop a unique style that would otherwise be out of reach of most photographers due to the difficulty of doing this stuff using traditional tools like Photoshop alone.
 
I've had Silver Efex Pro for som time but haven't used it in ages. LR seemed to takeover. However I've downloaded the full suite and had a tinker again. This is my first result.

DSCF1256-Edit by kuvvy, on Flickr
 
kuvvy said:
I've had Silver Efex Pro for som time but haven't used it in ages. LR seemed to takeover. However I've downloaded the full suite and had a tinker again. This is my first result.

DSCF1256-Edit by kuvvy, on Flickr
Click to expand...



Your conversion looks good. Silver Efex Pro is about the easiest and most powerful way of converting to mono.

One thing I like to do with mine when I convert is to use the toning slider (down the bottom of the tools settings). I apply a tiny smidge of silver toning which lifts the image a bit. Too often mono images can have a slightly cool tone. The silver toning applies a slight warming effect (don't touch the color slider of the tone however - stick to the default color). Too much toning just makes the image look sepia but if you get it right you do not even notice it consciously. You just see that the image has a nice look without really knowing why. I know a couple of other people who have also discovered this "trick". It may not be needed with every image but its worth remembering.
 
But guys, Nik isn't a stand alone program, is it?

I watched their intro program and it states it works in PS, Lightroom and elements. I'd ditch PS in a heartbeat if there was a host program for Nik.
 
Hi) I always wanted to make quality photos on a good camera. I doubt the choice: Nikon or Canon? Who knows which one is better?
 
Joe Crumley said:
But guys, Nik isn't a stand alone program, is it?

I watched their intro program and it states it works in PS, Lightroom and elements. I'd ditch PS in a heartbeat if there was a host program for Nik.
Click to expand...

I use Corel Paintshop Pro (PSP) x4. It is cheap, powerful, similar to Photoshop to use and runs as a host for the Nik plugins very well. But I am informed that versions of this program beyond X4 (X4 means version 14 and you will sometimes hear it referred to as such) do not work with Nik plugins. This coincides with PSPs move to a 64 bit architecture.

To run Nik plugins under PSP you will therefore need to find the X4 version online - possibly through eBay.

I find there are a few PSP tools that work a treat (e.g. perspective correction) - better than any others I have tried but in practice, with the exception of these few tools, what I generally do is fire up PSP, then immediately open up which ever Nik plugin I need for the specific image being processed and do 99% of the processing in Nik using PSP as nothing more than a vehicle for conveniently running the Nik plugins. In other words you can, for all intents and purposes, simply ignore PSP and focus on the Nik products that sit under it.
 
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