Google Nik Collection is Now Free

[keithcooper]

>>Observe difference: B&W film, DSLR monochrome. Not the same thing. Former has grain, latter pixels. I love monochrome (lately) just as I love B&W.

Nope, I've always found monochrome a fancy term for black and white. I shoot black and white with any camera or process that gets me a B&W print at the end of it. I may not do film any more but it's just as much B&W as my digital prints...

I choose to call all my monochrome work B&W - the grain/pixel arguments were over many years ago for me...

 

[zim]

It installs/uninstalls the full suite complete as a plug-in on host applications of your choice, however, you can also run each module externally from the installation directory (Windows Program Files/Google/Nik Collection) using respective .exe file. After full installation I suppose you can manually delete the module of your choice from the install dir.

Cheers

 

[iowapipe]

Wondering about compatibility with Mac El Capitan. Know there were issues.

I've been using it in El Capitan with no issues since EC was released (via Photohop CS). I think I've had Nik for about 4 years or so, total. One thing to note: I installed EC fresh and then reinstalled all my software. I did not perform an upgrade. So I think I avoided the 'issue' some found, requiring a reinstall of the collection. Depending on your situation and software of choice, you should double check of course.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Please clarify for me, thanks. If I understand from previous comments, If I paste a copy of a photo into Dfine2.exe, since there are no save options, it will automatically overwrite that file when I save?? Should I create the largest possible jpeg with DPP and then downsize or just use the desired downsized jpeg as is? Dumb questions but this is new to me.

Jack

 

[cayenne]

It would be nice if Google open sourced the NIK software...and let the greater internet keep developing and working on them.

 

[unfocused]

Please clarify for me, thanks. If I understand from previous comments, If I paste a copy of a photo into Dfine2.exe, since there are no save options, it will automatically overwrite that file when I save?? Should I create the largest possible jpeg with DPP and then downsize or just use the desired downsized jpeg as is? Dumb questions but this is new to me.

Jack

I use all the Nik apps within Photoshop, so not sure this answers your question. But in Photoshop, Nik merges the visible layers into a single NEW layer, applies the adjustments to that new layer and then places it on top of the other existing layers. You still have all your old layers in place and unaffected, you just have a new Nik layer on top.

This also allows you to reduce the visibility of the Nik layer, in case the applied effect is too strong or you can add a layer mask to paint out the effect on portions of the image if you choose.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Is it possible to just install Silver Efex and nothing else?

You can manually install just the features you need.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I downloaded it and played with some of the apps in Lightroom. Define actually produced NR that looked worse to me than just doing it in Lightroom. The Silver Efex program looked useful.

In Lightroom, each time I ran one of the modules, it created another copy of the image. I ended up with at least three copies after running the programs in the recommended order.

I have yet to try in Photoshop, but it likely just created additional layers. I'm configuring my new PC, so It will have to wait a bit. I tend to really load up on software, then the old one will be restored and software reloaded so it bumps a older one yet. I use 4 regularly, so the oldest one will go away, and three will be restored. Its a long process but gets every thing running smoothly again. I'll be installing windows 10 on all of them at the same time.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Thanks unfocused,

That's a little outside of my situation but when I do a bit more that is more obvious to the eye it will become apparent. I always shoot RAW so have those files as backup and so having a JPEG altered is no big deal. For now DPP and NIK stand alone will fill the bill.

Jack

 

[Zv]

I downloaded it and played with some of the apps in Lightroom. Define actually produced NR that looked worse to me than just doing it in Lightroom. The Silver Efex program looked useful.

In Lightroom, each time I ran one of the modules, it created another copy of the image. I ended up with at least three copies after running the programs in the recommended order.

I have yet to try in Photoshop, but it likely just created additional layers. I'm configuring my new PC, so It will have to wait a bit. I tend to really load up on software, then the old one will be restored and software reloaded so it bumps a older one yet. I use 4 regularly, so the oldest one will go away, and three will be restored. Its a long process but gets every thing running smoothly again. I'll be installing windows 10 on all of them at the same time.

Yeah I still don't get what's so wrong with Lightroom's sharpening and NR so much that we need extra plugins to do it for us? Is there something I'm missing? ???

(I was also lead to believe DxO optics pro Prime was the best for NR but I can't really see much difference than when I do it myself in LR.)

Also, like you said it creates extra files when you use them so not only do you have that extra file but you also need to back it up so actually more like 3 files every time you use it.

And what is Viveza all about? Can't figure that out. Is it just like masking stuff in Photoshop for those who don't know how to mask stuff?

Love Silver Efex though, been using that for a while.