Powerful Suite of Photoshop Imaging Plug-Ins
Review by Michael Corsentino
When Google took over Nik Software, a lifetime ago in Silicon Valley years, Google released the much-lauded Nik Collection for Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop as freeware: an astonishing move at the time, given what this collection of highly developed and regarded software was capable of and what it previously cost. Despite the initial excitement over Google’s involvement and the lure of free software, continued development of the Nik suite never materialized. The software lay dormant for years as the technology around it moved on.
The good news is that French imaging powerhouse DxO has recently picked up the mantle and revised and updated Nik’s venerable collection of plug-ins. The entire suite is now able to fully leverage the power of current operating systems, host software, and the hardware that runs it. None of this comes free! Nik Collection 2018 By DxO costs $69, still a steal, and something I’m happy to pay to assure continued development and support of software that delivers so much for so little.
Nik Collection 2018 By DxO is comprised of seven imaging plug-ins: Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Dfine, HDR Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro, and Viveza. It’s also now fully compatible with the latest 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, has improved stability, and an integrated auto update engine. Additional developments include a fully operational Selective Brush tool, plus filters and dynamic objects that can be freely modified. I’m still gobsmacked that so many apps with that much power and functionality can be had for only $69!
The update of the Nik Collection and its continued development in the capable hands of DxO is a big win for the imaging and photography community. ■
