I have a Nik Coupon Code of “STUCKINCUSTOMS” for 15% off. Kevin, one of the nice people at Nik Software, set up my readers with that code. It should help save you some money on their nice products.
All the Nik software is good and fun to use. The “fun to use” is perhaps a strange thing to say in a review, but many of you already know that my reviews are often atypical. I tend to be short and sweet in these reviews, just quickly giving my opinions and providing examples of a few of the options that I use. And, frankly, I think editing photos is quite fun, so it’s always nice to have post-processing software that makes me smile.
Another aspect of my reviews is they are chock full of huge screen shots. I learn by example, and maybe you do too? This selection of shots should give you a pretty good idea of the range of the software.
Now, there are SEVERAL products in the Nik Software suite. This review will describe four of them. I will spend more time on some than others. Here are the ones I will discuss, in order of the time I will spend on them:
- Color Efex Pro - A very cool package that comes with tons of effects. You can even do HDR-like effects with one of them.
- Silver Efex Pro - For incredible and easy B&W conversion. Think B&W conversion sounds boring? It isn’t with this thing…
- Sharpener Pro - Some very nice algorithms for making your photos pop
- Viveza - Slick software for doing localized control of things like contrast and saturation.
- Complete Collection – Note I am not reviewing this specifically, but this is a package you can get from Nik Software that includes all of the above products together as one.
Nik Color Efex Pro
Color Efex Pro is probably the coolest of all the Nik Software products and the one I use the most. In short, it opens up a new dialog that is filled with a wide variety of filters. The filters do SO many different things, that it would be silly to list them all out here. So, instead, I’ll just briefly discuss a few of them.
Below, I have a variety of screenshots of some of the effects. Essentially, what you will easily see is that there are a ton of filters down the lefthand side. The filter is immediately applied and then there are many sub-options on the right. The sub-options give each of the filters a much more granular level of control.
Because each filter on the left is unique, the sub-options on the right are even more unique. Each effect on its own has a million possible outcomes based on your sliders on the right. There is a pretty good example of this in the “Old Photo” screenie below.
Now, it is said that too many choices can paralyze people. I think this can be true. BUT, if you go into a tool like this with an open mind, and freely surf around some options, I think you will really come away impressed with some of the creative things that will happen to your images. Like anything else, the more you practice, the more you can begin to have a bit of volition in your efforts.
One great feature of all the Nik products is that it duplicates the layer for you. Often times, the “effect” may be overdone and you will want to dial it back, or mask with the original image. This allows you to do that.
So, what effects do I use most? I hate to list them out here because the list is going to be a bit skewed to where I have the most familiarity, but maybe that is okay. For one, I like “Tonal Contrast” a lot. It does something very similar to HDR, in which it manipulates contrast and light levels on a very small scale. It has it’s own set of sliders as well that enable you to effect how “punchy” the HDR effect is.
I have attached a few images of Nik Color Efex Pro “Tonal Contrast” below:
Other filters that I use on occasion are “Film Effect”, “Colorize”, “Glamour Glow”, and, “Indian Summer”. I’ve actually tried all of them… and there are many cool ones. So don’t neglect those just because I haven’t given them any screenshot love…
This is the before shot. It is an Argentine artist in her studio. It was shot at 70mm at f2.4.
The Tonal Contrast options for this shot made it a bit over-baked, but it does show off what it can do. I dialed it down for the final product.
Sub options for Tonal Contrast
This is a zoom-in of the Loupe for the wall texture.
You can see how the microcontrast has really made it pop.
This is the “Glamor Glow” video. I don’t really ever use it… it is kinda that “mall shot” effect.
The Original Shot right outta the camera (50mm f1.4)
After Brilliance/Warmth filter with the slider slid towards the warmth side
Tonal Contrast is one of my favorite and can create an HDR-like effect
The Indian Summer filter gives your photo a warm glow
The Bleach Bypass filter gives quite a dramatic effect. It’s not very natural, but cool nonetheless.
Film Effects can add a nice grain and texture. You can see that I selected some Kodak film that people probably learn about in film school.
The colorize option can give the photo a nice sheen while still maintaining elements of the original color.
Here is the “before” shot of a strange area full of crypts in Buenos Aires
The sunshine filter gives a strong but interesting effect
Here is an after version with the “Old Photo” filter turned on
Old Photo has a ton of sub-options on the right
Last, I’ll show another example of what is possible with “Tonal Contrast”. This is a huge solar-tracking sculpture.
Nik Silver Efex Pro
Wow this thing is cool. Those of you that are regular readers to the blog know that I don’t do a lot of Black & White photography. I have nothing at all against it… I see things in a very vibrant and alive way, and I’ve spent a long time perfecting a technique that helps bring this to photographic reality. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good B&W pick. Often times, the default B&W conversion in Photoshop can just be… well, boring. And predictable. Sometimes I take something and convert it to B&W and then look at it and think, “Yeah, well, that’s how I kinda thought it would look”.
So, I reluctantly tried Silver Efex Pro, because I expected it to be a slightly improved version of what Photoshop can do — but I was wrong! This is very fun to use and you can get a wide variety of looks. Frankly, I really like the Holga and Pinhole settings on the left, and then tweaking it further on the right. There are many many wonderful options here that can really make a B&W image “alive” and pop off a page.
By the way, I have similar information up on the Silver Efex Pro Review.
Below, I have put several screenshots of the things I have done with the product, so you can begin to get an idea.
Silver Efex Pro enables you to make a choice on the left to give you a basic look, then you can really make it unique on the right.
The Antique Photo treatment sounds like a gimmick. But it came out fairly amazing, don’t ya think?
The Holga and Pinhole treatments are two of my favorites.
Silver Efex’s B&W options can enable some cool results
When it comes to Vignette, the “Stylizing” dropdown has a ton of very easy-to-use options
Nik Sharpener Pro
I have also tried Nik Sharpener Pro 3.0. It is a fine product. It does exactly what it advertises. I find the sharpening to be a grade better than what is in Photoshop by default.
I am always surprised when I use this software! I usually shoot on a rock-steady tripod. This gives my camera incredible sharpness. I zoom into 100% in Photoshop and it looks great to me! And THEN I run Sharpener Pro and I am shocked. It has a little loupe where you can compare the “before and after”… and then I look at what I thought was sharp before and suddenly it looks blurry in comparison.
I have posted a few shots below for you.
The Output sharpener brought great details. Check the Loupe on the right (before left / after right)
The Raw Presharpener ads some nice details and pop. Before is on the left and the after is on the right.
Viveza
Viveza is a very interesting and useful filter.
It is also STRANGE! I don’t know who came up with the GUI for this thing, but it is, frankly, weird but cool. Let’s just say it is “cool” after you get the hang of it. I spend a lot of time with various UIs, so I figured it out pretty easily, although I am sure it would be confusing to a lot people.
Viveza lets you adjust the Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation at a local level. Now, what the heck does that mean? Well, sometimes you might want a particular part of your photo to be sharp and have a ton of contrast. You might want to decrease the saturation in one other small part of the photo.
Viveza lets you drop one or more “control points’ onto your photo. The top “slider”, if you can call it that, allows you to adjust the radius of the working area. The next three sliders allow you to adjust the Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation. In my sample below, you can see how I de-saturated that little area of the sky. I would normally NOT do that there, but I wanted to show what the control looked like, so I put it against the blue sky.
The way I usually use Viveza is towards the end of post-processing. Sometimes, I have an area of the photo I think is overly saturated. I would use Viveza to go in and de-saturate that part. Then, while I am in there, I go ahead and adjust the contrast in one little area then perhaps the brightness in another.
Viveza lets you drop little control points that allow you make local adjustments
May 15th, 2009 00:35 | Samantha
Never heard of this…it looks like mostly stuff one could do in Photoshop with the right skills, but here it seems much easier! I plan to download some of the free trials after I get back from my trip to Europe next week and playing around with it! I love tonal contrast, looks a lot like Topaz Adjust, and I like some of those vintage effects too.
May 15th, 2009 00:49 | david
i have been using Nik EFX pro for about a year. What i like is you can use any filter selectively for just part of a photo. for instance, glamour glow can be used for the background only of a portrait. it will lighten the lights and darken the darks slightly. since it blurs to some extent at 100% effect (you can choose 1-100% level by the way), you can leave a specific subject in the photo crystal sharp and blur with the glow any other parts. like you said, a million options. i also like effects after processing HDR with photomatix. so these filters can be used with any photo any time. great software. thanks for the review. i picked up a few pointers.
May 15th, 2009 01:48 | Luisa
Yes Samantha, that’s what I was thinking too.
Trey, maybe it’s not very PC to ask, but which one would you advise between Nik Software and Topaz Adjust? Considering the things that both can do, of course.
May 15th, 2009 04:10 | Mark Forman
Luisa-Topaz and NIK have a little bit of overlap but I think are mostly different. Topaz and Lucis Art are also different for HDR treatments. I like Lucis better for portrait HDR and Topaz for non-portrait but will probably process Lucis stuff more with NIK than Topaz stuff. Curious to see what Trent and others have to say.
May 15th, 2009 05:06 | Alan
I have used NIK software for quite a while and love it. Your right about total contrast. Their new interface with lightroom works great also. I have used NIK and Lucis together at times and also Topaz and NIK together for some extra local punch. As always, great tutorial.
May 15th, 2009 08:47 | Wayne
Trey … first of all it is Viveza, not Vivenza.
I have been using the Nik bundle in Aperture for about 6 months and love it. This is also a cheaper way to buy it as compared to the stand alone product.
I still have much to learn, but as you say the product is so much fun, the learning will be a time of enjoyment.
I also have Topaz and agree they handle things differently — when I know both of them better I’m sure I will use them a lot. Topaz also has great support.
May 15th, 2009 09:48 | dan leitch
you so have to post that solar tracking sculpture photo! its such a cool shot!
where is it by the way?
May 15th, 2009 10:09 | Stuck In Customs
Thanks for the comments.
Luisa — I can’t really suggest one over the other because they are all so different, you know? If you can only afford one and you want to just what Topaz can do, then I guess that is your best option. If you want to do a BUNCH of different things, then Nik looks good!
Wayne – thanks! Let me fix that…!
Dan – That is in Argentina
May 15th, 2009 10:26 | BobMac
I really love the Nik plugins. I have a bunch of others but only really ever use the Niks. Tonal contrast is my fave.
One thing I would have mentioned that I use a lot and that’s how you can select/deselect certain parts of the image to apply the filter. For example, you can apply the tonal contrast to an image then deselect the filter for the person.
May 15th, 2009 10:35 | William Beem
Nice review of Nik’s filters. I bought the Complete Collection about a year ago (along with OnOne Software’s PhotoTools Suite) and I’m still learning new combinations of effects to create different styles.
I primarily use Viveza to selectively brighten or darken areas of my image, since I’ve found that’s an excellent way to give some dimension to my subject. The ColorEFX filters are my mainstay. Tonal Contrast is really great for making colors pop, but I think it can be overdone a bit. Pro Contrast does a good job of eliminating color casts, though other filters can do the same thing. I also tend to use Darken/Lighten Center quite a bit for a subtle way of moving the eye toward my subject.
SilverEFX is just fascinating. There are some interesting presets to get you started, but I’ve found that I enjoy working with the various color filters and sliders to get my best results for a duotone image.
I’m amazed what I can do with DFine to reduce noise. A lot of the images from my old D200 that I put aside are suddenly useful after running DFine. I still need and use Photoshop for other issues, but it’s much nicer to use these tools for quick and stunning results where they apply.
May 15th, 2009 15:02 | carl
if you had to make a choice between NIK complete collection which includes Dfine 2.0, Viveza, Color Efex Pro 3.0, Silver Efex Pro, and Sharpener Pro 3.0. for $245
or
Photomatix Pro Plus for Aperture for $101
which would you choose? I’m just getting into HDR, love it, but not all I want to do. I do a lot of portrait and sports stuff, so leaning towards the NIK package. Advice?
May 15th, 2009 18:28 | Jeffrey K. Edwards
Trey – great timing on the review. For those of us that use lightroom or apeture, they currently have the complete plugin bundle on sale for a smoking 299.00. I believe one could also add your coupon for a further discount w/o difficulty.
This is a pre-purchase price. However, they have released Color Efx, Silver Efx, Viveza and Sharpner already.
I have used both stand alone versions and now the lightroom plugins extensively. There is no better set of plugins availble, especially at this price. Almost all my postprocessing involves at least one of the Nik products now. It has cut down my use of Photoshop dramatically, in fact, can’t remember the last time I used it – several months at least.
Check my blog for examples of most of the products being used, although I don’t always mention which plugin utilized.
May 15th, 2009 18:40 | Antonio
Thanks for this – really cool! And also, many thanks for the coupon – I think I will be using it!!
I use Lightroom for all my photo work but I have slowly been becoming more demanding of what I want to do. I do not have Photoshop and do not want to pay $700. The Nik collection is a great alternative and it is now coming out with LR plugins. I have been trying out SliverEfex Pro – it is so good! I am also interested in the Sharpening as I’m a bit disappointed with how LR handles this. However, I notice that you didn’t review the noise reduction programme, Define. Any particular reason?
BobMac – can you explain what you mean by “you can apply the tonal contrast to an image then deselect the filter for the person”. This sounds like masking? Is that right? Did I miss something?
May 16th, 2009 10:19 | Vern
Don’t forget one of the best features of using the NIK filters — you can selectively PAINT in any of the controls/features with your pen/tablet — the addition of being able to also use the Photoshop filters in Lightroom as well is a nice extra bonus to the workflow. Bravo to NIK for making that decision!
May 17th, 2009 14:47 | Asyraf Ahmad
Hello Trey…thanks for the review on Nik Software. I’ve already put my hands on Color Efex Pro 3.0 and no doubt it is a good tool. I really love using tonal contrast and film effect. I would like to buy SilverEfex Pro after this.
May 17th, 2009 22:46 | The Artist Takes a Break, and a Nik Software Review
[...] Nik Review [...]
May 19th, 2009 15:30 | NIK review « Peter West Photo
[...] NIK review Posted on May 19, 2009 by Peter West I’ve been meaning to do a comprehensive review of the NIK Software that I’ve been using for a couple of months now but to be honest, I’ve been having way too much fun using it to take the time to write the review. So here’s a link to a great review by the guy who does so much HDR photography and posts those fantastic images on his blog: Stuck In Customs. [...]
May 26th, 2009 14:09 | Luisa
better late than never: thanks to Trey and everybody for advice! I guess my problem is not so much which one to get as which one to spend time with – I have an old computer and sometime things take a lot of time… (should be getting a new one, I now)
June 1st, 2009 23:57 | Steve Southard
Trey, great review. Been using NIK (complete collection) for over a year and it has really improved my workflow. For the benefit of others, I think the Contrast Pro does the best job of color correction of any technique/add-in I’ve ever seen or paid for. It has a permanent place in my workflow and has saved me countless hours.
July 22nd, 2009 06:30 | patrick
okay like you’re site just into HDR
but i like the reviews you make
very clear with nice sample’s
so i will be back on you’re site
i give it to all my friends that like takeing picture’s
so sorry for the poor english but i am from holland
so i have to look up some off the phrase’s you make
they are sometimes difficult but i manage
patrick
August 6th, 2009 10:51 | Marianne Wedell-Wedellsborg
Not much I can add. I’ve used this wonderful software for over a year and love every one of the features. Did you know that NIK now has a great collection of video tutorials on their site? Check them out, and thanks, Trey, for the review.
November 3rd, 2009 13:30 | Lenny
I have Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. They are both great and I use them all of the time. But I don’t understand the purpose of Viveza. It seems to me that you can do localized adjustments with either Color Efex Pro or Silver Efex Pro. What does Viveza do that they can’t do ?
December 23rd, 2009 18:26 | Jack Larson
I have used the entire suite and find them to be the most user friendly plug-ins on the market. Color Efex, Silver Efex, Define and now the new Viveza 2 have become almost indispensable.
January 1st, 2010 12:56 | Robyn Gallant
Just thought I would let everyone know that the Stuck in Customs 15% discount netted me $100 off the total price of the Complete pkg. I did not expect that (only expected $49.99 per my calculations) but my total was only $199.99 for all 5 software. Maybe it was a glitch or maybe its for the holidays – don’t know, but pleasant surprise. Thought I would let you know in case you were looking to get more for a good price on this great software. Thanks Trey.
January 17th, 2010 23:51 | Zen Peaceful Iceland at Dusk
[...] Nik Review [...]
January 19th, 2010 12:34 | Louis Dallara
Nice review of Nik software which really love, you had great illustrations.