Jim, as I recall when Google bought NIK they gave all current owners of any of the packages a free download of all packages. At least that was my best recollection. A really nice gesture for them to provide these excellent photo enhancing softwares all for free now. I do use my NIK stuff off and on depending upon the needs......
Posted by Richard Ditch on March 25, 2016 at 12:37 PM
From the page at this link:
You don't have to choose between plug-ins -- now you get the full set for one low price. You can take the whole collection for a spin with a 15-day free trial.
That doesn't sound like "The Nik software collection is now available for free" to me. What am i missing?
Starting March 24, 2016, the latest Nik Collection will be freely available to download: Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine. If you purchased the Nik Collection in 2016, you will receive a full refund, which we’ll automatically issue back to you in the coming days.
Posted by Jim Zablotny on March 26, 2016 at 7:41 AM
Google's NIK website is not that obvious--there's an orange banner at the top that states that it is available at no cost. ........Jim
Posted by Richard Ditch on March 27, 2016 at 12:57 PM
Google's NIK website is not that obvious--there's an orange banner at the top that states that it is available at no cost. ........Jim
Thanks. That's what I missed. We'll see what happens in 15 days.
If you are using the Nik plugins on Windows 10, do they work as advertised?
If you are using Photo Shop CS6, are you having any issues
Preston, near as I can recall about 4.5 meg on the download. The plugin works just like adding any plugin. I was using it all with Win 7 and now on Win 10 without seeing any issues at all. I'm still using CS5. The stuff is nice and I've had it for around 5 years now I think. A year or two back when Google bought NIK they gave all owners of any of the packages a free upgrade and download of ALL packages.
Thanks, sir! I have downloaded and installed the filters. It looks like everything is working. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to use them!
For those who have yet to download the full package, it is 439.5 MB.
The size on disk is 466 MB. If you are using 64 bit Windows, you can find the files in Program Files>Google>Nik Collection.
Jim, thanks pointing us to the plugins!
On the Mac it is a 618.2MB disc image.
I wish there was a basic tutorial for this stuff. It puts a small new panel on the screen and you've got to guess at what it all means and how to use it. I tried on one image and managed to add a new layer to my PS stack, but had trouble trying to add a second one. I ended up deleting the layer and probably will delete the complete package to keep it from getting in the way.
There is a pretty good Nik Collection Help source here that covers getting started and each of the filters.
In my quick tests, it's best to start with a *.PSD file that has no layers already applied, i.e. only the back ground layer in the Layers Palette.
The Selective Tool panel can be turned off, but I find it handy.
The help page I linked to above has a suggested workflow: Here is a quick copy of it to get you started...
The recommended workflow for the Nik Collection is as follows:
1. If desired, apply Raw Presharpener using Sharpener Pro 3.
2. Apply noise reduction using Dfine 2.
3. Control color and light using Viveza 2.
4. Apply filter enhancements using Color Efex Pro 4.
5. Convert to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.
6. Apply output sharpening using Sharpener Pro 3.
Note: Analog Efex Pro 2 can be utilized at any point after Dfine 2. HDR Efex Pro 2 is best used immediately after Dfine 2.
Discussion
10 repliesThanks. That's what I missed. We'll see what happens in 15 days.
I have a couple of of questions:
- How big is the download in MB?
- Is the installation straight-forward?
- If you are using the Nik plugins on Windows 10, do they work as advertised?
- If you are using Photo Shop CS6, are you having any issues?
Any additional tips or cautions you may have will be appreciated.Thanks,
--P
Thanks, sir! I have downloaded and installed the filters. It looks like everything is working. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to use them!
For those who have yet to download the full package, it is 439.5 MB.
The size on disk is 466 MB. If you are using 64 bit Windows, you can find the files in Program Files>Google>Nik Collection.
Jim, thanks pointing us to the plugins!
--P
On the Mac it is a 618.2MB disc image.
I wish there was a basic tutorial for this stuff. It puts a small new panel on the screen and you've got to guess at what it all means and how to use it. I tried on one image and managed to add a new layer to my PS stack, but had trouble trying to add a second one. I ended up deleting the layer and probably will delete the complete package to keep it from getting in the way.
There is a pretty good Nik Collection Help source here that covers getting started and each of the filters.
In my quick tests, it's best to start with a *.PSD file that has no layers already applied, i.e. only the back ground layer in the Layers Palette.
The Selective Tool panel can be turned off, but I find it handy.
The help page I linked to above has a suggested workflow: Here is a quick copy of it to get you started...
The recommended workflow for the Nik Collection is as follows:
1. If desired, apply Raw Presharpener using Sharpener Pro 3.
2. Apply noise reduction using Dfine 2.
3. Control color and light using Viveza 2.
4. Apply filter enhancements using Color Efex Pro 4.
5. Convert to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.
6. Apply output sharpening using Sharpener Pro 3.
Note: Analog Efex Pro 2 can be utilized at any point after Dfine 2. HDR Efex Pro 2 is best used immediately after Dfine 2.
I hope this helps!
--P