Welcome to a category devoted entirely to the Nik Collection, perhaps one of the most important and best-loved plug-in collections ever. The collection includes:
Currently Google is offering the Nik Collection as a free download in both Windows and Mac versions. It has also announced, however, that it will not longer develop it.
So… get it while you can!
Viveza
Just in case anyone thinks I have something against Photoshop… I don’t! Photoshop is really good at what it does, it just doesn’t do everything I want from a digital imaging application. But it is really good ‘host’ application for … Continue reading How Photoshop Smart Objects and plug-ins can work together
I love film. It’s what I grew up with, and it’s what I made most of my photographic discoveries – and mistakes – with. I love its richness, depth, unpredictability and character. So I’m especially interested in any film simulation … Continue reading Which film simulation plug-in is best?
Viveza 2 is part of the Google Nik Collection, and I think it’s in danger of being overlooked in favour of the newer, flashier or more versatile plug-ins in the collection. Viveza 2 is designed to offer localised adjustments for … Continue reading Who needs HDR when you’ve got Viveza 2 control points?
I admit that Silver Efex Pro, part of the Google Nik Collection, is my favourite black and white conversion plug-in, but I like to keep an open mind, and I thought it was about time I took a look at … Continue reading Topaz B&W Effects basics: is it as good as Silver Efex Pro?
Actually, I can answer this one straight away. I’m running Aperture 3.5.1 on a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina under Mavericks, and using the latest version of the Google Nik Collection, and whenever I launch any of the Nik plug-ins from … Continue reading Is there an Aperture Google Nik Collection problem?
Normally, if you want to create any kind of black and white effect with the Google Nik Collection, you’d go straight to Silver Efex Pro. However, Color Efex Pro has some black and white effects of its own. The effects … Continue reading Do more with Color Efex Pro’s Old Photo effect
It’s one of the less glamorous plug-ins in the Google Nik Collection, but Google Dfine 2 still fills a valuable function. It’s a noise-reduction plug-in that goes a few steps further than the noise reduction options built into regular applications, … Continue reading Cure your noise with Google Dfine 2
Color Efex Pro’s Bi-Colour filter adds a colour gradient to your pictures, adding a subtle wash of one colour to the base and one to the top. It’s not an effect you’ll use every day, but don’t dismiss it straight … Continue reading Pimp your pictures with the Color Efex Pro Bi-Colour filter
HDR Efex Pro isn’t just for special effects. It can enhance your images in much more straightforward ways, improving the tonal balance, sky detail and colour saturation. I like to use it on landscapes, where professionals can wait for hours … Continue reading Boost your landscapes with HDR Efex Pro
The Zone System was invented by legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams. He hit upon the idea of splitting the full range of tones in a black and white image into eleven distinct brightness zones, which he then went on to … Continue reading How to apply the Zone System in Silver Efex Pro
Welcome to the fourth and final part of this mini-series on Google’s brand new film and camera simulation plug-in, Analog Efex Pro. It joins the existing plug-ins in the Google Nik Collection. Part 1 looked at Analog Efex Pro basics … Continue reading Free Analog Efex Pro presets (and how to install them)
Google’s brand new Analog Efex Pro plug-in is the latest component in Google’s Nik Collection. It comes with a selection of preset camera and film effects to reproduce the look of traditional analog photography, but I’ve been spending some time … Continue reading Top tips for creating and saving Analog Efex Pro custom presets
