The now iconic suite of Nik image editing plugins looks better than ever
(Image credit: DXO)
The Nik Collection by DXO has become a firm favorite amongst creative photographers. Plugins such as Color Efex Pro is an incredibly powerful tool for applying complex colour effects while HDR Efex Pro is the go-to choice for many photographers looking to blend multiple exposures for superior highlight and shadow detail.
Of all the Nik Plugins, black and white conversion software Silver Efex Pro is arguably one of the most popular and with a recent update is now more flexible than ever. DXO has added 10 new film presets to the suite, having selected these carefully for their iconic status historically and based on their popularity during the days of analogue photography.
The new films simulations include Adox Silver Max 21, Agfa Scala 200x, Bergger BRF 400 Plus, Foma 100, Fuji Neopan 400, Ilford Pan 100 and 400, Polaroid 667 and 672, and Rollei 100 Tonal.
Each film type has characteristic qualities which benefit a range of varying image types. For example Adox Silver Max 21 was a film which was adept at reproducing deep blacks and was a popular choice for portrait images. For landscape and studio photography Foma 100 was a great choice for its fine grain, high resolution and wide range of greys. Meanwhile Rollei 100 Tonal was often utilized by architectural photographers for its soft contrast properties and fine grain.
With these new presets available in Silver Efex Pro, digital photographers can apply these sought after properties on demand, as part of a non-destructive workflow. Importantly the suite retains its previous film presets, including favourites such as Ilford Delta 100 Pro, Fuji Neopan 1600 and Kodak Tri-X 400TX, as well as U POINT technology for precise adjustments.
Each preset in the Nik collection was carefully modelled on sample photographs, taken in both lab conditions and the real world, to gain the most accurate results. A large body of this work was carried out by Dan Hughes, a lecturer in photography science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, who aimed to capture the grain, contrast and tonality characteristics of each film type.
This major upgrade of the Nik collection adds a total of 42 new presets, improves RAW compatibility through the use of DxO PhotoLab 2 and enhanced support for high resolution screens when using Windows operating systems. The new version is optimized for use with machines operating macOS Catalina.
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The Nik Collection 2 by DxO can be downloaded now from the DXO website priced $149/£125 ($79/£69 for an upgrade); previous users of the Collection, who purchased the suite after June 2019, are entitled to a free upgrade.
As the Editor for Digital Photographer magazine, Peter is a specialist in camera tutorials and creative projects to help you get the most out of your camera, lens, tripod, filters, gimbal, lighting and other imaging equipment.
After cutting his teeth working in retail for camera specialists like Jessops, he has spent 11 years as a photography journalist and freelance writer – and he is a Getty Images-registered photographer, to boot.
No matter what you want to shoot, Peter can help you sharpen your skills and elevate your ability, whether it’s taking portraits, capturing landscapes, shooting architecture, creating macro and still life, photographing action… he can help you learn and improve.
