Software


Nik Collection 2 by DxO Review

July 19, 2019

By Stan Sholik

When Google purchased Nik Software to gain access to Snapseed, Nik fans, myself included, groaned in dismay in fear that Google would let the Nik Collection of software wither and die.

While the fears were not totally realized, Google did little to update or improve the software suite. But the purchase of the Nik Collection by DxO Labs in June 2018 has breathed new life into the programs, and the latest release of Nik Collection 2 brings an expanded list of presets and effects to the suite, along with HiDPI monitor support for Windows.

The MSRP of $149 now includes the $99 DxO PhotoLab 2 Essential Edition RAW processing software along with plug-in support for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop gives several paths to accessing the Nik Collection 2 plug-ins. All photos ©Stan Sholik unless otherwise noted.

What’s New

The original seven plug-ins (Viveza, Dfine, Sharpener Pro, Color Efex Pro, Analog Effects Pro, Silver Efex Pro and HDR Efex Pro) are updated with 42 new presets, adding to the original 156. They break down as follows:

  • 10 new recipes for Color Efex Pro in the Recipes subpanel
  • 10 new presets for Silver Efex Pro in the Presets subpanel
  • 12 new presets for HDR Efex Pro in the Presets subpanel
  • 10 new tool combinations for Analog Efex Pro.in the Tool flyout menu
The Nik plug-ins all provide a similar look and include U-point technology for easy local adjustments.

Without an HiDPI monitor, I was unable to test that in Windows, but I assume it works as well as the Mac integration. I did like the ability to access the collection by clicking a tab in DxO PhotoLab 2, although I have the Elite rather than the Essential Edition.

Nik Collection 2 did not overwrite my Elite Edition with the Essential on installation. The plug-ins for the Adobe programs installed seamlessly and once installed gave several ways to easily move back and forth between the hosts and the Nik programs.

The new additions to HDR Efex Pro include Cool Deep that I found perfect for this sunrise HDR.

In Depth

Presets are a valuable way to show you creative possibilities for images that you want to enhance. But while a preset may suggest a direction for editing, they are usually not the final answer. Presets are most valuable when the associated program shows you the changes that the preset makes to your image with slider positions, then allows you to customize these and other sliders to create a unique look (and save it for applying later). In each case, the new Nik presets, along with the previous 156, allow this. But even more than global presets, DxO has improved on the U-point technology in its original Nik Collection release, making local corrections quicker and easier than with any other competing software.

The new presets, recipes, and tool collections don’t stray that far from older ones in the Nik Collection. But many are quite beautiful or able to set a mood. In Silver Efex Pro, I was particularly struck by the More Silver preset for the beautiful monochrome effect it created. In Color Efex, Blue Monday imparts a melancholy look while Soft Sepia is just the opposite, creating a warm and intimate feel.

As I have used Nik software to create HDR images in the past, I was eager to see what the new presets had to offer. The first one of the twelve, Cool Deep, made me think of a sunrise image I had taken at Mono Lake. I opened that in HDR Efex Pro and created an image that I liked immediately. It had the feel of the blue hour just after sunrise.

While I found some of the new additions to Nik Collection 2 were immediately interesting and usable, other I’m not so sure I would ever use. But the range of the new additions plus the previous ones make for a collection that offers far more possibilities than any other set available.

Pros

Although I use Dxo PhotoLab 2 Elite regularly, the biggest advantage to new users of Nik Collection 2 will be the bundling of it with the DxO PhotoLab software. Although this raised the cost of the Nik software, it will introduce a larger audience to the excellent PhotoLab product.

As for the presets themselves, they are a pleasing addition. In each of the plug-ins with new features, the effect is shown applied to the working image in thumbnails on the left of the interface. Clicking on the thumbnail immediately displays the large preview image. Each plug-in is quick to display changes once the working image is loaded, but a raw file must be converted to a TIFF before applying a preset, so that takes a few seconds.

The interface is attractive and intuitive to use and the Nik Collection integrates nicely into DxO PhotoLab 2. Adjusting the presets to your liking is quick and intuitive with the available sliders and the U-Point technology makes local adjustments easy.

Cons

While I did my testing mostly through DxO PhotoLab 2, the changes made are baked into the final output image. This can be avoided by using the Nik plug-ins through Photoshop as Smart Filters for a non-destructive workflow. However, the workflow is somewhat clunkier and slower.

Unfortunately for users irretrievably tied to Adobe subscription software, no longer is the Nik Collection available as an independent collection of plug-ins. You want it, you’ll pay more for Nik and get PhotoLab sitting on your hard drive whether you like it or not.

Bottom Line

Presets are finding their way into most imaging programs these days, and they are well integrated into Capture One, On1 Photo Raw, and Luminar for just a few examples. But the implementation of presets in the Nik Collection, which was one of the earliest examples of editable presets, still rises above the field. Integrated with DxO PhotoLab 2, Nik Collection 2 remains among the best set of presets available.