Nik Collection v3.0.7 By DxO includes professional photo editing tools that can be used as a standalone version or plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom software. You Can Also Download Exposure X7.
In this Nik Collection review, you’ll see everything you need to know about the most popular photography plugins in the market. You’ll not only find out what is Nik Collection, but also how to download and install Nik Collection, plus all the steps to get Nik Collection for free so you can give them a try and see if it fits into your workflow.
I’ll also break down all the Nik Collection plugins that are included, their main effects, and the best way to use Nik Collection in Photoshop and Lightroom. Lastly, we’ll wrap it up with a Google’s Nik Collection vs. DxO Nik collection comparison and my experience and thoughts using Nik Collection software for years.
WHAT IS NIK COLLECTION 3 BY DXO?
Nik Collection is the most complete package of creative plugins for digital photo editing. This piece of software offers different tools to correct, enhance, and stylize images in post-processing.
Originally, Nik Collection worked just like a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom, and other Adobe Products. After the purchase by DxO, these plugins were included in the DxO Photolab software and, today, Nik collection 3 by DxO can be used as a standalone version besides the traditional use of Nik Collection as a plugin for Lightroom and Photoshop.
Just click “next,” restart your computer, and you’ll be able to start using Nik Collection in Lightroom and Photoshop. I’ll explain below how to use the Nik Collection in Photoshop and Lightroom so you know the best way to launch the software and the optimal way to use it.
NIK COLLECTION PLUGINS REVIEW:
For this Nik Collection review, I’m breaking down the 8 plugins included in the package. You’ll see a brief summary of what each Nik Collection plugin is best for and a graphic example of the Nik Collection before and after effect.
Nik Software Color Efex Pro:
Color Efex Pro is by far the most popular plugin in the Nik Collection suite. This plugin consists of different creative effects that you can apply to your images to achieve a more artistic result.
You can add atmosphere, glow, change the colors, add fog, and apply up to 55 artistic effects to make your images one step ahead of the rest.
Personally, this is my favorite Nik Collection 3 plugin and the one I use the most in my workflow. My recommendation is to apply the effects subtly or your image might look overdone. Applying Color Efex Pro to the right extent, you can get fantastic results in a quick and easy way for your images.
Nik Software Viveza:
Viveza by Nik Collection is aimed at adjusting the colors and contrast in your photos.
Using this digital filter, you can selectively change the brightness, contrast, or saturation in a particular area of your image. It’s a very powerful photo editing tool that I particularly like in the editing process of my Milky Way photography, where my goal is to get more vibrancy and contrast in the Milky Way area of my image.
Nik Software Define:
Out of all the plugins in this Nik Collection review, Define is the only one created for noise reduction.
Define offers automatic and manual adjustments to get rid of noise in your images, so it’s the perfect plugin for when you have to raise your ISO higher than usual. It’s very straightforward and effective, and for some reason, it’s considered some of the best noise-reduction software.
Nik Software Sharpener Pro:
Sharpness in photography is extremely important, and the Nik Collection Sharpener Pro plugin can help you get sharper photos in three different ways.
Raw pre-sharpener: To sharpen your Raw files. This is especially useful if you decide to use Nik Collection in its standalone version.
Selective sharpening: To enhance the important areas of your images like textures in a landscape, eyes in a portrait, wildlife shots, etc.
Output Sharpening: To apply the final sharpening according to the type of display where you want your image to be viewed.
Again, this plugin works fine, but I prefer Topaz Sharpen AI; apart from sharpening, extracting more detail, and fewer artifacts, it’s the best software to fix out-of-focus images. You can see examples in our Sharpen AI review.
HDR EFEX PRO:
When we talk about HDR, it’s easy to think about those old-style, overedited HDR images that got everybody thousands of likes on Facebook back in 2013.
This Nik Collection plugin is different. HDR Efex Pro helps you get the most out of the dynamic range in your image. You can create this effect on a single image or merge photos taken with different exposures to show the best highlights and shadows with plenty of detail and no digital noise.
SILVER EFEX PRO:
If black and white is your thing, this will be your favorite Nik Collection filter.
Using this plugin, you can turn any image into B&W and adjust the brightness, contrast, and general structure of the image. Like most of the other Nik Collection plugins, you can apply the adjustments selectively by using control points.
ANALOG EFEX PRO:
With Analog Efex Pro, you can create a vintage effect in your images to make them look as if they were shot using an old film camera.
There are different presets, and you can add vignettes, dirt & scratches, and create that special feeling that only comes from film cameras.
PERSPECTIVE EFEX:
The last plugin in this Nik Collection review and also the newest created by DxO is perspective Efex, a filter that many Nik Collection users have been asking for for years.
Perspective Efex is an advanced tool aimed at correcting perspective deformation and other optical flaws. DxO offers an enormous database of cameras and lenses so you can correct distortions in one click.
It also includes more advanced tools for fixing strong deformations, making it the best Nik Collection 3 plugin for architecture shots and other images where the deformation can be distracting for the viewer.
HOW TO USE NIK COLLECTION AS A STANDALONE VERSION:
You can definitely use Nik Collection as a Standalone version outside of Photoshop and Lightroom.
If you prefer to do basic edits or simply don’t want to break the bank with the monthly Adobe subscription, Nik Collection 3 by DxO is one of the most complete packages to edit your images from start to finish.
To use it, just open the specific filter that you want to use, and from File → Open images, open the image that you want to edit.
Once it’s ready, click OK and you’ll have the file ready and saved with the adjustments.
The interface changes depending on the photographic filter, but most of them include similar functions as a top bar to check the before/after, a zoom, the histogram, etc.
You can also change the settings for that specific filter from the “Settings” option in the bottom left corner.
If you decide to use Nik Collection as a standalone version, I recommend following the suggested workflow by DxO:
- Use Perspective Efex to correct the perspective deformation
- Apply Raw-Sharpener using Sharpener Pro
- Reduce the noise with Dfine
- Balance the color and light with Viveza
- Apply creative styles and enhancements with Color Efex Pro
If necessary, turn your image into B&W with Silver Efex Pro
Apply the final sharpening using Sharpener Pro again
You can also apply other effects like Analog Efex Pro or HDR Efex Pro after reducing the noise in Dfine.
HOW TO USE NIK COLLECTION IN PHOTOSHOP:
If it’s possible, using Nik Collection in Photoshop is the best option to use the Nik Collection, combining the best of both pieces of software.
Once you install Nik Collection in Photoshop either with the lifetime license or by downloading the Nik collection for the free version here, it’s very easy to run it.
To use Nik Collection in Photoshop, there are two options to launch the plugin:
From the Filters: Nik Collection menu, you can select the plugin that you want to use.
From the Nik Collection, Selective tool: This quick toolbar allows you not only to launch the Nik Collection filter but also to access shortcuts and presets that you can create to speed up your processing.
One of the best upgrades from the Nik Collection 3 by DxO version is the Nik Collection Selective tool 2, where there are significant improvements in comparison to the old Google’s Nik Collection version.
From the new selective tool, in some plugins like Color Efex Pro or Dfine2, there is an option to launch your favorite filters, the last filter you used, or your own Nik Collection Presets (called “Recipes”), something that can make your processing significantly faster.
Once Photoshop launches the Nik Collection interface of your selected plugin, you can apply your adjustments and get back to Photoshop by hitting OK once your processing is ready.
In all Nik Collection photoshop plugins, you can change the settings the same way as in the standalone version. Most of them will apply the settings by default in a separate new layer, although you can change this to always apply the adjustments in the current layer.
Remember that, after applying the Nik Collection effects in Photoshop, you can adjust the opacity and create masks over the filters to make the most of the Nik Collection plugin for Photoshop.
HOW TO USE NIK COLLECTION IN LIGHTROOM:
To use Nik Collection 3 by DxO in Lightroom:
Right-click on your image.
Go to “Edit in”→ Select the Nik Collection Plugin that you want to use.
Select one of the three options to edit the image:
Edit a Copy with the Lightroom adjustments”.This is the default mode to launch Nik Collection in Lightroom.
Edit a Copy” to change the original Nik Collection settings in a different file.
Edit Original” to change the original Nik Collection settings in the same file.
Below, in “Copy File Options,” you can select more settings like the file format (Jpeg, TIFF, or PSD), the color space, the bit depth, the resolution, and compression.
System Requirements Nik Collection Plug-in V3:
System Requirements Nik Collection Plug-in
- Intel Core ™ i5 or higher
- 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
- 4 GB or more of available hard-disk space
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 bits) through CC 2019
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 through 2019 (apart from HDR Efex Pro 2, which is not compatible with Photoshop Elements)
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 through Classic CC 2019
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