Nik Collection on sale

[Pa]

DxO is offering 50% off on all of their products tomorrow. The Nik Collection upgrade is $40.

Two questions:

1) How can I tell which version I have? Did I get the latest with PhotoLab 4?

2) If I don't have the latest, why should I upgrade? Is it a major advance?

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

Added in Edit : I guess I don't have the latest since I don't have Perspective Efex.

 

[Clix Pix]

Not too long after I had updated to DXO PhotoLab 4 I got a notification that there was an update to my NIK Collection 3. I duly downloaded and installed that. It did not come automatically with PhotoLab 4, it is actually a separate software program. It does, however, work as a plugin with PhotoLab 4.

 

[Mike Buckley]

How can I tell which version I have?

When you load Photoshop, the latest version of the Photoshop plug-in automatically displays a panel of the various apps within the Nik suite. The top of that panel is labeled, Celebrate 25th Anniversary edition Nik Collection 3.3 by DxO. I don't know what the other plug-ins and the stand-alone version display, so look for something similar.

I think you're right that no version before 3.x includes Perspective Efex. I'm certain that no version before 3.x includes the 25th Anniversary collection of ten presets within Silver Efex Pro 2.

 

[Butlerkid]

Go to your DxO/Nik account and check there. If there is an upgrade click on it. One of 3 things will happen.

It will tell you you already have the latest version.

It will download the new version at no charge.

It will ask if you want to buy the new version at $XX price.

 

[Pa]

Go to your DxO/Nik account and check there. If there is an upgrade click on it. One of 3 things will happen.

It will tell you you already have the latest version.

It will download the new version at no charge.

It will ask if you want to buy the new version at $XX price.

Nope. It tells me I have the latest version of DxO and DxO ViewPoint 3. It doesn't list the Nik Collection on that page.

 

[Pa]

When you load Photoshop, the latest version of the Photoshop plug-in automatically displays a panel of the various apps within the Nik suite. The top of that panel is labeled, Celebrate 25th Anniversary edition Nik Collection 3.3 by DxO.

That doesn't happen with DxO PL4.

 

[Mike Buckley]

It doesn't list the Nik Collection on that page.

Try scrolling down. On my system, the Nik Collection information is displayed at the bottom of the page. It says that I have Nik Collection 3 and that my software is up to date.

 

[Pa]

I'm convinced I don't have the latest version since I don't have Perspective Efex. The question now is whether it's worth upgrading. I can't remember the last time I've used any of the Nik plugins, so the answer is probably not unless there is something new there that I would find valuable.

 

[Butlerkid]

Nope. It tells me I have the latest version of DxO and DxO ViewPoint 3. It doesn't list the Nik Collection on that page.

Did you use a different email when getting DxO? Or user name?

My DxO account lists Nik.......but on a different page. Nik is a different product so it is not listed with the DxO Lab info.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I can't remember the last time I've used any of the Nik plugins, so the answer is probably not unless there is something new there that I would find valuable.

You're probably right about that. Maybe the biggest change we discussed when the latest version was released is the Miniature Effect tool in Perspective Effex. That tool allows you to blur parts of an image that otherwise would require using a special lens such as Lens Baby or using bellows. I seem to remember that tool was already in DxO PL4, which you already have.

It really depends on what you use. I use the Nik suite almost exclusively for its Silver Efex Pro software for making monochrome conversions. Every once in a while I know a particular type of adjustment will be easiest and best using their Control Point technology and that is when I use Viveza. Also every once in awhile I'll use the Miniature Effects tool. So, the software is worth licensing for me.

 

[Pa]

When I login to my DxO account it shows me no upgrade path for Nik. My only option is to buy the product. I don't think it's worth it to me.

Thank you all for your responses.

 

[Butlerkid]

When I login to my DxO account it shows me no upgrade path for Nik. My only option is to buy the product. I don't think it's worth it to me.

Thank you all for your responses.

You could at least contact DxO and ask them to confirm that you don't own Nik. That would mean that you have the "original" Google Nik installed. FWIW....I for one use Nik CEP and Silver Efex Pro quite a bit.

 

[rhynetc]

Nope. It tells me I have the latest version of DxO and DxO ViewPoint 3. It doesn't list the Nik Collection on that page.

Scroll down for the info about Nik Collection. On my account page I had to scroll down to see it.

 

[Mike Buckley]

You could at least contact DxO and ask them to confirm that you don't own Nik. That would mean that you have the "original" Google Nik installed.

If I remember correctly, the original Nik Collection that Google offered for free was available only as a Photoshop Plug-in and a stand-alone product. If I remember correctly again, Jim has the Nik Collection that functions as a plug-in to DxO PL. If I'm right about all of that, Jim had to have purchased the product from DxO. Anything I have acquired from DxO is displayed on their My Account webpage.

 

[Butlerkid]

If I remember correctly, the original Nik Collection that Google offered for free was available only as a Photoshop Plug-in and a stand-alone product. If I remember correctly again, Jim has the Nik Collection that functions as a plug-in to DxO PL. If I'm right about all of that, Jim had to have purchased the product from DxO.

That's the reason I suggested contacting DxO...............

 

[Clix Pix]

Jim, take a look at your Applications folder and see if NIK Collection is in there, and click on that folder to see all the apps listed in there, which if you have it, would include Perspective Efex. I think each of the apps is being updated individually, so you'll see, for example, Silver Efex 2 or Sharpener Pro 3 RAW, etc..... I am surprised they haven't updated Silver Efex, as I'd have thought that one is so popular that they'd do it pretty promptly.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I am surprised they haven't updated Silver Efex, as I'd have thought that one is so popular that they'd do it pretty promptly.

Version 3 of the Nik Collection included new presets in Silver Efex. The most recent update added 10 more presets to Silver Efex. I don't know why they didn't change the Silver Efex version number to reflect those changes.

 

[Palouse]

If you have the latest version of NIK, when you load SilverFX you will see a filter library heading (upper left) that says 25th Anniversary (10).

 

[Clix Pix]

Version 3 of the Nik Collection included new presets in Silver Efex. The most recent update added 10 more presets to Silver Efex. I don't know why they didn't change the Silver Efex version number to reflect those changes.

Thanks, Mike and Nick! Come to think of it, I haven't yet tried Silver Efex since I did the latest update.... I really should, to see if that problem I was having before has been resolved. I'd forgotten, too, that it has the new presets and I do want to take a look at them. The only time I think about Silver Efex is when I'm doing an image that screams out to me, "B&W! Convert me to B&W!!" and haven't had any of those recently......

OK, I just went to my Applications folder and opened Silver Efex 2 as though I were going to work on -- convert -- an image outside of DXO, and first a "welcome" page told me that it is V.3.3.0, and then when I went to the Presets listing panel, indeed it showed it with the Silver 25th Anniversary 10 presets included. Next time I'm actually in DXO working on an image I'll check out the plug-in process, see if it works smoothly again, as it was frustrating there for a while having Silver Efex crashing and not opening within DXO.

 

[Pa]

I find that I was sent a Nik Collection download link on Oct. 25, 2017 for version 1.2.11. That must be the version I have, but I find no record of it at their online store.