[MrPetkus]

I am a dedicated Lightroom user who is currently evaluating PS CS5 (I use Gimp - that may likely change).

I'm curious about the Nik Software complete collection of plugins, specifically Silver Efex Pro. Other software in the collection includes Dfine, Viveza, Color Efex Pro, and Sharpener Pro.

1) Is there any difference between the functionality and capability of any of the Nik Software plugins when used in LR vs. PS. Are the products essentially the same - are they different - do they produce the same results?

2) Anyone have personal experience using these plugins within LR? What do you think - worth the $$, an absolute must-have?

Thanks

[stanleyk]

I use Silver EFX. I really like it. No problems with Lightroom.

[kryss]

I am a dedicated Lightroom user who is currently evaluating PS CS5 (I use Gimp - that may likely change).

I'm curious about the Nik Software complete collection of plugins, specifically Silver Efex Pro. Other software in the collection includes Dfine, Viveza, Color Efex Pro, and Sharpener Pro.

1) Is there any difference between the functionality and capability of any of the Nik Software plugins when used in LR vs. PS. Are the products essentially the same - are they different - do they produce the same results?

2) Anyone have personal experience using these plugins within LR? What do you think - worth the $$, an absolute must-have?

Thanks

Hi, I have the full suite+LR,Aperture & CS4. I have tried Nik in all apps but found that it is more useful in PS because of the brush tool being available and also the availability of smart objects allowing me to go back and edit and have all the Nik effects saved in case I want to change anything.The main disadvantage for me using Nik in LR or Aperture was the extra copy they create,I work exclusively with Nik in PS now but Nik works equally well in both LR & Aperture but without the brush availability and it creating copies.Is the software worth having? I would be lost without it now and it has speeded up my editing tremendously,Niks customer support and training webinars are 1st class and the software is awesome.Watch some of there daily webinars and see for yourself.

[MrPetkus]

Hi, I have the full suite+LR,Aperture & CS4. I have tried Nik in all apps but found that it is more useful in PS because of the brush tool being available and also the availability of smart objects allowing me to go back and edit and have all the Nik effects saved in case I want to change anything.The main disadvantage for me using Nik in LR or Aperture was the extra copy they create,I work exclusively with Nik in PS now but Nik works equally well in both LR & Aperture but without the brush availability and it creating copies.Is the software worth having? I would be lost without it now and it has speeded up my editing tremendously,Niks customer support and training webinars are 1st class and the software is awesome.Watch some of there daily webinars and see for yourself.

Thanks! I was hoping to snag someone who used Nik in both LR and PS. I think I'm going to spring for it.

[Aristophanes]

I've used them in Aperture. Powerful, but expensive.

[mysticcowboy]

Hi, I have the full suite+LR,Aperture & CS4. I have tried Nik in all apps but found that it is more useful in PS because of the brush tool being available and also the availability of smart objects allowing me to go back and edit and have all the Nik effects saved in case I want to change anything.The main disadvantage for me using Nik in LR or Aperture was the extra copy they create,I work exclusively with Nik in PS now but Nik works equally well in both LR & Aperture but without the brush availability and it creating copies.Is the software worth having? I would be lost without it now and it has speeded up my editing tremendously,Niks customer support and training webinars are 1st class and the software is awesome.Watch some of there daily webinars and see for yourself.

I totally agree with this. I would hate to have to work without Viveza, my bar-none favorite plugin, and I use Dfine for noise reduction, though the noise reduction in ACR 6, included with the newest Photoshop/Elements and Lightroom beta, makes that less necessary. You will find more flexibility using the plugins in Photoshop, not just because of the brushes but the ability to layer and mask your images to more selectively apply effects. Though Viveza is capable enough that it lets you handle more photos in LR without the need to open PS.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

[VaughnA]

I've used them in Aperture. Powerful, but expensive.

I'm using the complete package in Aperture and love them. Viveza and Silver Efex are great for minor touch ups and B&W conversion, quicker and easier than PS IMHO. The sharpening and noise tools work great as well. And it really isn't that expensive. 200 bucks for the complete plugin package at B&H.

Nik Software Complete Collection

[casil403]

Big fan here of the collection. I mostly use SE, Viveza and DFIne. I would be lost without any of them as they are what I use most for processing. I really like the final product when it comes out of LR .

Tip:
Go and find some coupons online to save some money before you plunk $$ first though. Some sites may give you as much as 20% off the bundle....that's the best I found anyhow when I purchased.
Here's one for 15% off:
Nik Coupon – A great way to save money on Nik Software

[MrPetkus]

Thanks for passing along the coupon, Casil!

So far I've been evaluating Lightroom trials of Viveza, Silver Efex, and Color Efex. My impression is that Silver and Color Efex are fantastic. Right away I was able to get stunning results that would've required quite a bit of adjustment using the vanilla LR sliders.

Aside from great edits with minimal work I'm also seeking effects/adjustments that couldn't be duplicated in LR - that really justifies the additional $$$. This is certainly the case with Silver - some of the film grain emulation just can't be matched even when fiddling with noise/detailing in LR.

Curious, though, about Viveza. Maybe I haven't played around with it enough but I didn't immediately see anything particularly unique in it's capabilities - standard exposure, shadow, tone, contrast sliders - that weren't already in LR. What am I missing?

Big fan here of the collection. I mostly use SE, Viveza and DFIne. I would be lost without any of them as they are what I use most for processing. I really like the final product when it comes out of LR .

Tip:
Go and find some coupons online to save some money before you plunk $$ first though. Some sites may give you as much as 20% off the bundle....that's the best I found anyhow when I purchased.
Here's one for 15% off:
Nik Coupon – A great way to save money on Nik Software

[VaughnA]

Curious, though, about Viveza. Maybe I haven't played around with it enough but I didn't immediately see anything particularly unique in it's capabilities - standard exposure, shadow, tone, contrast sliders - that weren't already in LR. What am I missing?

The ability to do those adjustments using the control points rather than over the full image. It's nice to be able to do a quick fix of lighting in a certain area without having to use masks with photoshop. I find that for the majority of my PP I can use Viveza instead of PS and it's a lot quicker and easier. Make sure that you are using Viveza 3 which has a lot more capability than Viveza 2.

Oh, and B&H is a good bit cheaper than using the coupon at the Nik site. 200 bucks for the complete plugin package vs. 15% off of 300 bucks.

[MrPetkus]

Make sure that you are using Viveza 3 which has a lot more capability than Viveza 2.

The latest Complete Collection available from B&H, or from Nik Software for that matter, includes Viveza 2. Viveza 3?

[VaughnA]

The latest Complete Collection available from B&H, or from Nik Software for that matter, includes Viveza 2. Viveza 3?

Both include viveza 3 as far as I know. I got it about a month ago from B&H and it came with viveza 3. I'm sure it will be 3 from Nik.

[Derridale]

As an Aperture 3 user, I'm still waiting for Nik to update to 64-bit plugins. It's a PITA to have Aperture flick out to 32-bit mode just to use their plugins.

Aperture 3 has been out long enough now to allow Nik to update - Noise Ninja updated within a couple of weeks of Aperture 3's release. Noise Ninja, by the way, is the best noise reduction plugin I've tried - better than Aperture's own, and better than Nik's effort too.

Come on Nik - update to 64-bit...!

[VaughnA]

As an Aperture 3 user, I'm still waiting for Nik to update to 64-bit plugins. It's a PITA to have Aperture flick out to 32-bit mode just to use their plugins.

Aperture 3 has been out long enough now to allow Nik to update - Noise Ninja updated within a couple of weeks of Aperture 3's release. Noise Ninja, by the way, is the best noise reduction plugin I've tried - better than Aperture's own, and better than Nik's effort too.

Come on Nik - update to 64-bit...!

I agree. I'm using 32 bit full time and it seems to perform pretty well on my recently purchased macbook pro. But I'd really like to be able to go 64 bit.

[Aristophanes]

Coming soon:

Nik Software, Inc. | Support

As an Aperture 3 user, I'm still waiting for Nik to update to 64-bit plugins. It's a PITA to have Aperture flick out to 32-bit mode just to use their plugins.

Aperture 3 has been out long enough now to allow Nik to update - Noise Ninja updated within a couple of weeks of Aperture 3's release. Noise Ninja, by the way, is the best noise reduction plugin I've tried - better than Aperture's own, and better than Nik's effort too.

Come on Nik - update to 64-bit...!