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Murfy · 11-11-2015, 07:40 AM

I have downloaded and tried a few, but I still can't decide which I like or even they are even needed. Am I missing a lot by just using Lightroom alone? I tend to work an image at a time, so I don't use presets in Lightroom, or use them only as a starting point. It seems overwhelming to me but I have been told it adds a lot more functionality. Most people mention NIK. Adding better noise control and the ability to use a zone type system seems nice, but not sure if that is worth the $150 for everything I get. Is there anything in these software options you feel like you can't live without?

Bigdomino · 11-11-2015, 07:59 AM

I am a convert from Apple Aperture to Lightroom. I really like the newest version of Lightroom. I also use NIK plugins. They are great. Light to use the black and white tool (really good). Also use the sharpen and define tools. I would rlike commto no you consider the NIK set with Lightroom. The two will enable you to do almost anything you want.

**boriscleto** · 11-11-2015, 08:02 AM

I use the ON1 suite mainly because I wanted Perfect Resize. The newest version incorporates Genuine Fractals into all the apps and not just Perfect Resize.

**jatrax** · 11-11-2015, 10:38 AM

I have the NIK collection and do use it sometimes. However, when I moved to Lightroom CC with the photographers package it included Photoshop. I am now finding that I am using Photoshop more and the NIK plugins less. I think that most anything you can do with the plugins you can do in photoshop although it might take longer to learn how.

Lots of different ways to get the job done. For me, having a fast efficient workflow with programs I know is more important than getting an extra 5% out of an image by using an unfamiliar program that takes time to learn. YMMV of course and if you have the time to explore and experiment there are lots of cool things that can be achieved.

CarlJF · 11-11-2015, 10:44 AM

I'm using a mix of Topaz and On1, both having their strengths. For Topaz, I mostly use Denoise, Adjust, Clarity and Detail. For On1, Portrait, Resize and B&W.

For some of them (mostly those from On1 and Topaz Adjust), I probably could get results just as good by using only LR. But it would take a lot more time. So, here the plugins are mostly time saver, which may or not be important to you.

Other plugins will give you much more control on what you're doing. Here, I'm thinking about Clarity and Detail which gives you much finer controls on contrast and sharpness than LR. Both plugins are now central to my workflow and I would miss them having to work only with what LR provides. You will have a hard time getting to the same results than Clarity and Details by using only LR.

Denoise is quite useful on high ISO shots, or anything coming from my Q. I would not say it's essential since denoising in LR works well. But Denoise just gives better results, the difference being more evident the more noise is present on the shot. So, if you do a lot of high ISO shots, Denoise could be quite useful. On the other hand, if you stay mostly below ISO400, it's probably not worth buying.

**mattb123** · 11-11-2015, 10:53 AM

I use NIK quite a lot. Mostly for Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. Both are great and flexible. I use it with both Lightroom and Photoshop.
Well worth it for me!

redcat · 11-12-2015, 06:05 AM

Originally posted by mattb123

Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro

+1 for these Nik
I use Topaz Remask recently and it's a great product worth considering

pinholecam · 11-12-2015, 06:54 AM

Did not like Topaz, too time consuming last I tried.

I prefer Nik, though Perfect Effects is also on my PC.
Nik is faster to execute and gets the job done for me (Dfine, ColorEfex, SilverEfex )
Somehow I can no longer get good o/p with their new HDREfex, though I've moved to blending anyway.

Perfect Effects is good too, but I find that its a bit slower than Nik.
Otherwise, it does many similar things to Nik and often comes free when then newer version is coming out.

**Rondec** · 11-12-2015, 07:14 AM

I like the Nik suite. I use the RAW presharpener, Color Efex and Silver Efex. The biggest negative to these is that they can introduce noise/artifacts if used too aggressively. I imagine Topaz is probably similar. Overall Nik's tools are pretty easy to use, although they aren't speedy if you do individual adjustment on each photo.

elementdtlop · 11-12-2015, 09:17 AM

someone i met said that it is very easy to get a hold of the serial numbers for the topaz applications if you know where to look, but i don't condone or support that sort of illegal action. topaz is nice because you can buy the separate entities instead of all of them. i have detail, clarity, and denoise. i could probably live with just the first two. denoise is nice to have though.

**Oakland Rob** · 11-12-2015, 02:47 PM

If you've got a Mac, look at the Macphun plugins/standalone applications. I now prefer them (except maybe denoise) over Nik plugins. A HUGE advantage of the Macphun plugins is the availabililty of layers, and layer masking. I think they're all on sale now.

And take a look at DxO's software. Optics Pro is awesome, especially for noise and haze, although Lr is catching up. But where it really excels is in lens corrections. And right now B&H has most of their stuff on sale on DVD for like 50% off.

Murfy · 11-12-2015, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by Oakland Rob

If you've got a Mac, look at the Macphun plugins/standalone applications. I now prefer them (except maybe denoise) over Nik plugins. A HUGE advantage of the Macphun plugins is the availabililty of layers, and layer masking. I think they're all on sale now.

And take a look at DxO's software. Optics Pro is awesome, especially for noise and haze, although Lr is catching up. But where it really excels is in lens corrections. And right now B&H has most of their stuff on sale on DVD for like 50% off.

yes I am on a mac, I will look into Macphun, I never heard of it before. I could not get Dxo to trial, it was really slow and I kept getting the spinning beach balls, so I am not sure what the issue was with that.

**clackers** · 11-12-2015, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by elementdtlop

someone i met said that it is very easy to get a hold of the serial numbers for the topaz applications if you know where to look, but i don't condone or support that sort of illegal action.

Good, Elementdtlop. Content producers have a right to be paid.

elementdtlop · 11-12-2015, 07:45 PM

Originally posted by clackers

Good, Elementdtlop. Content producers have a right to be paid.

i just wish it was a little cheaper. the products are a little outrageous in price, but i guess if you use it enough it pays for itself in the end. it is helpful, and it is much better than lr's own tools for sure. i feel like topaz should bundle detail and clarity together or something. it'd at least make workflow easier since they are so similar in nature.

LeRolls · 11-12-2015, 08:09 PM

I'm a Nik plugins kind of guy. I tried ON1 but it just didn't click for me. I hope Nik comes out with some new versions of their software. Love Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro.

11-11-2015, 07:40 AM	#1
Murfy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 803	Lightroom plug ins: NIK? Topaz? On1? I have downloaded and tried a few, but I still can't decide which I like or even they are even needed. Am I missing a lot by just using Lightroom alone? I tend to work an image at a time, so I don't use presets in Lightroom, or use them only as a starting point. It seems overwhelming to me but I have been told it adds a lot more functionality. Most people mention NIK. Adding better noise control and the ability to use a zone type system seems nice, but not sure if that is worth the $150 for everything I get. Is there anything in these software options you feel like you can't live without?

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11-11-2015, 07:59 AM	#2
Bigdomino Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wells, Maine Posts: 107	I am a convert from Apple Aperture to Lightroom. I really like the newest version of Lightroom. I also use NIK plugins. They are great. Light to use the black and white tool (really good). Also use the sharpen and define tools. I would rlike commto no you consider the NIK set with Lightroom. The two will enable you to do almost anything you want.

11-11-2015, 08:02 AM	#3
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,477	I use the ON1 suite mainly because I wanted Perfect Resize. The newest version incorporates Genuine Fractals into all the apps and not just Perfect Resize.

11-11-2015, 10:38 AM	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	I have the NIK collection and do use it sometimes. However, when I moved to Lightroom CC with the photographers package it included Photoshop. I am now finding that I am using Photoshop more and the NIK plugins less. I think that most anything you can do with the plugins you can do in photoshop although it might take longer to learn how. Lots of different ways to get the job done. For me, having a fast efficient workflow with programs I know is more important than getting an extra 5% out of an image by using an unfamiliar program that takes time to learn. YMMV of course and if you have the time to explore and experiment there are lots of cool things that can be achieved.

11-11-2015, 10:44 AM	#5
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	I'm using a mix of Topaz and On1, both having their strengths. For Topaz, I mostly use Denoise, Adjust, Clarity and Detail. For On1, Portrait, Resize and B&W. For some of them (mostly those from On1 and Topaz Adjust), I probably could get results just as good by using only LR. But it would take a lot more time. So, here the plugins are mostly time saver, which may or not be important to you. Other plugins will give you much more control on what you're doing. Here, I'm thinking about Clarity and Detail which gives you much finer controls on contrast and sharpness than LR. Both plugins are now central to my workflow and I would miss them having to work only with what LR provides. You will have a hard time getting to the same results than Clarity and Details by using only LR. Denoise is quite useful on high ISO shots, or anything coming from my Q. I would not say it's essential since denoising in LR works well. But Denoise just gives better results, the difference being more evident the more noise is present on the shot. So, if you do a lot of high ISO shots, Denoise could be quite useful. On the other hand, if you stay mostly below ISO400, it's probably not worth buying.

11-11-2015, 10:53 AM	#6
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	I use NIK quite a lot. Mostly for Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. Both are great and flexible. I use it with both Lightroom and Photoshop. Well worth it for me!

11-12-2015, 06:05 AM	#7
redcat Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Paris Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,939	Originally posted by mattb123 Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro +1 for these Nik I use Topaz Remask recently and it's a great product worth considering

11-12-2015, 06:54 AM	#8
pinholecam Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,710	Did not like Topaz, too time consuming last I tried. I prefer Nik, though Perfect Effects is also on my PC. Nik is faster to execute and gets the job done for me (Dfine, ColorEfex, SilverEfex ) Somehow I can no longer get good o/p with their new HDREfex, though I've moved to blending anyway. Perfect Effects is good too, but I find that its a bit slower than Nik. Otherwise, it does many similar things to Nik and often comes free when then newer version is coming out.

11-12-2015, 07:14 AM	#9
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,666	I like the Nik suite. I use the RAW presharpener, Color Efex and Silver Efex. The biggest negative to these is that they can introduce noise/artifacts if used too aggressively. I imagine Topaz is probably similar. Overall Nik's tools are pretty easy to use, although they aren't speedy if you do individual adjustment on each photo.

11-12-2015, 09:17 AM	#10
elementdtlop Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 97	someone i met said that it is very easy to get a hold of the serial numbers for the topaz applications if you know where to look, but i don't condone or support that sort of illegal action. topaz is nice because you can buy the separate entities instead of all of them. i have detail, clarity, and denoise. i could probably live with just the first two. denoise is nice to have though.

11-12-2015, 02:47 PM	#11
Oakland Rob Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Bay Area California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 798	If you've got a Mac, look at the Macphun plugins/standalone applications. I now prefer them (except maybe denoise) over Nik plugins. A HUGE advantage of the Macphun plugins is the availabililty of layers, and layer masking. I think they're all on sale now. And take a look at DxO's software. Optics Pro is awesome, especially for noise and haze, although Lr is catching up. But where it really excels is in lens corrections. And right now B&H has most of their stuff on sale on DVD for like 50% off.

11-12-2015, 02:52 PM	#12
Murfy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Photos: Gallery Posts: 803 Original Poster	Originally posted by Oakland Rob If you've got a Mac, look at the Macphun plugins/standalone applications. I now prefer them (except maybe denoise) over Nik plugins. A HUGE advantage of the Macphun plugins is the availabililty of layers, and layer masking. I think they're all on sale now. And take a look at DxO's software. Optics Pro is awesome, especially for noise and haze, although Lr is catching up. But where it really excels is in lens corrections. And right now B&H has most of their stuff on sale on DVD for like 50% off. yes I am on a mac, I will look into Macphun, I never heard of it before. I could not get Dxo to trial, it was really slow and I kept getting the spinning beach balls, so I am not sure what the issue was with that.

11-12-2015, 03:05 PM	#13
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by elementdtlop someone i met said that it is very easy to get a hold of the serial numbers for the topaz applications if you know where to look, but i don't condone or support that sort of illegal action. Good, Elementdtlop. Content producers have a right to be paid.

11-12-2015, 07:45 PM	#14
elementdtlop Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 97	Originally posted by clackers Good, Elementdtlop. Content producers have a right to be paid. i just wish it was a little cheaper. the products are a little outrageous in price, but i guess if you use it enough it pays for itself in the end. it is helpful, and it is much better than lr's own tools for sure. i feel like topaz should bundle detail and clarity together or something. it'd at least make workflow easier since they are so similar in nature.

11-12-2015, 08:09 PM	#15
LeRolls Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: PSL, FL Posts: 4,504	I'm a Nik plugins kind of guy. I tried ON1 but it just didn't click for me. I hope Nik comes out with some new versions of their software. Love Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro.

Lightroom plug ins: NIK? Topaz? On1?

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