For fans of the Nik Collection, big news just crossed our desk.  Software maker DXO has purchased the Nik software tools from Google.  They have announced plans to develop them into new products. The current tools (albeit outdated and not updated for several years) can be downloaded here for free. A  new version is planned for mid -2018.

It sounds like the handoff was mutually agreeable (but no information on how much the intellectual property sold for).

“The Nik Collection gives photographers tools to create photos they absolutely love,” said Aravind Krishnaswamy, an Engineering Director at Google. “We’re thrilled to have DxO, a company dedicated to high-quality photography solutions, acquire and continue to develop it.”

DXO has already integrated nik’s U-Point technology for selections into their new version of DxO OpticsPro.  The tool has also been renamed as DxO PhotoLab.

The Nik Collection is composed of seven desktop plugins for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop:

  • Analog Efex Pro: Applies film-era camera, lens, and film simulations to digital images
  • Color Efex Pro: A comprehensive set of filters for color correction, retouching, and creative effects
  • Dfine: Noise reduction software for camera-specific digital images
  • HDR Efex Pro: Specialized program for processing HDR pictures
  • Sharpener Pro: Image sharpening for digital images
  • Silver Efex Pro: Black & White conversion of images with darkroom-inspired controls
  • Viveza: Selectively adjusts image color and tonality without complicated masks or selections