The Nik Collection has gotten its first update since being acquired in 2017 by DxO, offering full compatibility with the latest Mac and PC operating systems, as well as Adobe Creative Cloud products. The plugin suite is now fully functional and compatible with Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Photoshop CC 2018 and Photoshop Elements 2017/2018. Designed for photographers and graphic designers, the Nik Collection includes several powerful plugins that offer a full range of creative effects and filters: Analog Efex Pro applies analog film, … [Read more...] about DxO Releases Nik Collection 2018
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Lightroom Live: Our Favorite Plugins
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, December 11th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Our Favorite Plugins
The Nik Collection Gets a Potential New Life
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 The current tools (albeit outdated and not updated for several years) can be downloaded here for free.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,” … [Read more...] about The Nik Collection Gets a Potential New Life
First Impressions of the New Aurora HDR 2018 for Windows
Until recently, I’ve felt a little left out when it comes to the Macphun line of photo editing and effects software. I’m a Windows guy, a sometimes lonely place to be in the oft Apple dominated world of graphic design and photography. Until this year Macphun software wasn’t available for us PC’s. I figured Macphun’s software would always remain out of reach until Macphun released Luminar for Windows earlier this year. So, I tried it. And liked it. A lot! Getting a chance to take the new Beta version of Aurora HDR for a spin, I was cautiously … [Read more...] about First Impressions of the New Aurora HDR 2018 for Windows
Stories From The Set: Robert Wicker’s Golden Hour
Vanelli travels across the country, talking to some of the top photographers in the field as they share their experiences while shooting on set. You'll soon learn that even seasoned professionals encounter roadblocks during photo shoots. By staying calm under pressure, they rely on their skills to overcome these obstacles to capture an amazing shot. Sit back, relax and enjoy a Story from the Set. Nature and Real Estate photographer Robert Wicker shares how he uses Golden Hour to capture award-winning Real Estate photos. Golden Hour & … [Read more...] about Stories From The Set: Robert Wicker’s Golden Hour
Black and White at First and Last Light
I invited Jason and his wife Nicole Hahn to hang out on a special photo shoot I had lined up with about 20 people. Jason--a very talented nature and adventure photographer--expressed interested in seeing my group portrait workflow. He traded in his swamp boots for the day and traveled 3hrs on a Sunday just to spend a few hours watching me shoot portraits. Afterwards, we relaxed and had a nice dinner. He started talking about how he creates black and white sunsets images. After seeing a few samples of his work, I was hooked. I asked him to be a … [Read more...] about Black and White at First and Last Light
Google NIK Collection: Good News & Bad News
Did you see the NIK software announcement from Google? Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to play with and use NIK software but it was never an expense I was willing to part with. Like many of us, funds are limited and I couldn’t justify buying something when I need a new camera body first. When a friend shared with me the news from Google that NIK software was released for free, I was excited. I downloaded it right away and then came across some negative aspects of the free download. Good news, yes the software is indeed free. It’s the same … [Read more...] about Google NIK Collection: Good News & Bad News
Solution: Photoshop CC 2015 Missing Plugins
Like many, I installed Photoshop CC 2015. The installation went fine except none of my additional editing software Nik, onOne, Topaz, Tiffen, etc linked to CC 2015. On a deadline, I tried to fall back to Photoshop CC 2014 only to fine it was removed. I paused for a second and thought there is no way Adobe would leave me out to dry. Simple Solution I went to my Adobe directory and found my Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 folder. Inside it was the plugins subfolder. I copied the the Plugins folder plus a few extra files in the main folder. Said a … [Read more...] about Solution: Photoshop CC 2015 Missing Plugins
Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
As someone who learned photography in the Age of Analog, I often find myself cringing when I see those who have only ever known digital, under-utilizing the power of black and white with the quick click of the grayscale button. Their images can be so much more than the general gray blahness that just the unrefined desaturation command can do. In school, we were held to the standards of The Zone System; a method developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. It was our constant benchmark of a dynamic exposure. And when one has a dynamic exposure, … [Read more...] about Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
Google Responds to Nik Criticisms by Slashing Prices
WIthin a few days of killing Snapseed, Google has announced a major price reduction in the price for the Nik plugins. The six plugins (HDR Efex Pro 2, Color Efex Pro 4, Silver Efex Pro 2, Viveza 2, Sharpener Pro 3, and Dfine 2) are now in a single bundle costing $149 (versus the previous $499). The individual plugins are no longer for sale, only the bundle can be purchased. Google does promise an interesting upgrade to its users... "If you've already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don't worry, we've got you covered. In … [Read more...] about Google Responds to Nik Criticisms by Slashing Prices
Google Kills One of the Nik Software Products
In a move that is far from shocking, Google has killed off Snapseed Desktop for Mac and PC. Beginning today well no longer sell or provide updates for Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows, said the Official Google Blog. Existing customers will continue to be able to download the software and can contact us for support. Well continue to offer the Snapseed mobile app on iOS and Android for free. While I use Snapseed on my phone almost daily, the desktop version was not a staple of my workflow. What concerns me though is that this is … [Read more...] about Google Kills One of the Nik Software Products
Get Errors Trying to Launch Your Nik Software?
I was pretty frustrated after a recent Photoshop update. All of my Nik software plugins wanted to be reactivated. Easy enough, I pulled out serial numbers and started entering them. But no dice... errors on activation. The telling sign is Errorcode -151. Well, I swallowed my pride and jumped over the their support page. It seems that system or application updates can break the plugin's ability to launch. You have two options. Try a full shutdown then a reboot. See if this clears up the plugin launch issue. If you're not asked to … [Read more...] about Get Errors Trying to Launch Your Nik Software?
How To Get Cleaner HDR Photos
In this tutorial I show you how to get cleaner HDR photographs. In this example I am merging three exposures shot from a bouncing and moving platform (aka a boat). The correction tools in Nik HDR Efex Pro 2 did an excellent job of removing unwanted distortion and poor overlap. ______ … [Read more...] about How To Get Cleaner HDR Photos
Are You a Nik Customer? Might Want to Transfer Your Registration Info
If you own any Nik Software products (such as Silver Efex Pro and HDR Efex Pro like I do), you should know that Google bought the company recently. That's not the news though. What's important is that you transfer your customer info over to Google if you want to get support or upgrades. Going forward, Google would like to provide you high-touch technical support for the Nik Software products. In order to be able to do this Google needs to receive the information that Nik Software has about you and your past software purchases such as your … [Read more...] about Are You a Nik Customer? Might Want to Transfer Your Registration Info
Making it POP! Black and White Style
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a guest post by Josh Bradley Black and White is a style that I have more and more fallen in love with over the past few months. To throw fuel on the fire of that obsession is my favorite B&W conversion program Niks Silver Efex Pro. It is my main stay for all conversions into B&W and will stay that way for a long time to come. The image you see of Tony Llanes of Big Electric Cat, was taken at Alan Hess and Scott Diussas Real World Concert Photography Pre-con. The shot in color really did nothing for me it just … [Read more...] about Making it POP! Black and White Style
