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Nik Software s Color Efex Pro 3.0 is often a bundle of filters intended for use with digital cameras software. If you happen to be thinking about buying Color Efex Pro 3.0, prehaps you are asking yourself three questions: I ve already organized a bundle for Lightroom or Photoshop how can I justify venturing out and buying a pricey add-on? Why do I need many when Photoshop already incorporates filters? There are literally squint-million add-ons for Photoshop and Lightroom how do I pick which one to obtain?
I ll reach these questions in just a minute. But first permit me to cover the commercial details.
Color Efex Pro 3.0 can be obtained as whether download or boxed software. The various edition options, volume of filters, and software compatibly are shown in Table 1. Each in the Color Efex Pro 3.0 editions will operated with either Windows or Mac OS X systems, however you need to specify your computer before you purchase or download the program.
This review describes Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete edition when in combination with Photoshop running on Mac OS X 10.6.
s partners have Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 available. Their costs are fair and also you help to support
Photoshop, Aperture, Nikon Capture NX2
Photoshop, Aperture, Nikon Capture NX2, Lightroom
Table 1 : Color Efex Pro 3.0 also comes in three different editions; just the Complete edition blends with Lightroom and also Photoshop.
By how, don t concern yourself with the Pro tacked about the end with the name with this product. Probably someone in marketing thought the slide would sound better with a different word in the application name but that is software for serious amateur photographers and professionals alike.
I won t help keep you in suspense until the end in this review. My response to this question is usually a resounding, Yes, a high level serious professional photographer using Aperture, Lightroom, or Photoshop Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete may be worth its cost.
I use Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete every single day that I use Photoshop, and also on almost every photo that I process. I find its value unbeatable with regard to both image enhancement as well as the creative effects it gives you that can be put on to images. There s nothing inside the filters that are included with Photoshop that compare in usefulness to many on the Color Efex Pro filters.
I ve evaluated a volume of other Photoshop filter add-ons While many turn out unique and have absolutely considerable value nothing else third-party filter collection offers the extensive variety and consistently premium quality of Color Efex Pro 3.0.
Let me tell you how Color Efex 3.0 works, so you ll start to see what I mean.
After you ve installed Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete, you ll get a Nik Software item to your bottom within your Photoshop Filter menu. Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete is over a fly-out menu that appears if your mouse hovers on the Nik Software item. To open the Color Efex Pro filter set, click the Color Efex menu item as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 : To open Color Efex Pro, choose its menu item, found under Nik Software about the Photoshop filter menu.
This can be a good time for it to strongly suggest which you take a several preliminary steps before you decide to open Color Efex Pro. First, it usually is a good practice to ensure that you save your work before this step. Depending upon your software and hardware configuration, Color Efex Pro does occasionally cause Photoshop to crash.
Second, I suggest you duplicate the layer you want to work on, and apply picking a Color Efex Pro filter for the duplicate layer. This will provde the opportunity to make use of the Color Efex Pro filter effects at reduced opacity by reducing the opacity from the duplicate layer that the filter was applied. You can also work with a layer mask to selectively display the duplicate layer while using effects.
Color Efex Pro provides a mechanism for painting in selective employing its effects, but I get the interface because of this clunky. Since you can make use of Photoshop s layer masking features, why is it that this in just one more interface and another that inside my opnion just isn't intuitively obvious?
If you ve taken my advice, and duplicated your layer before opening Color Efex Pro, make sure to set Color Efex Pro to ensure that it doesn t add one more layer. My experience may be that letting Color Efex Pro do layer duplication has triggered some difficulties with software stability.
To make this happen, once Color Efex Pro has opened, click Settings inside lower left on the Color Efex Pro window, and within the Settings dialog choose apply the filtered effect on the current layer as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 : I suggest duplicating the layer yourself in Photoshop, then having Color Efex Pro work directly within the duplicate layer with all the Color Efex Pro settings dialog.
I m putting the cart a bit ahead from the horse here, because I ve shown the Settings window ahead of the primary Color Efex window, that's shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 : The main Color Efex Pro window.
Color Efex Pro loads together with the first filter to use list, B W Conversion loaded. This is usually a decent monochromatic conversion filter, and not as powerful as Nik s Silver Efex Pro and that is, in fairness, a total product specialized in black and white conversion or as flexible as being the Black White adjustment layer feature obtainable in Photoshop itself.
All 52 filters are shown on the left-hand side on the window, essentially in Figure 4.
Figure 4 : The Color Efex Pro Complete filter list.
Obviously, working out what each filter does requires a bit of time. The name of each filter as shown in Figure 4 and Table 2 helps somewhat, in some cases these names don t show that much. What exactly is really a Monday Morning filter? If you think of struggling to use a grainy and grim cup of nearly monochromatic coffee, feeling hung over and blurry you're about right around my opinion. This is one filter I don t use much but it really may be good for you. One from the strengths of Color Efex Pro is there is surely something for each and every photographer.
To truly have fun with all these filters could take many Photoshop-person years before you decide to internalized what they have to are all for, and whatever they could do. Many in the filters themselves as an example, Cross Processing include extensive sub-options. Essentially, Cross Processing is a complete world of filters inside a single filter. But on that in just a minute.
Nik makes organizing and keeping track on the filter collection a little easier by dividing them onto separate tabs. Color Efex Pro opens because of the filters showing, however you can select the Traditional, Stylizing, Landscape, or Portrait tabs to determine a smaller cross-section of filters. Of course, its not all effects are extremely easily categorized or limited to one category. For example, Glamour Glow is regarded as a portrait effect, but I often make use of it on images which are not portraits.
Divided into categories, Table 2 shows the 52 Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters some filters include more than one category. The sheer numerical quantity with the filters provides you with some idea of the items a workhorse this filter pack is and most of the filters both are robust, and feature many sub options that could be chosen.
Table 2 : Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters organized by category.
There s an exclusive tab accessible the filters you ve marked as favorite and this might be the most helpful approach to organize filters when you finally ve discovered the ones you use most regularly.
Of course, sometimes I just want to browse almost arbitrarily. It s a great strategy to spend my own time, each time I try a fresh filter through the Color Efex pack I locate a new solution to do something. Playing while using Nik filters is practically always time wisely spent.
The main Color Efex Pro window has a amount of features though I won t tell you them all. As a general matter, the toolbar across the top helps you to change your viewing preferences one example is, to before-and-after as shown in Figure 5, and panel down the right-side is good for tweaking the settings utilized by individual filters see examples below.
Figure 5 : You can affect the display then it shows both before and after filter effects.
I boost the comfort when it comes to Color Efex Pro, I am capricious and fickle. At times, my true loves in this particular filter back have ranged from Bi-Color User Defined perfect for adding graduated saturation to some sunset to Color Stylizer enables you to make a photo resemble a botanical illustration to Fog in addition to the obvious, also lightens overall.
These days, I am mostly besotted with Cross Processing, Glamour Glow, and Tonal Contrast. Let me teach you a little of how I use each.
In the changing times of film, cross processing meant processing film in chemicals created for another type of film hopefully with weird, wacky and perhaps psychedelic effects. In digital, cross-processing means simulating the effects that film cross-processing probably have had.
Color Efex Pro offers an extensive drop-down set of cross-processing simulations to select from, loosely grouped by simulated film and chemistry type, as you have seen in Figure 6.
Figure 6 : You can select from a wide range of simulated cross-processing methods.
Figure 7 shows a preview of applying the B04 C41 to E6 cross-process method that is likely not something you d need to do to this particular image.
Figure 7 : The B04 C41 to E6 cross processing method previewed.
It s usually wouldn t need to convert a total image with all the Cross Processing filter. However, by checking out the possibilities made available within the Processing drop-down list, I ve got a massive palette of possible color shift choices which I can readily apply selectively to servings of my photo using layers and layer masks.
The Glamour Glow filter adds warmth, tonal cover anything from white to black, and softness. The Tonal Contrast filter boosts the tonal contrast, slightly decreases the tonal range, and adds sharpness. I like to make use of the two together combined. Here s how.
First, in Photoshop before opening Color Efex Pro 3.0, I come up with a copy with the image I want to develop. Next, I go back towards the original image and duplicate the history layer from the original image.
With the duplicate layer active, I open Color Efex Pro 3.0, and apply the Glamour Glow filter using the default settings. I click OK to use this filter to your duplicate layer. I name the layer Color Efex Glamour Glow and often reduce its opacity to about 30%. Figure 8 shows the Photoshop Layers palette after these actions.
Figure 8 : The Glamour Glow layer has opacity reduced to 30%.
Next, I have the duplicate copy with the original image active, and open Color Efex Pro while it's active. I choose the Tonal Contrast Filter, and inside the filter preferences for Tonal Contrast check Conventional High Pass Contrast Figure 9. As you may see inside the preview window shown in Figure 10, contrast has indeed been greatly heightened, although it is just not terribly attractive on its own.
Figure 9 : In the Tonal Contrast filter options, Conventional High Pass Contrast may be checked.
Figure 10 : Preview shows the extent that tonal contrast is heightened which can be often a lot more than is attractive.
Next, I click OK to receive the Color Efex Tonal Contrast filter for the duplicate image. In Photoshop, I hold about the Shift key after which drag the Tonal Contrast version on top in the Glamour Glow version.
I put in a Hide All layer mask for the Tonal Contrast layer. Then I selectively paint in those areas inside image that I think might use tonal enhancement and sharpening around their edges with all the Brush Tool set at about 30% opacity. The Layers palette shown in Figure 11 shows what sort of two layers which have been treated with Color Efex filters interact.
Figure 11 : Tonal Contrast is selectively applied over Glamour Glow.
The final image, shown in Figure 12, benefits on the application on the Glamour Glow and Tonal Contrast Color Efex filters although I do should be careful to never overly apply either effect. With careful application, the photo shows both a comprehensive glow and also a selective rise in tonal contrast within the water drops, small spider, and blade of grass.
Figure 12 : After Glamour Glow at 30% and selective Tonal Contrast the style has more punch as well as more subtlety.
Color Efex Pro 3.0 is definitely an important tool for each serious photography. If there may be one Photoshop add-on you get for creative purposes and enhance your imagery, this would probably be it.
Pros : Most extensive filter third-party library available, well engineered professional-quality filters, intended for serious digital photographers, huge variety, numerous options for each filter, truly endless creative possibilities.
Cons : Expensive, a real big collection it can easily take the perfect time to find the really useful filters, includes filters that can readily be over applied, somewhat quirky program can sometimes require work-arounds.
Disclaimer : Nik Software gave me a free evaluation copy of Color Efex Pro 3.0.
s partners have Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 available. Their pricing is fair so you help to support
Harold Davis is usually a photographer and author. His photographs are already widely published, exhibited, and collected. Many of his craft photography posters are very well known. Harold s images have won a Silver Award within the International Aperture Awards 2008 competition, and inclusion within the 2009 North American Nature Photography Association Expressions Showcase.
Harold could be the author of The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing Focal, Creative Composition: Digital Photography Tips Techniques Wiley, Creative Night: Digital Photography Tips Techniques Wiley, Creative Close-Ups: Digital Photography Tips Techniques Wiley, Practical Artistry: Light Exposure for Digital Photographers O Reilly Digital Media and also other books. Harold gives frequent photography workshops, many within the auspices in the Point Reyes National Seashore Association. More
Article revised March 2011.
I really enjoyed the review on the latest version with the Nik software, but am somewhat disappointed so it was never mentioned how effective Color efex Pro is the place where used in conjunction with Capture NX2. Capture is, inside my estimation, a superb program and it is often overlooked in this particular arena.
Thanks for letting me speak my peace. Enjoy the monthly newsletters plus the website tremendously.
Color Efex comes with a option to automatically develop a layer and apply the actual required filter with it. If I remember right, this really is the default option; or otherwise it somehow finished up set this way when I installed it.
I am desirous to know how it is employed by Capture NX2 users. Thanks.
The Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 is very rewarding in Nikon NX2.
Its great to possess all those filters, however you must learn the things they can do.
You can make use of several filters together.
I have my favorite filters in Color Efex - The full package is usually recommended.
Did they fix the bug where Photoshop crashes when you apply an effect into a selection, instead with the whole layer? This happens if Color Efex efforts to create a fresh layer while using effect.
i happen to be using color efex pro for some time now. i needed never changed the settings, as suggested within your review. will accomplish this and start duplicating the layer first.
I enjoy the personal quality for this review. From my perspective the actual issue is price on the pro vs the select edition. I would like to determine some critical reply to whether the additional pro filters are worth the additional
Bottom line: for my money, most from the filters I use regularly are from the Complete Edition, instead of the Select Edition, therefore the Complete Edition may be valued at the extra money within my opinion.
Unfortunately these Nik filters are certainly not compatible with Aperture 3 in 64-bit mode today. Maybe at some point they will to know?
I manipulate Color Efex Pro Complete almost given it came out. I know that when I had to put on the filters I use regularly manually in Photoshop, if I could, it will take forever. The time saved with this program is definitely worth the cost of it. In a very short period of time, it'll have paid for itself. I often require a photo Im implementing and just run it through the report on filters just to find out what some choices are. The program has contributed greatly to your uniqueness of my photography. I use it at NX2 plus in Photoshop. I have never had Photoshop crash when you use only a area of a photograph, by how. If youre still deciding whether or not to ever get the the trial version first., very addicting!
I have this collection and I dont regret buying love the offer, I in addition have the other Nik Software and wonderful filters likewise.
Hi, I dowloaded the trial in order to check if it will be worth to buy it or you cannot, Im running CS5 on the MacBookPro, when I installed Nik Color Efex 3 the installer couldnt get the right approach to install the files well, i manually selected it HD/applications/adobe photoshop cs5/plug-in
everything looks working fine however, if I open PS cs5 the nik subfolder just isn't there, does anybody find out about this?
The Capture NX2 version of PRO 3.0 costs 179.99.
If it truly is of any help with the owners of CS5 I found out the thing that was the problem, these plug-ins will not be compatible while using 64bit structure of PS CS5 yet, therefore you should run photoshop at 32 bit rather than 64 bitwhich would be the default setting.
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When I finally threw in the towel on wanting to do everything myself in Photoshop, I began a mission to get the best plug-in with the buck. I am super tight on the subject of my money so I didn t need to waste a cent on something which wasn t gonna pay for itself tenfold. After much research noisy . 2008 I wound up buying Nik Software Color Efex 3.0 Complete because its wealth of good quality plug-ins and satisfaction stood far beyond anything else I had ever tried.
The 300 I dedicated to Color Efex was the most effective money I ve ever spent. Since that fateful day my photography went from being ordinary and forgettable to a thing that led for the birth in this blog and all with the success that followed. Nearly every photo I ve edited has some using of Nik Software and 99% of which include a minimum of one or more filters from Color Efex. In short, this system changed gaming and launched my career! No other product for the planet could make that claim, when I took within the task of reviewing the newest 4.0 version I wondered how inside the hell is Nik Software planning to top that?!!!!
When I first reviewed Color Efex in March of 2008 I had limited exposure to Photoshop plug-ins and also a nearly 20 career of developing user-interfaces portion of which was at one on the most successful software companies inside the world. I done user-interfaces that changed the lives of vast sums of people with some in the best designers money could hire, so my bar was crazy high. My report on Color Efex 3.0 s gui UI was harsh understandably. In fact, I was downright hostile over it! I had no experience with all the state of plug-ins with this industry, and so the lack of simple features being a maximize button or proper zoom was maddening in my experience. I m thrilled to report that considering that the late 2011 discharge of Color Efex Pro 4, my faith of what is possible has become renewed.
The new program in some ways is familiar which is usually a great thing this sort of migrating. However, it s also vastly improved and that is even better for individuals who hated the limitations from the old UI. The new improvements begin with all the support for layers of filters that may be enabled and disabled, reordered, and also saved being a collective recipe for future use. Here s a look at the newest right panel:
Everything we liked before continues but what s really great is always that the stack able filters act just like Photoshop Lightroom s reasoning behind non-destructive edits when you will be in Color Efex. There s also Viveza 2 s wonderful idea of U-Point control groups as well as the ability to easily begin to see the masks being developed by your control points via clicking from the right hand column across from their store.
You are free of charge to experiment for your hearts content as well as your image isn't touched before you hit Ok/Brush in Photoshop or Save in Aperture Lightroom. This will give you the freedom to use different things, experiment with all the order of filters, and in some cases the opacity to construct the perfect solution you can then reuse by saving a recipe. What s more is which you can even call at your history and traverse over the steps of one's progress:
This is powerful issues that I demo during my video later within this article since it s difficult to appreciate in the static image on the blog. What s a lot more amazing though is the recipes not merely save all of the hard work, what's more, it makes real-time preview possible with your future images an attribute that is ironically absent on the stand alone filters for reasons I don t quite fathom.
Your recipes may well then be exported and distributed to friends, assistants above all your other machines! This is good things folks, so don t underestimate the value of the feature once you are seeking to decide when you should upgrade. For some, these times saver may alone justify the upgrade cost!
Of course, all in this great program stuff is useless whether it doesn t create wow images. After all, that s why you acquire a product similar to this right? I m willing to say the wow factor of my images has definitely increased since I started by using this product as you can tell from a couple examples here:
Before Notice the eyes, teeth and background buildings
These images develop the impact how they do due to Color Efex 4 as well as in some cases other enhancements in the Nik Software category of products.
This would be the 1 question I get from readers and friends. Everyone wants to find out if the filters are simply the same plus a few useless ones added. I m here to express to you that even though it is true that lots of filters haven t changed when it ain t broke, why fix right? that some on the best have already been improved for that better. Tonal Contrast is certainly the biggest secret in the pros to create their images contain the pop and contrast that pleases without looking tacky, so over the beta when Nik Software changed it they got a bit of harsh feedback. Fortunately it was a good thing as the final result is perfection! It now offers 5 contrast types with a fresh standard which is just perfect on everything but people 99% from the time. For people you ll usually need to kill the midtones or opt for a different contrast type, nevertheless, you ll find lots of happiness on this one.
Others like Pro Contrast were craptacularly bad in 3.0 have been improved so how they are worthy with the name pro. I can t show you what Dynamic Contrast genuinely does, nevertheless it works. The correction sliders are likely to be an existence saver for newbies also.
I ve always been a tremendous fan with the reflector filter within the prior release. I referred to it as the save my ass filter with the times when I forgot to flash fill, so I m very happy to say it s got subtle improvements which are sure to please.
There s and a lot of improvements inside film simulations including the brand new Film Efex: Vintage filter containing 29 film types to select from unfortunately numbered rather than named. You can also alter the features on the effect so users of Silver Efex will feel right in your house. It is enjoy the color film version of Silver Efex which probably would have sold successfully like a stand alone product. It s inclusion in this particular complete collection here is bound to please.
There s also many new ones like Detail Extractor that is great for pulling details away from soft images, image borders for fast and flexible borders, as well as contrast related filters that may help you build your signature try to find your photos.
There s nutrients here and also you ll get the money s worth out from the upgrade inside a hurry.
When Color Efex 4 is running, the performance is fantastic. Even when stacking multiple images I ve had very quickly response times thanks towards the use of video card hardware acceleration. If your video card doesn t support this feature, in that case your experience could differ. I in addition have 8GB of RAM on my small 5 year-old Dell XPS 420 where I do almost all of my work, as well as on my last generation MacBook Pro so I m sure the memory helps too. In fact, within the Mac the performance is only blazing fast, but sadly within the PC I ve seen that Color Efex 4 really has slowed around the start duration of Photoshop CS5 drastically. I have had a 300% decelerate launching Color Efex 4 versus 3 in my PC with all the default Photoshop user settings. From Lightroom the launch time concerned twice as fast for the PC, and smoking fast about the Mac so I suspect I should dial inside the right plug-in performance settings within the PC side to acquire this working better.
I haven t had any problems with crashing since I got the retail build, but I do religiously save my file before launching ANY plug-in to be a security measure. Fortunately I ve never had to deal with a crash where that truly helped me though.
I did experience some slowdowns when I had multiple Dynamic Skin Softener filters loaded previously, but only when used stand-alone from Lightroom about the PC. This feature isn t nearly as good as Portraiture so I find myself needing several and U-Point controls to acquire a similar amount of results that always end up being a tad bit more waxy that I d like. Fortunately the opacity sliders save the afternoon there!
If you enjoyed reading this, it's also possible to enjoy my Color Efex 4 Tutorial where I edit three more images in depth than what is featured here. Here are a couple of those images in the video tutorial including their both before and after:
Version 3.0 of the product changed my entire life, and 4.0 takes anything that was good that and added an entirely ton of new greatness. If I only agreed to be allowed to run one plug-in on my small computer for Aperture, Lightroom or Photoshop this could be the product no if s, and s, or but s regarding it.
If that you are tired of dull images which simply don t contain the color pop or oomph of your respective photography idols images, then that is what you happen to be missing. Yes, you are capable of doing much in this stuff in stand-alone Photoshop with out them, few develop the skill to do it likewise and no one are able to do it as soon as you can using the product especially when you concentrate on the speed of U-Point controls.
In my estimation, this remains because best plug-in about the market for Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop. It will help the quality of your respective images, you'll save time, as well as put a smile in your face once you learn how to make use of it effectively. If you only own one product after Lightroom and ideally Photoshop to help with making your images look better, that is without question the product it is best to get. I provide it with my highest possible recommendation.
See my What Plug-ins Should I Buy? article for much more of my thoughts for the best plug-ins for Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop within the market right now.
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Ron - Thanks to the I Nik Software has empowered my minimal PS Skills and also have allowed my Images to truly have a particular U-Point Technology may be the Best!!! T
Great review. I don t know very well what I d do without Color Efex and a few of other Nik products.
I should also go along with Ron s post. I was a large camera only photographer and I just couldn t receive the photos to pop like I saw them within my mind. Ron s Color EFex 3 post convinced me for getting that. It was good, however the nag would be a little harder to utilize than 4.
I took a no cost NIK Webinar that happen to be awesome by how and thought 4 was way simpler to navigate.
I grabbed Color EFex 4 and noticed instantly that I can read more pop from my pics, I also observe that the images that I share that happen to be processed with 4 have more likes.
Hi Ron, I found your blog post while bumbling around in search of reviews and tutorials on Nik software, and I am so glad I did. Not only is the site brimming with really useful information, but I used your Nik Order Form for European sales, and am now the happy owner with the Complete Collection for Lightroom: Thank you!
Having read with great interest your article on Dfine I find how the code martinsen will not be recognised with the company and as a consequence I cannot take advantage with the 15% discount. Has this offer expird? I discover that the article was printed in 2009
The bonus code is R MARTINSEN - you missed the R.
You can also make use of the code RONMART at now.
In the near future, check the voucher codes tab at the top from the blog for the most up-to-date codes simply to be sure.
Make your brain up Ron, 1 day OnOne is tne most sensible thing in tne world, then this next day it s Nik, we all have been starting to think you will promote - say anything to get a five:
Following your website closely! One question: Your don t discuss the main difference between select edition and take care of edition. I would like to determine two or three words concerning the value for money comparing editions.
You don t discuss the real difference between select edition and handle edition.
The reasons why I don t discuss it really is twofold.
1. In the longrun, the Complete edition is really a better value as being the buy select and upgrade to accomplish path isn t very affordable.
2. The select edition lacks the 1 most widely used filter - Tonal Contrast - the crown jewel with the Nik Software filters. This would be the if I could simply have one filter filter.
Select offers some decent filters, and whether or not this had Tonal Contrast I d probably say that in case you were really stuck for money then go for it. However, it doesn t have TC and don't will - TC is just too important to give away from the entry level edition.
If you utilize trial, one thing to remember about Tonal Contrast. You ll need to set midtones to 0 most of the time to avoid skin looking awful. Sometimes you also should zero out its saturation boost too.
Ouch, don t restrain and inform me how you think - ha, ha! However, I m glad you raised that question though.
For starters, a few bunch of good plug-ins around that I do honestly like and am impressed with. However, I realize that doesn t help those who don t contain the luxury of having them. To help achievable reality I wrote my
What plugins should I buy? article where I draw a line inside sand and stack rank the most favored ones.
Now I ll admit that I should update that article because onOne makes huge progress and Topaz is often a improving while offering fantastic value.
In my article I also list them according to importance because I might like Viveza quite a tad, but a majority of people will need to have a noise reduction program a lot more than Viveza.
As on the anything for just a buck comment, I d also prefer to point out that I ve experimented with be in advance that this blog is usually a business and I do wish to earn income for my effort. Unlike almost all of my competitors I m very in advance about disclosing when I m given products to try either free or loaners together with the possibility to profit. Do you see others disclosing that? as well as in most cases these are MUCH more profitable than this site
Unlike other sites, I also give bad reviews or mention flaws in products. This has pissed off my partners on many occasions, but I ve always said that when people want website article reviews they will go to most magazines along with sites with the. On this blog, I offer honest feedback that I d offer a friend.
With that said, I can t use every plug-in. I have m own workflow - some of that is based on habit. If I don t use another product, it s typically not because I don t want it - it s just because doing so overlaps something more important im already familiar with using. I also know that some people have advantages for preferring the onOne suite or Topaz suite in excess of the Nik suite, which s fine because these are good products too.
I write reviews as many products as I can so my readers can possess the info they want before buying, upgrading or switching to your different product or suite. I also make readers aware about promotions such since the recent onOne deal for Nik Software owners, that's probably las vegas dui attorney might be asking this. I don t see people switching to onOne from Nik - I actually discover them using them both for individual strengths - as I do.
I hope that can help to clear things up - in any other case, fee liberal to write me offline.
You say Photoshop, but does it do this with Photoshop Elements?
Yes it really is supported by most, its not all, Nik products:
viewsystemrequirementscompatibility
My initial reaction was a similar as Paul s - it seemed that some day you were proclaiming that onOne s Perfect Photo Suite could possibly be poised to knock Nik from the throne, as well as the next day you yet again highly praise Color Efex Pro 4.
I am a long-time user of Nik s Complete Collection, plus in particular Color Efex Pro 4. I was tempted enough by the recent promotion to get Perfect Photo Suite. While I haven t were built with a chance to give all from the Perfect Suite plugs-ins a total try, I must agree with your comment to Paul - I don t see people switching from Nik to onOne but instead using them when combined. As you said in your writeup on Perfect Suite, Perfect Resize is perfect and Perfect Portrait is effective. Both of these compliment the Nik software.
Exactly - as they have overlap, I wouldn t consider them an either OR proposition.
Naturally in case you can only afford one you ll make due, and both suites offer enough compelling features that you just ll work just fine. However, in case you have both then you possess the luxury of picking and selecting your favorite features from both - as I do as I also do with Topaz and Imagenomic also.
Sorry for all in the confusion. My primary grounds for bringing these postings back up and they are generally old articles was so people that were a novice to my blog could read my old reviews after which decide if they wished to pick up a Nik product to make sure they could get a deal around the onOne Suite. Color Efex will be the product I d recommend they certainly that with so you d possess the best of all possible!
Don t mind me Ron, and for starters thanks for your reply, I am considering one suite, while I have enough money both I are able to do without the learning curve and complicating my workflow and life, although both master different areas, at the moment I am leaning towards OnOne, my distinctive line of taught is currently that google has Nik well these are like everyone, out to produce money and I feel they're going to simplify it as a way to appeal to your masses as opposed to the expert editor.
Ha, ha - no I m glad you spoke up as I think other people felt exactly the same way learn about.
It was worthwhile will be able to respond to keep people from misunderstanding my intentions.
Thank you so much with the discount I ran accross this and was thankful for your savings.
Thank you so much for that discount code!
Excellent overview on the Nik Software. Even though I keep maintain and improve my Photoshop skills I still find myself going first to Nik Software for almost all of my photo editing because on the time savings. Their control points are fabulous, eliminate a great deal time spent masking. And the modern, affordable price is irresistible.
I m an extremely amateur photographer, and thus far my workflow is entirely determined by Lightroom 4 and Scott Kelby s The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers superb advice.
Since where I understand Nik Complete Collection, which I m considering to purchase, completely overlaps and goes far beyond Lightroom development tools, I m curious whether you'll still use or recommend anything in LR Develop module or use LR just to be a digital asset manager.
No, that s nearly correct. Photo editing begins inside Develop tab to take care of the exposure, white balance, crop, however, you use Color Efex to end your photo. This is where you are taking the photo from ordinary to extraordinary using one on the many filters that include stylistic effects who are not easy plus some cases impossible to generate in Lightroom.
Color Efex isn't a RAW editor or asset management tool, therefore it doesn t replace Lightroom - it complements Lightroom.
Color Efex would be the secret sauce of numerous great pro photographers, so I encourage someone to download the trial offer and check it. If you decide you want it then you'll want to come back here and rehearse my link and code so you'll be able to get a rebate!
Keep at heart that Google is ending the discount program after July so act soon if you desire to get the discount!
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When I finally quit on attempting to do everything myself in Photoshop, I began a mission to discover the best plug-in with the buck. I am super tight on the subject of my money so I didn t would like to waste a cent on something which wasn t gonna pay for itself tenfold. After much research at the beginning of 2008 I wound up buying Nik Software Color Efex 3.0 Complete because its wealth of excellent plug-ins as well as stood far above anything else I had ever tried.
The 300 I committed to Color Efex was the most beneficial money I ve ever spent. Since that fateful day my photography went from being ordinary and forgettable to an issue that led on the birth of the blog and all with the success that followed. Nearly every photo I ve edited has some utilization of Nik Software and 99% of which include a minumum of one or more filters from Color Efex. In short, this device changed my well being and launched my career! No other product for the planet may make that claim, then when I took about the task of reviewing the brand new 4.0 version I wondered how from the hell is Nik Software likely to top that?!!!!
When I first reviewed Color Efex in March of 2008 I had limited knowledge about Photoshop plug-ins plus a nearly 20 career of developing user-interfaces component of which was at one in the most successful software companies from the world. I worked tirelessly on user-interfaces that changed the lives of billions of people with some with the best designers money could hire, so my bar was crazy high. My report on Color Efex 3.0 s program UI was harsh to put it mildly. In fact, I was downright hostile about this! I had no experience while using state of plug-ins in this particular industry, and so the lack of simple features being a maximize button or proper zoom was maddening for me. I m willing to report that ever since the late 2011 discharge of Color Efex Pro 4, my faith as to what is possible has become renewed.
The new graphical user interface in some ways is familiar which is really a great thing if you are migrating. However, it s also vastly improved which can be even better in case you hated the limitations from the old UI. The new improvements begin with all the support for layers of filters which can be enabled and disabled, reordered, and in some cases saved as being a collective recipe for future use. Here s a look at the brand new right panel:
Everything we liked before remains but what s really great is always that the stack able filters act comparable to Photoshop Lightroom s notion of non-destructive edits when you will be in Color Efex. There s also Viveza 2 s wonderful idea of U-Point control groups plus the ability to easily begin to see the masks being manufactured by your control points via clicking from the right hand column across from their site.
You are free of charge to experiment for your hearts content as well as your image is rarely touched unless you hit Ok/Brush in Photoshop or Save in Aperture Lightroom. This offers you the freedom to use different things, experiment with all the order of filters, as well as the opacity to make the perfect solution you can then reuse by saving a recipe. What s more is that you just can even go to your history and traverse over the steps of your respective progress:
This is powerful stuff I demo during my video later on this article since it s tough to appreciate inside a static image with a blog. What s much more amazing though is always that the recipes not merely save all within your hard work, additionally, it makes real-time preview possible on your own future images a function that is ironically absent on the stand alone filters for reasons I don t quite fathom.
Your recipes may well then be exported and given to friends, assistants and above all your other machines! This is good things folks, so don t underestimate the value of the feature whenever you are attempting to decide should you should upgrade. For some, these times saver may alone justify the upgrade cost!
Of course, all in this great program stuff is useless when it doesn t create wow images. After all, that s why you acquire a product such as this right? I m very happy to say which the wow factor of my images has definitely increased since I started making use of this product as we discussed from a couple examples here:
Before Notice the eyes, teeth and background buildings
These images contain the impact which they do as a result of Color Efex 4 plus in some cases other enhancements through the Nik Software class of products.
This would be the 1 question I get from readers and friends. Everyone wants to learn if the filters are simply the same as well as a few useless ones added. I m here to inform you that while it's true that numerous filters haven t changed whether it ain t broke, why fix right? that some in the best are already improved with the better. Tonal Contrast is certainly the biggest secret on the pros to produce their images contain the pop and contrast that pleases without looking tacky, so in the beta when Nik Software changed it they got a bit of harsh feedback. Fortunately it was a good thing as the final result is perfection! It now offers 5 contrast types with a brand new standard that's just perfect on everything but people 99% in the time. For people you ll usually wish to kill the midtones or opt for a different contrast type, however, you ll find a lot of happiness on this one.
Others like Pro Contrast were craptacularly bad in 3.0 have been improved so that they can are worthy with the name pro. I can t let you know what Dynamic Contrast does indeed, but it really works. The correction sliders are gonna be your life saver for newbies at the same time.
I ve always been an enormous fan with the reflector filter within the prior release. I named it the save my ass filter to the times when I forgot to flash fill, so I m willing to say so it s got a bit of subtle improvements which are sure to please.
There s fashionable lot of improvements within the film simulations including the modern Film Efex : Vintage filter that's 29 film types to select from unfortunately numbered and never named. You can also customize the features with the effect so users of Silver Efex will feel right in your house. It is appreciate the color film version of Silver Efex which probably may have sold successfully being a stand alone product. It s inclusion within this complete collection here is likely to please.
There s also many new ones like Detail Extractor that's great for pulling details outside of soft images, image borders for fast and flexible borders, and other contrast related filters to assist you build your signature search for your photos.
There s good things here and you also ll get the money s worth out in the upgrade inside a hurry.
When Color Efex 4 is running, the performance is very useful. Even when stacking multiple images I ve had very quickly response times thanks to your use of video card hardware acceleration. If your video card doesn t support this feature, your experience varies. I also provide 8GB of RAM on my own 5 year-old Dell XPS 420 where I do almost all of my work, as well as on my last generation MacBook Pro so I m certain that the memory helps too. In fact, about the Mac the performance is definitely blazing fast, but sadly for the PC I ve pointed out that Color Efex 4 really has slowed around the start use of Photoshop CS5 drastically. I likewise have had a 300% slow launching Color Efex 4 versus 3 in my PC with all the default Photoshop user settings. From Lightroom the launch time was approximately twice as fast within the PC, and smoking fast for the Mac so I suspect I should dial from the right plug-in performance settings for the PC side to acquire this working better.
I haven t had any difficulties with crashing since I got the retail build, but I do religiously save my file before launching ANY plug-in being a security measure. Fortunately I ve never had to deal with a crash where that basically helped me though.
I did experience some slowdowns when I had multiple Dynamic Skin Softener filters loaded in the past, but only when used stand-alone from Lightroom within the PC. This feature isn t nearly as good as Portraiture so I find myself needing several and U-Point controls to acquire a similar volume of results very often end up being a tad bit more waxy that I d like. Fortunately the opacity sliders save the afternoon there!
If you enjoyed reading this, you might also enjoy my Color Efex 4 Tutorial where I edit three more images in depth than what is featured here. Here are 2 of those images through the video tutorial including their before:
Version 3.0 of the product changed my entire life, and 4.0 takes exactly what was good that and added a full ton of new greatness. If I only agreed to be allowed to run one plug-in on my small computer for Aperture, Lightroom or Photoshop this is the product no if s, and s, or but s over it.
If you might be tired of dull images which simply don t contain the color pop or oomph of the photography idols images, then this can be what you might be missing. Yes, you are able to do much on this stuff in stand-alone Photoshop without them, few have the skill to do it also and no one are able to do it you'd like you can using this device especially when you see the speed of U-Point controls.
In my estimation, this remains since the best plug-in within the market for Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop. It will increase the quality of the images, it can save time, and this will put a smile in your face once you learn how to put it to use effectively. If you only own one product after Lightroom and ideally Photoshop to help with making your images look better, this can be without question the product it is best to get. I perform my highest possible recommendation.
Don t remember that? Watch my videos here then download the free unobstructed trial version from Nik s web site to test it yourself. Use the filters I mention above and see on your own why I m this kind of fanboy of the awesome product!
See my What Plug-ins Should I Buy? article for much more of my thoughts for the best plug-ins for Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop around the market right now.
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Ron - Thanks for that I Nik Software has empowered my minimal PS Skills and still have allowed my Images to truly have an exclusive U-Point Technology will be the Best!!! T
Great review. I don t determine what I d do without Color Efex and many of other Nik products.
I need to also go along with Ron s post. I was a tremendous camera only photographer and I just couldn t have the photos to pop like I saw them within my mind. Ron s Color EFex 3 post convinced me to obtain that. It was good, nevertheless the nag would have been a little harder to utilize than 4.
I took a no cost NIK Webinar that are awesome by the best way and thought 4 was way better to navigate.
I grabbed Color EFex 4 and noticed instantly that I can acquire more pop from my pics, I also recognize that the images that I share which are processed with 4 acquire more likes.
Hi Ron, I found your site while bumbling around in search of reviews and tutorials on Nik software, and I am so glad I did. Not only is the site stuffed with really useful information, but I used your Nik Order Form for European sales, and am now the happy owner in the Complete Collection for Lightroom: Thank you!
Having read with great interest your overview of Dfine I find the code martinsen is just not recognised from the company and so I cannot take advantage in the 15% discount. Has this offer expird? I recognize that the article was coded in 2009
The promotional code is R MARTINSEN - you missed the R.
You can also makes use of the code RONMART at now.
In the long term, make sure the deals tab at the top from the blog for the most recent codes simply to be sure.
Make your brain up Ron, at some point OnOne is tne most sensible thing in tne world, then this next day it s Nik, we're all starting to think you will promote - say anything for any five:
Following your site closely! One question: Your don t discuss the gap between select edition and take care of edition. I would like to view two or three words concerning the value for money comparing editions.
You don t discuss the main difference between select edition and take care of edition.
The answer why I don t discuss it's twofold.
1. In the longrun, the Complete edition is really a better value because buy select and upgrade to finish path isn t very less expensive.