CONS

• Underwhelming nondestructive workflow support
• Film looks are available in competing for software
• Control Point enhancements not in every app
• Not yet updated for Apple M1 chips

Updated

All of the applications have been updated for compatibility with 64-bit operating systems. On my laptop, macOS doesn’t yell at me about potential issues with future operating systems when launching the software, as it did with the 32-bit edition released by Google.

DxO outlines the full system requirements here. They aren’t strenuous, so if you have a workstation that’s capable of processing digital image files, you should be set. There’s a trial download available too, in case you’re concerned your system isn’t powerful enough, or you just want to give the software a test drive.

Deficiency

There is one thing missing: native support for Apple’s M5 processor. If you use an M1 Mac, you’ll still be able to run the software via Apple’s Rosetta 2 emulation layer.

Aside from substantial updates to Silver Efex and Viveza, the big improvements include tighter integration with Adobe, and a speedier batch workflow to apply the same edits to multiple images, without having to leave the comfortable confines of Lightroom or Photoshop. You’ll be able to copy adjustments from multiple apps, but remember to apply them in the same order as the original image—results won’t be the same otherwise.

track and manage sidecar files

The information about which filters are applied are stored in images themselves, so there’s no need to track and manage sidecar files. This approach leaves Raw format images untouched just like a proper nondestructive workflow should.

It does require you to make duplicate files; if you use a high-resolution camera, be prepared to get a big hard drive to store everything—the TIFF format files you’ll use for the best are a lot bigger than the Raw images your camera captures, even if you opt for an uncompressed format.

A 60MP Raw image from the Sony a7R IV is about 60MB in size; the same file as a TIFF is about 360MB, a figure that doubles to 720MB when nondestructive edits are enabled. There’s a benefit here—the bigger file stores your original image, too. It makes it possible to work on a single image across multiple editing sessions, delivering a bit more creative freedom.

Limitation

There’s a limitation, though. The edits don’t carry over from one application to another. As an example, I applied a Vintage Camera look to the photo above in Analog Efex. With the nondestructive edits enabled, I was able to go back and make changes after the fact with ease. But once I loaded the same file into Color Efex Pro and added a Bleach Bypass effect, I lost the ability to undo edits made in Analog Efex. So the edits are nondestructive, but only for the most recent application you’ve used.

I tested DxO with Lightroom Classic. From here on out, I’ll talk about using the software with Adobe, but mechanics aside, the experience is similar with Photo Lab or Capture One as your launcher.

DxO has made some changes to the way U-Point controls work. A hallmark of Nik, U-Points make selective adjustments to color, exposure, contrast, and other settings. These localized adjustments are useful for times when you want to restrict edits to one area of your image.

Easily Managed

The updated U-Point system is more easily managed. Control points can be renamed and promise more accurate masking based on luminance or color value, and you can save them as part of presets if you’d like. The new functions are only available in Silver Efex and Viveza, though; the rest of the suite uses the old style.

Other updates are subtle. If you edit using Photoshop you’ll now have access to a Last Edit feature. If you’ve made some edits you like, but forgot to save a preset before saving your photo and closing the Nik app, you can go back, but only to the most recent photo you’ve worked on.

Analog Efex Pro

If you’re thinking about buying the Nik Collection, it’s probably for one of the creative applications. You get Analog Efex for unique toy camera, motion, and other filters; Color Efex has a number of filter looks, both color and black-and-white; Silver Efex is able to mimic the look and feel of many classic emulsions, including Kodak Tri-X and Ilford Delta; and Perspective Efex is a new addition that can make technical adjustments to correct geometry, and also provide an artistic miniature effect.

Analog Efex Pro is a virtual Swiss Army knife of film and motion effects that can be used to build presets, called Cameras in the app. There are a number of preset options, broken down into categories like Motion, Toy Camera, and Wet Plate.

It’s easy to browse through these galleries and apply different looks to your photos with a single click, and you can then customize aspects to suit your liking. If you’re adding a grainy, dusty look with Classic Camera 7, it’s easy to switch to a more extreme scratched look by selecting a different swatch from the Dust and Lint panel.

Self- Review

But I find myself not liking the Dust and Lint options for this image. I think I’d rather add texture with a Photo Plate, a digital tool that mimics the look of 19th century wet plate photography. A quick trip to the Camera Kit allows you to enable the Photo Plate option; you can see the end results above.

It’s not all grain and faded film looks. Analog Efex also has has some interesting motion blur options, with drag-and-drop control over the locus and direction of the blur via Nik’s U Point system. There are multi-lens filters for Andy Warhol-style split images, simulated light leaks and lens distortion, film strip frames, double exposure options, and basic tone, curve, and level adjustments.

When you’re satisfied with your edits, it’s a matter of hitting Save to commit the changes to the hard drive. Once you’ve done this, you can’t go back—you’ll need to open up a fresh copy of the picture to step through any changes. You can, however, save your own Presets, if you find that you have a specific look you like (this is true for all of the creative applications in the Nik Collection, not just Analog Efex).

Color Efex Pro

If you’re a fan of filters, Color Efex Pro will make you happy. It offers up a laundry list of options, ranging from emulation of some color film types (similar to what Silver Efex does for black-and-white stocks) and processes—think cross-processing and bleach bypass—to the more extreme filters that blur the lines between photography and fine art, like the solarization effect shown below.

The filter list is extensive, and the software allows you to stack as many filters onto one image as you want. It’s easy to toggle the effects of any with a simple checkbox, so you can play with combinations and save your own presets, called Recipes.

Some of the functions, like adding a graduated neutral density filter, grain, or split-tone effects, are almost certainly included in your Raw converter. It’s the ability to stack the filters together that gives some appeal to Color Efex Pro.

Give images a film-like look

Likewise, if you just want to give images a film-like look, there are dozens of preset packs available for Lightroom and Capture One. For a little bit more money than the Nik Collection, RNI All Films 5 gives you tons of film looks that can be applied with a single click from within your workflow application—no round-tripping required. Color Efex offers some film looks that you don’t get in RNI, though.

But you may find the Recipes you can create to be worth it. DxO includes twenty of its own, which can give you a starting point with your images. I took one called Lavender and added a Bi-Color effect, some film grain, and simulated the look of C41 film developed in E6 chemicals. The finished image, above, is one that I wouldn’t be able to make with Lightroom alone.

HDR Efex Pro

Both Capture One and Lightroom can merge multiple shots together to net one with more dynamic range. The technique, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, can be used to blend multiple exposures for scenes with extreme shifts.

There may be shots where you’re not happy with simple Raw processing to expand dynamic range. That’s where HDR Efex Pro comes into play. It has a number of presets to help get you started, as well as slider adjustments to control the intensity of the effect.

HDR images can look unnatural if processed too aggressively, and while HDR Efex Pro certainly gives you the tools to craft photos with very high sharpening and localized contrast, the built-in presets trend toward more realistic looks.

Modern image sensors

With modern image sensors, you don’t always need multiple exposures to make HDR images. Take a look at the unprocessed Raw image shot with the Fujifilm GFX100S, a tough scene with the rising sun pointing directly into the lens, and a lot of detail in shadow.

I sent the 16-bit TIFF, created by Lightroom from Raw, into HDR Efex Pro and was able to cycle through many different starter looks for the finished shot. A single click pulls in highlights and opens up shadows. I started with the Tinted Structure look for the finished shot.

Conclusion

The Nik Collection by DxO 6.6.0 Crack is an iconic name in photo editing. DxO has revived the software, updating it for 64-bit operating systems and offering other improvements.