DxO NIK Collection 4 - it's worth upgrading NOW!

Early in June 2021 DxO launched a significant upgrade to their NIK Collection of eight plugins for for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, DxO PhotoLab and Serif Affinity. I’ve been using a pre-release version for a few weeks now, I’m impressed with improvements overall, especially to layout and workflow. Adobe Lightroom users can replicate adjustments using the Last Edit command. Photoshop users have new Meta Presets which combine setting from multiple NIK plugins into a single action.

The suite includes a range of 200 exclusive presets and creative effects and a number of retouching tools covering every aspect of creative photography from colour and white-and-black photography to analog simulation. It also features exclusive U Point™ technology allowing local adjustments with absolute precision by placing control points in selected areas of your photos. All presets can be adjusted, modified and saved to create your own looks and styles.

The original RAW file straight out of camera converted to PSD

Analogue Efex Pro 2 provides eleven Tool Combinations and fourteen Tools, plus Build a Camera allowing you to create your own looks from the supplied Tools.

Analogue Efex Pro 2 Wet Plate Camera
Within the module the plate style, vignette and scratches etc can all be adjusted

Color Efex Pro 4 has the most extensive range of presets in the whole NIK Collection. If you look carefully there is Film Efex: Modern (Branded) covering many popular C41 and E6 emulsions from all the major film manufacturers. I’d invest my money purely for this plugin and Silver Efex Pro 3 (see below).

Beautiful exaggerated and saturated colours from the Color Efex Pro 4
Film Efex: Modern (Branded) Fujichrom Velvia 100 - once the staple stock for landscape photographers

Dfine 2 reduces digital noise. I’m not sure how much use this feature will get from me in view that I now use DxO PureRAW to pre-process RAW files shot at higher ISO settings before even opening any other post-production application.

HDR Efex Pro 2 creates an adjustable HDR look or non-destructive exposure adjustment from an existing file.

Perspective Efex is a new addition the NIK Collection and allows corrections to vertical lines in architectural photos, straighten horizons, cropping and a miniature effect. Remember to duplicate the layer as this app is potentially destructive in that it does’t create an effects layer.

Sharpener Pro 3: RAW Presharpener is designed to compensate for the loss of sharpness in your image during capture, due to the presence of a low-pass filter in front of the camera sensor, but it can also be used in a complete sharpening workflow, from capture to creative processing to output when combined with Sharpener Pro 3: Output Sharpener.

Sharpener Pro 3: Output Sharpener is a powerful tool for sharpening final images whether end use is a computer display, inkjet print, continuous tome, half tone or hybrid. The inkjet and half tone options have selections for different papers, viewing distance and printer resolution. Most photographers will most likely use the inkjet option most. The half tone option is the domain of reproduction for offset sheet and web fed printing.

Silver Efex Pro 3 for black and white conversions with accurate film emulation, realistic grain structure and DxO’s ClearView control to cut through haze. I used the default Ilford Pan F 50 conversion for a forthcoming AP feature “Successful Portraits on a Shoestring”.

I selected Kodak Plus-X 125 from Silver Efex Pro 3 as it's a stock I'm familar with from the days when I shot so much black & white film commercially. The emulated tonality and grain structure seem so close to the original. I added a red filter effect in the module to enhance the contrast of the sunlit scene.

100% view of grain from Silver Efex Pro 3 Kodak Plus-X 125 emulation

Viveza 3 allows precise control the colour, hue, brightness, and contrast of your photos.

With practice and experimentation each user will develop their own workflow which suits their personal style.

I strongly recommend bookmarking or downloading the NIK Collection 4 User Guide. This can be accessed under HELP in the lower left corner of each module or via this link https://help-nikcollection4.dxo.com/home

A free 30 day trial is available and there are special purchase and upgrade pricing until 30 June 2021 https://nikcollection.dxo.com/download/


Pricing
BUY
Until 30 June 2021        From 1 July 2021
Europe   €99.99       €149.00
US         $99.99        $149.00
UK        £89.99        £133.00

UPGRADE
Europe   €59.99   €79.00
US        $59.99        $79.00
UK        £49.99        £69.00