During the installation process, Google Nik Collection will link with Photoshop and with Lightroom and Aperture (if installed).
Installation is easy: Simply execute and install the downloaded file. Click the Download button to download the plug-in for Windows or MacOS. Installing the Google Nik Collection Screenshot: The link takes you directly to the download page of the Nik Collection. We will introduce you to the features of this versatile tool using three visually powerful examples. Google promises users to “easily create the photos you’ve imagined” with this Adobe plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture.
On the fence about whether to get Silver Efex Pro or not? Then I strongly suggest downloading the free 30-day trial to see if it fits your needs.Users were enthusiastic when Google made the Google Nik Collection available for free in March 2016. Even though all eight plugins are worth having, you might not find them useful if you’re here just for monochrome photography. The main downside is that you can’t get Silver Efex Pro without purchasing the entire Nik Collection.
But it is advanced enough to give you full control of the process (and even the possibility of selectively applying the adjustments) You don’t need much experience to get the most out of it. Silver Efex Pro is not particularly difficult to use. Lightroom, Photoshop, and other photo editors all have tools to convert and process monochrome images but they tend to either lack functionalities or be too complicated to use. It’s been trusted by photographers for well over a decade and I don’t see this change any time soon. The long answer: I truly believe that the majority of photographers who are interested in black and white photography will find Silver Efex Pro to be a great addition to their toolset. The short answer: Silver Efex Pro 3 is for photographers who wish to create beautiful monochrome photography. Now to the million-dollar question: Who is Silver Efex Pro for? It’s still used to apply adjustments locally but you’re not able to remove them from places.
Those that are familiar with Control Points from Color Efex Pro will find that the options and function is slightly different in Silver Efex Pro. These are similar to masks and can be used to apply adjustments to only specific areas within the image. Instead, they use something called Control Points. This isn’t a function found in any of the Nik Collection plugins. Many of you are familiar with Layers and Masks from Adobe Photoshop and other advanced post-processing tools. Create Selective Adjustments Using Control Points Again, you can change the name and save a preset as a favorite. The imported preset(s) will now be visible in the Imported section. Navigate to the preset file in the new window that opens, select it and click “ Open”.Click on the double arrow icon and select “ Import Preset” in the pop-up menu.Locate the “ Imported” section in the left panel.That being said, importing presets is still an option. A quick google search shows that there’s not much on the market. This isn’t quite the case for plugins in the Nik Collection. Purchasing presets for Lightroom is quite common and there is an abundance of providers (both photographers and companies) out there. Make the changes necessary to make each image look as good as possible. Keep in mind that you should still refine the adjustments after applying a preset.
Those that have used either Color Efex Pro 5 or Viveza 3 will find the Silver Efex Pro 3 interface quite familiar. Before Silver Efex Pro 3 After Silver Efex Pro 3 Silver Efex Pro 3 Interface and User Experience It’s the latter that’s most popular amongst intermediate photographers as it allows them to optimize each setting for the specific photo.
What I mean by this is that you have the option to use a preset, manually adjust a series of effects, or a combination of both. However, in this case, advanced doesn’t mean difficult. The concept (convert and edit black and white photography) is quite simple but there’s more to it than what first meets the eye. It’s part of the popular Nik Collection 5 ( click here to download a free 30-day trial with full access or read our Nik Collection review here) and along with Color Efex Pro 5, it’s seen as the most important plugin of the collection.
Silver Efex Pro is by many considered the holy grail of post-processing software for black & white photographers. That, and more, is exactly what you’ll learn in this Silver Efex Pro 3 review: What is Silver Efex Pro 3?