Nik Collection 8 is the annual update and refresh to the DxO Nik Collection, which consists of seven different plug-ins for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic, but which can also run as standalone applications and work as external editors for many other programs. Silver Efex gets a significant overhaul in this version, but other the big news is enhanced and updated integration with Adobe Photoshop and its masking tools.
Let’s start with what’s new for Photoshop users. Not everyone uses Photoshop, of course, but for those that do, the changes in Nik Collection 8 are pretty far-reaching. The most obvious change is a new dockable Photoshop palette to replace the old ‘floating’ Nik palette. This fits in better with the Photoshop interface and can be expanded or collapsed as required.
Beyond that, though, it’s now possible to transfer masks created in Photoshop to Nik plug-ins for further editing and to transfer masks created in the Nik software back to Photoshop. The idea is to make your masks available and editable at every stage of your workflow. You can also send your Nik edits back to Photoshop as new layers even as you continue to work in the Nik software, generating multiple alternatives to compare and work on later.
What’s new in Nik Silver Efex 8
Silver Efex is the Nik plug-in for black and white photography, and it’s the only of the plug-ins in the suite to get a major update in this version. The biggest change is to the interface, which has now been streamlined to match Analog Efex and Color Efex, with filters displayed in the left sidebar and, when you select a preset, the right sidebar now only shows those filters that the preset uses. This helps clear up what was previously a somewhat busy set of tools.
Other new features in Silver Efex 8 include the ability display the original color image as a reference to help with tonal conversions, and new local adjustment capability for DxO’s ClearView and Selective Tones adjustments.
None of these are new tools and effects, so Silver Efex’s capabilities remain as before, but the interface redesign is itself a big step forward.
There is also a new Color Mask tool which features in Nik Color Efex but is available across the suite of Nik plug-ins, which also includes Analog Efex, HDR Efex, Viveza, Sharpener and Dfine.
Nik Collection 8 pricing
Nik Collection 8 is available now and costs $159.99/£149.99 for new users and $89.99/£79.99 as an upgrade from Nik Collection 6 or 7. There’s also a free 30-day Nik Collection 8 trial to help you make your mind up.
