Nik Collection 4.2 also makes Nik Silver Efex and Nik Viveza compatible with the latest version of Capture One.
“With the 4.2 version of Nik Collection, users can now opt to run the software in ‘M1 native’ mode and enjoy an optimized user experience.” I can't testify to the increased speed of the update, as I use the Nik Collection on Intel-based Macs, but early user comments are positive. Up until now, they had to use Rosetta to be able to run Nik Collection," recalls Jean-Marc Alexia, Vice President Product Strategy.
"Users of Photoshop 22.3 (and later) working on a Mac M1 can run it in 'native' mode or with the Rosetta emulator. Its eight software plugins address every aspect of creative photography, including color and HDR photography, black-and-white conversion, and analog simulation. Nik Collection, combines 250 professional-quality presets with the flexibility of U Point™ local adjustment technology. The Nik creative suite also improves the performance of its software plugin, Nik Silver Efex, one of the most popular tools for black-and-white conversion. That means increased speed when used on Apple Silicon, and since Photoshop is already M1 compatible, it should make for a speedy bundle. The big headline here is "Native M1" Adobe Photoshop compatibility. They've undergone continuous upgrades since then, and this new version will please Mac users with the new M1 chips. Google bought the tools, then dropped them, and DXO rescued the popular photo-editing aids in 2017. Until then, I recommend considering other options first.Nik Tools (now called the Nik collection) has been around since 1995 as an Adobe plugin.
I would love to see DxO release a significant update to this entire collection of plug-ins, several of which had been among the top tools I would recommend.
And HDR Efex Pro is good, but I would say that Aurora HDR from Skylum Software is a better choice at this point. Sharpener Pro is very good, especially for photographers who are not comfortable with sharpening. I still think Silver Efex Pro (for creating black and white images) and Analog Efex Pro (for simulating analog film effects) are excellent. However, with the lack of any significant updates to the plug-ins included in the Nik Collection, I can’t recommend such a purchase all that highly. If you have not previously used the Nik Collection, it is still worth considering this package as a new purchase.
However, considering the existing plug-ins haven’t been updated with new features, and only one new plug-in has been added, I don’t consider this upgrade to be worth the price. There are a handful of other new features included with this update to the Nik Collection from DxO. A similar effect can be created in Lightroom Classic with a combination of Graduated Filter adjustments. But you can achieve an equally good effect with the Tilt-Shift blur filter in Photoshop.
The Miniature effect available in Perspective Efex enables you to create a miniaturization effect that mimics what can be achieved with a tilt-shift lens. However, I don’t feel it is any better than the Guided Edit for perspective correction that is included in Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw (and by extension, included in Photoshop). I consider this to be a high-quality plug-in that is able to provide great perspective corrections for photos. The major addition included with this update to the Nik Collection is Perspective Efex. However, there have been very few updates of any significance, in my opinion, since the collection was acquired by DxO. More Detail: Many readers are aware that I had been a big fan of the Nik Collection, and I still am a fan of a couple of the plug-ins in this set. I do not recommend paying for the upgrade. Tim’s Quick Answer: I have to say that I am disappointed in this upgrade to the DxO Nik Collection, in that it only adds one new plug-in, without any substantive updates to any of the existing plug-ins in the collection. Have you had a chance to look at these, and if so share whether it is worth the upgrade? I can’t find any information on new features for the plug-ins that are included in this collection. Today’s Question: I got a marketing email promoting a new release of the Nik Collection of plug-ins, now from DxO.