nik Color Efex Pro, a Photoshop compatible plug-in Review

“The nik filters allow photographers to apply complex numerous step processes by simply adjusting sliders while looking at a preview and clicking ok.”

he nik Color Efex Pro is an extensive set of digital filters for adding enhancements to images within the Photoshop environment. The value of these filters is

in the combining of great power with ease of use. Many photographers I know edit their images under the time constraints and deadlines of their clients. The nik filters allow photographers to apply complex numerous step processes by simply adjusting sliders while looking at a preview and clicking ok. The timesavings are invaluable.

If timesavings were the only advantage that would not be enough to entice many to purchase the filters. I myself am willing to put in more hours if I can save some money. Fortunately for nik, their easy of use is exceeded only by their power and usefulness.

With filters such as Polarization, Skylight, Sunshine, and Color Graduates, it is clear they were designed with digital photography in mind. As their names imply, these filters allow one to apply effects digitally in the computer that mimic real lens filters. These are not for comprehensive color correction, but instead for tweaking or stylizing your images.

Lets take a look.

The nik Color Efex Skylight filter subtly removes the blue coolness in a photo and adds a pinkish warmth with an extra added snap or contrast. You control the intensity of the effect by a slider, easily adjusted by viewing the interactive preview window. Here the filter is used to overcome the bleakness of an densely overcast day. The Skylight filter is especially good at adding a healthy glow to peoples complexions.

The nik Polarization filter acts much like its real world counterpart, darkening the blue in skies and adding a little richness or saturation to the rest of the photo. Notice in the above example the increased snap and contrast in the clouds along with the darkened blue sky. It does not however remove reflections from shiny surfaces.

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The Brilliance/Warmth filter can add warmness to a photo similar to an 81 series optical warming filter. In addition it can increase the warm color saturation in the photo. In the example the filter was pushed to the extreme resulting in the glowing colors. In more normal use the Brilliance/Warmth filter excels at adding a subtle warmth to an image, and in this capacity it is one of our most used filters in the collection.

This filter can also be used to warm tone a RGB/CMYK black and white image. The effects are pleasing, and like other nik filters are not easily duplicated using the standard Photoshop controls.

The nik Contrast Color filters come in red, blue, green, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Each filter will lighten its own color and darken its opposite. For example, the contrast red filter will lighten any of the red colors in the photo and darken its opposite cyan, effectively darkening a sky. The effect is the same as using optical color filters for black and white photography. The difference is the nik filters work on color images not black and white. Notice in the example how the yellow on the building is lightened and brought forward while the sky is darkened. With color images the nik contrast color filters offer a simple way to dodge and burn in photos, without the need to make masks.

The nik Color Efex Pro Sunshine filter allows you to add light to an image controlling the quality of light and how it is cast. This is the most complex and powerful filter in the set, with several adjustable parameters producing a myriad of possibilities. This filter is most effective with images where the overall lighting is flat and dull. Used properly and with the right image, results can be spectacular.

The nik Old Photo filter gives a stylized period or antique look. The monochromatic image can be tinted towards the cool or warm side. Controls allow for adding grain and controlling highlight detail to add to the stylized effect.

nik Color Efex Pro offers yet another digital copy of optical filters with their Graduated Color series. The graduates are available in shades of blue, yellow, orange, blood, moss, coffee, gray and user defined. The degree of control is impressive allowing precise placement, density, and blending with the image.

Almost all my original images are shot on color slides. My black and white photos are conversions from color. nik’s solution is the B/W Conversion filter. The results are similar but not the same as using the channel mixer in Photoshop. The nik B/W filter produces less image noise than channel mixer and is more intuitive and easier to use. The B/W filter allows selecting the color spectrum to base the conversion on much like using color lens filters for shooting black and white film.

The key to success with this filter is to pop the colors in the image before converting. Another trick to try is to make 2 copies of the image and convert each using different color spectrum settings. Then use the history brush to composite the two images. This allows for greater control and better contrast range though out the image. nik offers a tutorial on the history brush and other image editing techniques, in the users manual.

The nik Color Efex Midnight filter is a stylizing filter that transforms day into nighttime while lending a soft ethereal glow to the image. This Midnight filter and the Monday Morning shown below are great for adding a stylized glow to images.

The Monday Morning filters are similar to the Midnight filters but offer a touch of noise along with an early morning foggy look.

The complete set of nik Color Efex contains many more filters than discussed here. nik offers them for sale as packaged sets based on their intended purposes.

Unlike so many other plug-ins for Photoshop, the nik Multimedia Color Efex Pro filters are truly useful. If you are new to Photoshop the nik filters will allow you to simply apply some very powerful effects. If you are a Photoshop power user the nik filters will save you time by simplifying multiple step processes. Their ease of use encourages experimentation and experimenting is where the fun comes in as the results using multiple filters varies depending on the order in which the filters are used.

What’s not to like? The nik filters do some fairly intensive image processing. If you work on digital files you probably already know that the more an image is processed the more the noise is increased. Nik filters do increase noise in images. Although had you used Photoshop’s tools such as brightness/contrast and hue/saturation to try and achieve the same results, the noise would have been increased as well.

In summary the nik Color Efex Pro filters offer useful if not downright exciting effects and are great time savers. Try them out for yourself. A demo is available.

Enjoy,

Mike and Tammy

B/W Conversion

Midnight Filter

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After

“”The Skylight filter is especially good at adding a healthy glow to peoples complexions.”

Before

Changing the weather

“ the nik Color Efex Sunshine filter was used to convert the scene from a dull overcast day to a bright sunny one”
Converting a Color Image to Black and White

“The magic in this technique is the use of two separate black and white conversions, one for the sky, and one for the trees.”
Creative Controls F-stops & Depth of Field

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How to Improve the Image Quality of your Camera

By using a tripod, slower shutter speeds can be utilized allowing the aperture of the lens to be stopped down increasing depth of field
Lens choices for landscape photography

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Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 1 - Quaility of Light

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Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 2- Light , Color, and Composition

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Long Lens Landscapes

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Canadian North Atlantic Coast

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Waiting for the right light

"Planning for the light means selecting the time of year and the time of day"
Tutorials and Reviews Index

After

“Many users I suspect will be willing to buy the nik Color Efex Pro set just for the Sunshine filter.”

Before Sunshine

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After Sunshine

Old Photo Filter

“Unlike so many other plug-ins for Photoshop, the nik Multimedia Color Efex Pro filters are truly useful.”

Graduated Warm Yellow

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Skylight Filter

Polarization

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Brilliance/Warmth

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Contrast Filter Red

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Monday Morning Filter

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