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NIK plug ins

Posted: Wed 14 Oct 2009 22:54
by Leen Koper
I recently got the bundled software of NIK , Viveza, Sharpener, Dfine, Silver Efex and Color Efex. I only touched the surface of it, but it is worth every penny! I only used the sharpener, the skin softener, the soft focus, the B&W filter and some other filters, but the results are exceptional.

The sharpener is immediately correct, not like the old NIK sharpener which you always had to use on a layer and pull back to about 50%. The skin softener works perfectly; new is the automatic creation of a new layer on which the filter is applied (like on all other filters by NIK) so you can add as much as you like. And the possibilities of the Silver Efects are endless, among others a filter that mimics my former favourites (yes I am that old) Agfapan 100 and 400!

But the thing that surprised me most was the soft focus filter. It is just like the old Softar made by Carl Zeiss. Wonderful!This bundled software really is the most exciting thing next to Photoshop and the best invention after sliced bread; I really am enthousiastic about it and that is a rare occurence.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 17:39
by pam.meier
Leen, I would love to get the NIK filters, but they are incredibly expensive. Did you get some kind of discount?

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 18:08
by Leen Koper
Yes, they are expensive. But you can buy one at a time. Moreover, there is a trial period of 15 days, so you can see for yourself which one you think is of great help to you.

Some results with NIK efex Pro...

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 20:54
by RudyDusslier
Goodevening everybody,

Underneath some pictures with the classical soft focus efex pro plugin. All these pictures have been PP with Lab colors, 10% Lucisart and after that soft focus.

Does anybody know if it woks already in 64bit?

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Thanks for looking,
Greetings,
Rudy.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 21:17
by Leen Koper
Those are really lovely. Just the shop interior is a little overdone in Lucis to my liking.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 21:51
by RudyDusslier
Hello Leen,

I agree the shop interior is not the best. It´s very strange, but the picture you see on the forum doesn´t look the same as the one I see on my screen with the original pixels. The saturation and the contast is missing . Is there some explanation for this?

Greetings,
Rudy

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 22:04
by Leen Koper
It might be you are viewing this on a non calibrated monitor now?

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Mon 19 Oct 2009 22:06
by RudyDusslier
I look on the same monitor.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Tue 20 Oct 2009 17:47
by pam.meier
Rudy, some browsers cannot display color profiles. Sounds like you used Adobe RGB in this image and see it in sRGB.
I like those images, but I would reduce the effect. Will try out the soft focus and other NIK soon.

Best,
Pam
DrDusslierR wrote:Hello Leen,

I agree the shop interior is not the best. It´s very strange, but the picture you see on the forum doesn´t look the same as the one I see on my screen with the original pixels. The saturation and the contast is missing . Is there some explanation for this?

Greetings,
Rudy

Web browsers and colour profiles... Thanks Pamela

Posted: Tue 20 Oct 2009 20:27
by RudyDusslier
Rudy, some browsers cannot display color profiles. Sounds like you used Adobe RGB in this image and see it in sRGB.
I like those images, but I would reduce the effect. Will try out the soft focus and other NIK soon.
Best, Pam
You are totally right Pamela, I changed the original picture already by the sRGB one. I was reading about this in a Scott Kelby book some time ago, but while I never had a problem with this before, I didn't take care. This was a good lesson...
Thanks...

BTW, the difference is enormous:
The sRGB version:
Image

and the Adobe version:
Image

Greetings,

Rudy

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 00:21
by pam.meier
Now I have bought the NIK collection and like it a lot.

What kind of filters of the color efex, for example, do you like using the most?

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 00:54
by Leen Koper
The three most used, as a portraitist:
Dynamic skin softener. It saves me a lot of time and, most important, it creates automatically a layer so I can reduce the opacity partly or as a whole.
Classical soft focus.
Skylight.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 14:35
by pam.meier
Why do you use skylight?

I like adding a little glamour glow ;)

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 21:38
by Leen Koper
Pam, I use skylight mainly to give a nice warm colour to the background and erase about 50% of it from the person(s) in the image. Works very well for me. It brings a nice colour I could as well do in Photoshop, but not that easy.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 21:45
by pam.meier
Leen, I will try that out!

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Fri 26 Mar 2010 22:13
by Leen Koper
Of course it applies only to environmental portraits on location outside.

Re: NIK plug ins

Posted: Sat 27 Mar 2010 23:42
by RudyDusslier
Good evening Pamela and Leen,

A very interesting discussion between you about those filters, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I like those filters very much as well.
Underneath a landscape from this afternoon PP with glamour glow.

Image

Greetings,
Rudy