Review: DxO Nik Collection 7

Long before most of us even had digital cameras, let alone any of those new-fangled computerised editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Nik Multimedia Inc. had set to work on creating what would eventually evolve into the Nik Collection of filters and colouring tools that would later work with Photoshop, and also as standalone applications. 

As the digital age hit us with a cyber slap of inevitability, so Nik grew to become one of the most popular plugin sets for the increasingly dominant Adobe software dynasty.

But now in the 2020s, editing software has come a long way, and the majority of editing software now has its own in-house presets, filters, and an often-overwhelming array of other tools. So, does Nik's add-on package still offer any relevance and value in 2024?

What’s in the box, and what has changed?

Firstly, for those who aren't familiar, the Nik Collection is a suite of photo editing plugins intended for use with a host application, such as Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Photo or DxO PhotoLab. A lifetime licence will set you back $159 USD ($233 AUD).

Although I was running a much older version of Nik up until I took hold of Version 7, the basics and their functions remain familiar. But at the same time, the tools have become more defined, streamlined and more functional overall.

The collection comprises Nik Color Efex, a very capable colour filter-based editor, Silver Efex, the long-standing doyenne of black & white conversion and editing, Analog Efex, a flexible retro filter collection, Viveza for more advanced colouring, Dfine for noise reduction, plus Sharpener & HDR Efex, which do what they say on the box.

Missing from version 6 is Perspective Efex, which arguably best done in your main editing suite anyway.

The biggest improvements come with Color & Silver Efex, which now have greatly increased and more flexible control point-based selection tools to allow for more accurate adjustments to certain areas on an image, and Colour Efex has also gained luminosity masking and more tools and filter options, making it far more complete.

Dfine & HDR Efex and Sharpener are little changed and still capable, but you may prefer to do noise reduction and image blending results from your main editor. However, trying both options is a good idea to see which you prefer.

Additionally, there is now a much easier and faster option to switch between the apps, a quick export/snapshot option, the option of non-destructive editing, and a generally much faster working process.

In use

From a usability point the Nik Collection is comparative pleasure to play around with and to use. The apps feel like they were made for photographers, as opposed to being created by computers for technical wizards, which makes for a slower, more involved, and more rewarding user experience.

I’ve used the Nik Collection on and off for many years, and it was the magic of their black & white app Silver Efex that had me hooked.

Even after editing countless images on an event day, I always set aside a few to come back to later, and with a glass in hand and a tune in the background, I would waltz away with Silver Efex into the wee hours.

However in recent years and having worked without Nik for a while, I had grown to miss its simple and clean interface and powerful editing abilities. To use it again reminded me of what I'd been missing.

It’s a simple to use and powerful set of tools, which are a treat to use – even for light editor like me.

It’s worth noting that Nik only works with Jpeg and TIFF files, while RAW files first need converting through regular imaging software and then moving to Nik.

And, despite preconceptions, there seems to be little to no loss in image quality and editing capability in doing this.

The star attractions

Without a doubt, Color Efex and Silver Efex are the stars of the suite, and also the most improved apps in the collection as well. Both are a pleasure to use, and are extremely useful tools.

The results you can produce are superb – as they always were. The noticeable boost with the latest version 7 is they are faster and more precise in use and functionality.

For me, Silver Efex is still an amazing app, with great black & white film simulations options and infinite flexibility in the way you can apply them to create your own looks. It’s still ahead of anything else I’ve used for this kind of application.

Color Efex is indeed a powerful app, and one that I really need to spend more time grasping the essentials of.

For those who do like to go a little deeper on editing, combining this with Viveza can produce great results, and the user experience is a lot more fulfilling and organic in comparison to many of the main editing suites out there.

The results

Features ★ ★ ★ ★

There are some great apps with highly impressive and capable features in the collection, although many will perhaps not find so much use in some of the apps.

Compatibility ★ ★ ★ ★

Mac & Windows OS compatible, can be used with Lightroom Classic, Photoshop & Elements, Affinity Photo, Capture One (unofficially), DxO PhotoLab, and as a standalone apps.

Image quality ★ ★ ★ ★

The images that you can render and craft with these apps is superb, and better than you might expect.

Value for money ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

This is a one-off purchase, and it will run on your computer for as long as it lives. As a one-off purchase it is very good value. As an upgrade from version 6, there is less value for light users, but more for experienced editors.

The wrap up

To me, Color Efex and Silver Efex are the stars of the latest edition of the Nik collection, with Viveza being a sound wingman. The other apps are less prominent, as we mostly already have similar tools in our regular editing software, but they are still very capable. Surprisingly, I did find a lot of fun and some pleasing results in Analog Efex too.

In my view, the collection is worth the price of entry for Color and Silver Efex alone. If I was running a slightly older version, I would probably stick with that, although a more advanced editor will find the extended control point and masking capability well worth the upgrade.

There is a 30-day free trial on the collection (no payment details needed), so give it a spin for yourself at nikcollection.com.