Nik Collection 5 Review: The Best Photography Plugin

In this Nik Collection 5 review, you’ll find how to utilize Nik Collection with straightforward steps, and my experience employing this popular photography plugin.

The latest version of DxO`s photo editing suite is Nik Collection 5. This powerful editing tool allows photos to be enhanced conveniently and easily. Nik Collection Version 5 includes eight unique photo enhancement tools to improve images. However, it requires time and practice to become familiar with the different plugins and is not perfectly easy to use initially.

I’ve been utilizing this software for many years, and my experience has consistently been positive. In this article, I’ll demonstrate the most recent version of Nik Collection 5, released in June 2022, with a step-by-step process and plenty of examples, including the best approach to use Nik Collection 5 in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Is the Nik Collection 5 worth purchasing? Keep reading, and you’ll soon find out!

• • What is Nik Collection 5?
  • Nik Collection 5 Tutorial
  • How to utilize Nik Collection 5 in Photoshop
  • Guidelines for utilizing Nik Collection 5 in Lightroom
  • Nik Collection 5 pricing and packages
  • Conclusion – My personal experience utilizing Nik Collection 5

What is Nik Collection 5 by DXO?

Nik Collection is the most complete package of inventive plugins for digital photo editing. This software offers different tools to correct, enhance, and stylize images during post-processing.

Unlike conventional presets, Nik Collection provides a comprehensive suite with powerful tools to customize any creative look and maximize control over the adjustments.

Nik Collection 5 includes the following plugins involved in the process of photography

• • Color Efex Pro 5: incorporates over 50 filters to regulate color, contrast, clarity, and brightness in an image. This is the most well-known tool in the bundle. It has obtained an update in this version.
  • Viveza 3: the filters in this package are helpful to extract color and contrast out of our images.
  • Dfine 2: it’s aimed at decreasing noise in your images.
  • Sharpener Pro 3: enhances clarity in RAW images and gets them ready to be edited in the photo editor of your choice.
  • A photo editing tool: as its name suggest, it creates HDR images.
  • Silver Efex Pro 3: it’s a complete package to generate monochrome imagery.
  • Analog Efex Pro 3: these filters intend to create a similar look to analog photography in your images. This tool received an enhancement in this version.
  • Perspective Efex: this tool alteration the angle perspective and straightens issues in your images .

Nik Collection 5 Tutorial

This software is straightforward and simple to navigate. In this section, I’ll break down how one canutilize Nik Collection 5 in a few basic steps.

Nik Collection 5 DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATIOn

You are able to download Nik Collection free of charge by applying the trial version on the . This trial version is accessible for 30 days, permitting you to employ and evaluation all the Nik Collection 5 plugins without restrictions.

1. 1. Acquire and install Nik Collection. You can either download Nik Collection at no cost and try it for 30 days or purchase the full version immediately here.
   2. Once the installation is complete, Nik Collection will be accessible both as a standalone program and as a plugin for compatible Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom.
   3. Run any of the included plugins to either start the free trial or enter your license code and start using the Nik Collection 5 plugins.

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Nik Collection 5 plugins review

For this Nik Collection audit, I’m breaking down the 8 plugins incorporated into the package. You’ll see a summary of what each Nik Collection plugin is best for and a graphic example of the Nik Collection before and after effect .

COLOR EFEX PRO

Color Efex Pro is undoubtedly the most popular graphic editor in the Nik Collection suite, and its interface has been fully redesigned in this Nik Collection 5 version. This editor consists of varied imaginative effects that photographs can be given to accomplish a more artistic result.

Ambiance, illumination, color modifications, and much more can be added. Over 50 artistic looks are available for selection.

Personally, this Nik Collection 5 plugin is my favorite tool that I utilize most frequently as part of my standard process. However, it is easy to overdo the outcomes, so I advise applying them subtly and judiciously.

The Nik Collection Color Efex software provides extra finishing touches to images .

VIVEZA

Viveza by Nik Collection aims to adjust the colors and contrast in your photos.

Using this digital filter, you have the ability to selectively alter the brightness, contrast, or color saturation in a particular region of your image.

It’s a highly capable photo editing tool that I specifically appreciate in the editing method of my Milky Way photography, where my aim is to get additional vibrancy and contrast in the Milky Way region of my image.

Utilize Viveza to alter the shades and differentiation in your pictures .

DFINE

In the Nik Collection 5 suite,Dfine is the only plugin created to decrease noise in your images. It’s very straightforward and effective, and it’s considered one of the best noise-reduction softwareon the market.

Dfine presents two modes: manual and automatic. The auto mode does a fantastic job most of the time.

While the Nik Collection Dfine is effective for reducing noise, I tend to prefer using TopazDenoise AI; it provides the best noise reduction thanks to advances in AI. You can check it out in our review linked below.

Dfine reduces noise while maintaining image sharpness .

SHARPENER PRO

Sharpener Pro is the application dedicated to enhancing the sharpness of visuals. Possessing an distinct image is extremely important to retain the quality in both screen display and printouts. There are three approaches to utilize Sharpener Pro:

• • Raw pre-sharpener: To refine your Raw documents. This is particularly helpful if you decide to use Nik Collection in its independent version.
  • Discriminative sharpening: To enhance the important areas of your images like textures in a landscape, eyes in a portrait, or wildlife shots and so on.
  • Output Sharpening: To apply the final sharpening as per the kind of display where you want your image to be seen.

Always watch for edges with a glow. Try to decrease the amount of sharpening if you start seeing outlines in your picture.

While this plugin is adequate, I personally prefer Topaz Sharpen AI; apart from sharpening, extracting more detail, and fewer artifacts, it’s the best software to remedy out-of-focus images. You can view examples in our Sharpen AI review.

Nik Collection Sharpener Pro improves the detail visible in your photographs .

HDR EFEX PRO

Nik Collection`s HDR Efex Pro creates a high dynamic range image from a series of photos or a solitary picture. However, I’ve found that the outcomes from all the diverse 45 presets regularly look overly bold and fake.

HDR Efex Pro performs at its finest on photos containing deep shadows, doing a great job retrieving shadow details. Also, consider placing emphasis on applying HDR Efex Pro to the RAW document; that`s where it will have the most information to extract.

HDR Efex Pro does an excellent job of extracting details from shadow regions .

SILVER EFEX PRO

Silver Efex Pro is one of the most well-respected plugins in DxO’s Nik Collection 5. The sole purpose of this tool is creating black and white versions of images. It allows a wide range of controls to finesse the final appearance.

THE NIK COLLECTION SILVER EFEX PRO SOFTWARE OFFERS MANY CAPABILITIES FOR CREATING REMARKABLE IMAGES IN BLACK AND WHITE .

ANALOG EFEX PRO

With Analog Efex Pro, you can create a vintage effect in your images to make them appear as if they were captured using a film camera.

There are different presets, and you can add vignettes, dirt & scratches, and emulate that unique look you only get from utilizing film cameras.

Analog Efex Pro imitates the film appearance you can’t get with digital cameras .

PERSPECTIVE EFEX

The final plugin covered in this Nik Collection assessment and the most recently created by DxO is perspective Efex, a filter that many Nik Collection users have been requesting for years.

Perspective Efex is an advanced tool aimed at correcting perspective deformation and other optical flaws. DxO offers an enormous database of cameras and lenses so you can correct distortions with one click.

It also contains more sophisticated tools for repairing extreme transformations, creating it the optimal Nik Collection 5 plugin for architectural photos and other visuals where the deformation can divert attention from the viewer.

Nik Collection Perspective Efex corrects issues of distortion and perspective in images.

Nik collection 5 workflow

Once you open your image files using Nik Collection, the interface alters depending on the photographic filter selected, but most include similar functions like a top bar to view the before and after comparisons, a zoom tool, the histogram, etc.

You can also alter the settings for that particular filter from the “Settings” option in the bottom left corner.

If you opt to utilize the Nik Collection as a standalone version, I advise pursuing the workflow suggested by DxO:

1. 1. Use Perspective Efex to fix the perspective distortion
   2. Apply the Raw-Sharpener tool using Sharpener Pro
   3. Reduce the noise with Dfine
   4. Balance the colour and lighting with Viveza
   5. Apply inventive styles and enhancements with Color Efex Pro
   6. If needed, transform your image to black and white using Silver Efex Pro
   7. Reapply the final sharpening using Sharpener Pro once more

Other effects like Analog Efex Pro or HDR Efex Pro may also be applied after decreasing the noise in Dfine.

Note: Nik Collection 5 as a standalone version only loads, adjusts, and saves either Jpeg or TIFF files. If you decide to use the Nik Collection for your entire workflow, you should convert your RAW into Jpeg or TIFF (recommended) first. For this, you can use LR, PS, or your camera’s free image editor.

Now let’s delve deeper into how to run Nik Collection 5 as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom:

How to use Nik Collection 5 plugin in Photoshop

The Nik Collection 5 Photoshop plugin seamlessly integrates into your Photoshop workflow. Applying the filters is straightforward, and there are plenty of tools to customize each filter as desired.

Why do you require Nik Collection if you have Photoshop? Nik Collection simplifies the approach of applying innovative visual designs to your images. You could theoretically replicate Nik Collection’s advanced filters in Photoshop, but that would take many hours of research and fine-tuning. Even after that, adjusting the settings wouldn’t be as rapid and intuitive as it is in Nik Collection 5.

To use Nik Collection 5 in Photoshop:

1. 1. Duplicate the layer or create a Smart Object layer to apply non-destructive modifications.
   2. Navigate to Filter > Nik Collection then choose the desired Nik Collection plugin.
   3. Make your adjustments to the image.
   4. Once complete, click OK. Nik Collection will then process the image and import it back into Photoshop so you can continue editing.

Nik Collection will automatically create a new layer with the modifications you applied. If you used the filter on a Smart Object, then these changes will be applied as smart filters, which you can customize as many times as necessary.

Alternatively, the Nik Collection 5 plugin for photoshop can be launched using the Nik Collection selective tool. This quick toolbar permits accessing shortcuts and presets that have been designed to accelerate image editing through the Nik Collection filter.

This tool indicated a big difference between the DXO Nik Collection version compared to the old Google’s Nik Collection version, which has been discontinued for years.

If the Nik Collection Selective Tool cannot be viewed, go to File > Automate > Nik Collection Selective Tool.

How to use Nik Collection plugin in Lightroom

Nik Collection 5 by DxO is also available as a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom. It represents a perfect fit for Lightroom since it expands its abilities and transforms it into a complete editing instrument.

To use Nik Collection 5 in Lightroom:

1. 1. Right click on the image you want to run through Nik Collection and go to Edit In > Then choose the Nik Collection plugin you want to use.
   2. Select one of the tree options to modify the image:

• • • . This is the standard mode to initiate the Nik Collection in Lightroom.
    • “ Edit a Copy” to alter the original Nik Collection settings in a different file.
    • “Repurpose Original” to alter the initial Nik Collection settings in the same document.

1. 3. Once the Nik Collection plugin opens, apply the adjustments to the photograph.
   4. Select Save all and allow Nik Collection to process the image and return it to Lightroom.

One of the most impactful capabilities of the Nik Collection 5 plugin for Lightroom is the non-destructive workflow, where you can return to the file and readjust the effects that you had previously applied.

Note: This Nik collection non-destructive option only works with TIFF documents. When you want to get back to your edit and change/apply new adjustments, launch the Nik Collection Plugin in Lightroom again, and select either the “Edit a Copy” or “Edit original” options to modify the original Nik Collection adjustments in a new file or the original file .

Nik Collection 5 price & Bundle

The cost of DxO Nik Collection 5 is $149 for lifelong use, a reasonable price considering the variety of tools provided.

Still unsure? Download DxO Nik Collection 5 for free and try it for 30 days. The best aspect about this trial interval, unlike other companies, is you get to try Nik Collection 5 without limitations or watermarks. Give it a try; it won’t disappoint you!

If you want the best value, you should contemplate the Nik Creative Bundle. This package combines DxO Nik Collection 5 and DxO PureRaw 2, the top noise reduction software we`ve tested so far.

If you want to learn more about PureRaw 2, read about our DxO PureRaw 2 assessment.