DxO has announced the latest edition of its photo editing suite, Nik Collection 7. The update introduces a significant set of advancements for Nik Color Efex, better U Point local adjustment technology, workflow improvements, and several other improvements.
According to the company, Version 7 of the Nik Collection suite (which integrates seamlessly with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic, DxO Photolab, and Serif Affinity) adds options for elliptical and polygonal shapes, plus luminosity masks to the U Point technology that will promise users more control, as well as a significant speed boost to the suite “across the board” that includes a 30% faster opening, instant switching between plugins, and more.
“Nik Collection exists to accelerate visual creativity in any photography workflow. With version 7, not only have we maximized performance, but we’ve introduced new selection tools that deliver a remarkable level of control,” explains Boris Oliviero, Product Director. “As an upgrade, users get creativity, speed, and flexibility like never before.”
Speed Upgrades Everywhere
One of the more pronounced updates listed with DXO’s Nik Collection 7 is the speed improvements listed across all of the applications. Version 7 is said to increase performance by up to 30% in nearly every scenario, including opening files directly in the app as a standalone or from a hots program as a plugin. Additionally, the update allows users to quickly and effortlessly switch between plugins without returning to the host program (Photoshop), allowing for a smoother editing workflow.
Furthering this speed improvement, the company has built access to Nik Viveza from within the Nik Color Efex app for a more fluid and simplified process, giving users additional access to Nik Viveza as a filter from within Nik Color Efex. Version 7 of the Nik Collection also adds a Quick Search tool. It allows users to organize their custom presets and filters for faster access and a convenient Quick Export option for fast output of images from within a plugin.
U Point Local Adjustment Tool
The familiar U Point local adjustment tool has been expanded by three new tools that give users much more precision when making their selections. The upgrade adds a Polygonal Tool that allows users to quickly mask odd or irregular shapes, while standard Control Points can now be stretched or compressed into any elliptical form.
The improved color picker tool lets users choose a hue and tone for the adjustment to target that is independent from the placement of the adjustment itself, and Luminosity Masks can be used across the suite to target brightness levels.
Nik Color Efex Adds Extended HSL Filter
While the entire suite of apps has received a UI overhaul, Nik Color Efex seems to have received the bulk of the updates. These include a new Extended Hue Saturation and Luminosity (HSL) filter for altering color ranges and a new Vibrancy slider. These improvements include a new “stacking” feature that allows users to combine and reorder all filters in their collection as needed for creative effect.
The company also says that “for consistency,” Nik Perspective has been removed from Nik Collection 7, and “Thanks to parallel installation, owners of previous versions will be able to continue to use this plugin.”
Pricing and Availability
The Nik Collection 7 is available now from the DxO website for $159 and $89 for those upgrading from the previous version. A free 30-day trial is also available.