# Nik plugins for Lr



## wernerg (Dec 22, 2010)

I am currently running a trial of the Color Efex Pro plugin in Lr. I am thinking of getting the Complete Collection for Lr and Aperture since I would like to have both Color and Silver Efex and the Complete Collection for Lr and Aperture seems to be a relative bargain. But I am confused about how it operates as a plugin. It appears that you can only run one filter each time you enter one of the Nik packages. Within one filter you can adjust sliders, control point, etc but then you must "Save" which exits the plug-in and returns to Lr. If you want to do another edit with a different filter, even in the same package, you have to Edit-In again, select the copy mode and the plugin restarts. 

Am I doing this right? Is there really no way to move cummulatively from one filter to another in the same package?


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## sizzlingbadger (Dec 22, 2010)

That is the limitation of the plugins. I have the same issue and I'm considering upgrading to the photoshop plugins so I can run them as filters on layers etc.


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## wernerg (Dec 22, 2010)

That's a serious limitation.  I find it a bit frustrating to be constantly passing in and out of Lr and I've only had the trial for a few days.  There isn't really an alternative.  I have Capture NX2 and I like it a lot but C-NX2 apparantly only supports Color Efex, not Silver Efex or any of the other suites.  It seems like poor marketing since Capture NX2 is Nik's software also.  I'll work the trial until it ends and then try the Silver Efex trial and see just how annoying the process is. 

Thanks for the information.


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## wernerg (Dec 22, 2010)

I did some more work with my trial Color Efex Pro plugin last night. The B&W conversion filter and the Tone Papers filter work very nicely and include the color ranges that I like and use most often.... and yes, the Nik/Lr interface really is as clumsy and frustrating as I was afraid it would be. I think I can skip Silver Efex and the Complete Collection and just get Color Efex. I'm going to run a trial of the Capture NX2 version of Color Efex first. It looks like the filters act like any other filter in NX2, they are just sequential steps in the adjust list. I'll have to see how much they affect processing time after each adjustment but that seems like a much less clumsy interface. Color Efex for Capture NX2 is the only other bargain on the Nik price list. Maybe someday Nik will wise up and offer a Capture NX2 verision of Silver Efex. 

Thanks again for the info.

Update:  Apparantly Nik does not own Capture NX2, Nikon does.  Nik does contract work for Nikon and sells the product.  So any decisions about which Nik suites to interface with C-NX2 are Nikon's, not Nik's.  The similarity in the names is a coincidence.


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## wernerg (Dec 22, 2010)

I'm not sure how many people are interested in this (apparently not many) but I just learned about another technique for using the Nik Lightroom plugins that eliminates much of the clumsiness and doesn't require using the PS versions. Apparently the plugins are executable in Windows, you just drag and drop a tif on a shortcut and they start up. You don't need Lr, PS or anything. 

What you need is a desktop folder with shortcuts to the executables for each Nik plugin that you have. Also keep the raw file folder that Lr is using open in Windows. Then

1. Use "Edit In" in Lr to call the first of the Nik plugins you intend to use. It creates a tiff, names it and opens the plug in.
2. Process the first filter and save.
3. Drag the edited tiff you just saved from the raw file folder to any one of the Nik shortcuts, and that module will open. At this point you are bypassing Lr but it still monitors the status of the tiff and updates itself. You can use as many filters from as many modules as you need. 
4. Keep saving and dragging and dropping the same tif from the raw file folder until you are done 
5. Go back to Lr and the final "Edit.tif" will be there. 

It's not pretty but it works. It's probably as fast as working in PS and a lot cheaper, certainly faster than working through Lr's dialogs. One big downside to all these methods is that there is no memory of how you got there. Nothing is saved except the final tif. You could make intermediate copies but what would you do with them? What do you do with the various layers that these plugins create in PS? Do they do anymore than take up storage space in the PSD file? 

As it stands now I guess the possiblily of getting the complete package as Lr plugins is still open. On the other hand... In Capture NX2 the individual filters become adjustment steps, saved with the raw file and restored with their current settings when you open reopen the raw file. If the full suite were available in NX2 this would be a no brainer.


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## canyonlight (Dec 23, 2010)

I have to agree that there is a somewhat confusing approach when using the Nik plug-ins in Lightroom. With HDR Efex you export with a preset. With the others you have to "Edit In" and figure out for yourself how to set up "Edit In" each time you use it. I love the Nik applications, but it would be way cool if there was a less mysterious way to consistently use them from Lightroom.


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## wernerg (Dec 23, 2010)

Stan,  Even with the trick I posted in #5, the Lr / Nik interface is still a cludge.  Everytime you hit the Save button in the Nik window the settings are lost.  If you do multiple filters you may not even remember which filters were used to get you to the final image.  I am going to start the Color Efex for Capture NX2 trial tomorrow and see how that goes.  It is already clear that each filter becomes an adjustment step in NX2 and can be saved with the raw file with its parameters.  Much more sensible.  Unfortunately if I end up taking the NX2 route it is going to drive me back to using NX2 more as a raw converter and will relegate Lr to being just an expensive file organizer.


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## Roscoe17 (Dec 30, 2010)

Wow, I was just about to pull the trigger on the collection for LR.  This is disappointing news.  I'm a stickler for my workflow and I can see this driving me crazy.  Maybe spending more for the PS version may make more sense.

When you say the settings are lost, do you mean like when you export a jpeg you have no clue how you got there?

I wonder if I buy the LR version if there's an upgrade path...


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## sizzlingbadger (Dec 30, 2010)

Roscoe17 said:


> When you say the settings are lost, do you mean like when you export a jpeg you have no clue how you got there?
> I wonder if I buy the LR version if there's an upgrade path...


 
Yes you cannot tell which filter(s) you used. In the PS version you can use layers and name them which I think would look similar to NX2.

I contacted NIK about upgrading from the Lightroom/Aperture suite to the Aperture/Lightroom/Photoshop suite and they will do it if you call them.

Thank you for contacting Nik Software.

Yes, you can upgrade from the Aperture/Lightroom Edition to the Ultimate Collection which includes Photoshop for $300.00. That is basically the difference you would have paid had you purchased the Complete Ultimate Collection to begin with. 

When you're ready to upgrade, please contact our Customer Service Department toll free at 1-888-284-4085 (+1-619-725-3150 outside of the US) and we'd be happy to assist you with your upgrade. Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm PST.

Best Regards,
The Nik Software Team


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## wernerg (Jan 3, 2011)

FWIW, I've given up on the Nik/Lr plugins and uninstalled the trials.  I also installed the Color Efex trial for Capture NX2 and it is a true integrated plugin.  Every Nik filter functions exactly like a built-in NX2 filter and everything is saved and recoverable.  It even contains the core functions of Silver Efex so I can do B&W that match the vibrancy of Silver Efex.  It's disappointing because this drives me further away from using Lr as the basis for PP.  Now it becomes just an expensive photo organizer.  

BTW sizzlingbadger, my neighbor downloaded the Silver Efex trial for PS and it keeps crashing on him.  Make sure you test it thoroughly before committing cash.


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