# NIK Software



## happycranker (Dec 12, 2015)

I am wondering if NIK (Google) software is not going to have any more updates, as we were afraid of when Google bought them. I read that a number of employees have moved to another company and that applications like ONE are taking the baton over. Does anyone have any actual knowledge of what is happening?


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## clee01l (Dec 12, 2015)

I'm sure that no one here knows or could say so if they did.  Google has not demonstrated a preference for maintaining and extending third party software after buying the company and absorbing the technology that attracted Google in the first place.  It would not surprise me to see Google drop Nik software like Dropbox has recently done with acquisitions Carousel & Mailbox.


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## johnbeardy (Dec 12, 2015)

Snapseed, which they have continued to develop, is a former Nik product and I suspect Google have retained the developers while letting the marketing and management guys move on. One joined the Lightroom team.


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## LouieSherwin (Dec 13, 2015)

It seems to me that Google has focused on Snapseed and the new Photos app and there has been almost no new work done on the Nik Collection since they first acquired Nik software. I think that they really wanted Snapseed and that is why they purchased the company but the Nik Collection doesn't strike me as a key part of their business. Hopefully it will be eventually spun off to someone who does want that market much in the way they spun off the Sketchup tool.

I hope I'm wrong and they have just been focused on the Photos roll out and will get back to the Nik Collection soon. They are really useful tools and I still use them. 

-louie


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## happycranker (Dec 17, 2015)

It was MacPhun’s Noiseless Pro plugin team, which had ex - Nik employees. I knew I has seen it somewhere!


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## happycranker (Dec 23, 2015)

Thanks for every ones input, I guess I knew the answer but it was good to hear from other people and confirm my suspicions. Yes I still use NIK plugins too and would be lost without Silver FX Pro! I wonder if there will be a similar offering from another company in the future, with updated functionality and algorithms of course?!


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## RikkFlohr (Dec 23, 2015)

Here is the Nik Update History if you want to monitor it: https://support.google.com/nikcollection/answer/4400822?hl=en


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## Jim W (Dec 23, 2015)

Thanks, Rikk. It's encouraging to see some fairly recent activity, and I hope it continues.

Enjoy,

Jim


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## clee01l (Dec 23, 2015)

Jim W said:


> Thanks, Rikk. It's encouraging to see some fairly recent activity, and I hope it continues.
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Jim


It looks to me like this activity consisted entirely of bug fixes and routine maintenance to keep the app functioning in updated Operating systems. No ne functionality has been added.


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## Jim W (Dec 23, 2015)

Cletus,
I agree, yes. Im pretty happy with the current feature set, and I'm happy they are at least fixing bugs and compatibility issues.

Enjoy,

Jim


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## Ian.B (Dec 25, 2015)

I always believed Google was not going to add any more updates to the Nik collection, what is there is there and that's it. That suits me; less dramas.


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## plugsnpixels (Jan 4, 2016)

I was familiar with Nik long before Google bought their software, and I was surprised that Google charged for their eventual branded release. I see from the development log that nothing has happened lately and I wonder if that will slow down even more as time goes on.


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## clee01l (Jan 4, 2016)

plugsnpixels said:


> ... I see from the development log that nothing has happened lately and I wonder if that will slow down even more as time goes on.


How do you get slower than "nothing has happened lately"?


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## plugsnpixels (Jan 4, 2016)

Perhaps I should say, the length between those dates will get longer if and when there is any further activity.


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## happycranker (Mar 26, 2016)

The final death throw, NIK is now free from Google!


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## Fred Stephenson (Jan 31, 2017)

clee01l said:


> It looks to me like this activity consisted entirely of bug fixes and routine maintenance to keep the app functioning in updated Operating systems. No ne functionality has been added.


It's free now. I really like Silver Effects Pro. Enjoy


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## Colin Grant (Feb 2, 2017)

It has been free for a long time now. The question really is how long before a system update breaks it forever. It is for that reason that I will not use it, there have been no undertakings from Google to keep the Nik suite updated - not that I know of anyway.


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## Fred Stephenson (Feb 2, 2017)

Granted, you can do some of nearly the same things with some LR B/W presets. Have you even tried it? Silver Effects Pro 2 does a lot of things quick. Don't think there has been an update in about five years. I really enjoy working with monochrome and I've never seen anything close to it. Open for suggestions, though.


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## Colin Grant (Feb 2, 2017)

It is all down to personal choice but there are other products out there that will do what Silver Efex 2 does. They are not free but free does not alway mean future proof.


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## Fred Stephenson (Feb 2, 2017)

As long as they keep up the bug fix


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## Johan Elzenga (Feb 2, 2017)

Fred Stephenson said:


> As long as they keep up the bug fix



Don't hold your breath. The last bug fix was 1.5 years ago, so it seems Google has stopped even bug fixes.


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## Robert Reiser (Feb 5, 2017)

At some point the Nik plugins will just stop working, likely due to new OS requirements or developments (applies to both Mac and Win). I would start looking for alternatives.


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## PhilBurton (Feb 5, 2017)

JohanElzenga said:


> Don't hold your breath. The last bug fix was 1.5 years ago, so it seems Google has stopped even bug fixes.


Nik software doesn't really fit in with the rest of Google's products, which are "low common denominator" for really mass markets.  It's no surprise that they have discontinued both development and bug fixes.

Phil


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## LouieSherwin (Feb 6, 2017)

Google only wanted SnapSeed so they bought the company, integrated SnapSeed into Google photos and dumped the rest. There was a lot of BS how they would continue to develop the other Nik tools but it is clearly a dead product. 

I am glad for the Nik team that clearly made a bundle on the sale but quite disappointed with the loss of another great product swallowed up spit out by a global behemoth. The same happened to iView Media Pro.

-louie


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## mcasan (Feb 8, 2017)

If you liked the Nik plugins, try the Macphun apps.....if you have a Mac.


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## Fred Stephenson (Feb 8, 2017)

LouieSherwin said:


> Google only wanted SnapSeed so they bought the company, integrated SnapSeed into Google photos and dumped the rest. There was a lot of BS how they would continue to develop the other Nik tools but it is clearly a dead product.
> 
> I am glad for the Nik team that clearly made a bundle on the sale but quite disappointed with the loss of another great product swallowed up spit out by a global behemoth. :(The same happened to iView Media Pro.
> 
> -louie


It's a great product but I guess they're more interested in new things like the Google phone.


mcasan said:


> If you liked the Nik plugins, try the Macphun apps.....if you have a Mac.


Windows 10


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## Colin Grant (Feb 19, 2017)

They are now building some of the Macphun apps for Windows - Luminar and Aurora are the two. The Creative Kit is not being ported as far as I know.


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## Robert Reiser (Feb 19, 2017)

Colin Grant said:


> They are now building some of the Macphun apps for Windows - Luminar and Aurora are the two. The Creative Kit is not being ported as far as I know.



Thanks for sharing this Colin, I was not aware of it. Macphun Luminar is one of those applications I definitely want to try out on Windows.


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## Colin Grant (Feb 19, 2017)

You are welcome, Robert. I currently use a Mac and have been running Luminar as a LR plugin since launch. It is a nice piece of kit. I now need to upgrade my computer and I am reluctant to pay the price for Apple hardware, not when Windows can do just as good a job. As such I am interested in a Windows port.

As I understand it Luminar for Windows is due this spring so it is close. You can register your interest on the Macphun website, which I have done.


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## Fred Stephenson (Feb 19, 2017)

Robert Reiser said:


> Thanks for sharing this Colin, I was not aware of it. Macphun Luminar is one of those applications I definitely want to try out on Windows.


Thanks, Colin, I'll be ready to give them a try when they are available for Windows.


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## Robert Reiser (Feb 20, 2017)

Colin Grant said:


> You can register your interest on the Macphun website, which I have done.



Thank you Colin, I did now register as well. Let's see when we will hear back from Macphun.


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