Last but not least, DxO added another 29 authentic color film grains. It will be interesting, to be sure, to hear comments from traditional Color Efex users. DxO added ClearView technology which removes atmospheric haze and enhances local contrast and was borrowed from DxO PhotoLab 5. Nik Color Efex received two more major upgrades. Additionally, DxO’s foundational U Point technology is now more intuitive, more precise and offers a more compact (and less intrusive) interface. Presets are more accessible now and provide better options for saving and editing favorite settings. Additionally, operations have been optimized using DxO’s engine. DxO newly created them from scratch to parallel the user interfaces of Nik Silver Efex and Nik Viveza which were recently updated. Nik Color Efex and Nik Analog Efex now have new GUIs. If you’re not familiar with what’s included in the DxO Nik Collection in general, we unpack that for you near the bottom of this piece. The all-new Nik Collection 5 including 8 plugins AND PhotoLab 5 ESSENTIAL costs $149. Incidentally, DxO PhotoLab 5 ESSENTIAL Edition has been selling for $139. And if you are not a Nik user, download the totally free, fully functional, 30-day trial version – you will not regret it. If you’re not using a current version, it costs you $149, still a bargain for a lifetime, non-subscription license. If you are a current Nik user you can login at your DxO account and upgrade to Nik Collection 5 for just $79.

Like many of you Nik Collection plugin fans, we watched while DxO continually improved and refined their software library, all the while waiting for some meaningful action in the Nik arena. The Nik Collection of eight uber-creative plugins has been updated to version 5 with significant enhancements to Nik Color Efex and Nik Analog Efex, plus the addition of DxO ClearView, in a sweeping upgrade that now includes DxO PhotoLab 5 ESSENTIAL Edition and is available from DxO Labs starting today for the inflation-fighting price of $149.

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