NIK plugins are not working in LR 4

[Andrehilkens]

I have been using the BETA version for some time and I did not see this problem until I installed the released version of LR 4

The problem is that I cannot edit the images using my plugis from NIK software. ( I bought the complete collection about 3 months ago)

In the Beta version it was still OK.

Only the export plugin works (HDR from nik)

Also when I try to install the plugin again it only shows that it is compatible with LR3.

I just bought LR4 (since it worked in the BETA version)

Hope they will fix this soon. I also sent a message to NIK software.

anyone else has seen this problem

regards

Andre

I use MAC OS-X 10.7.3

NIK plugins are the latest versions available.

[Julie McLeod]

@7thsojourn

I'm not sure that is necessarily the solution.  I have a purchased copy of the latest version of Photoshop Elements and have now reinstalled it twice.  I still cannot Edit In any external editor listed, including Photoshop Elements.

[7thsojourn]

Isn't this something? When I went from LR-2 to LR-3, this problem didn't exist. I'm beginning to wonder just what they might have put in the new version that's blocking the use of (in my case) the NIK and Topaz software? Luckily, I still have LR-3 in use. I can still do everything in that.

[calsteve@pacbell.net]

Mac or PC?

[Julie McLeod]

@Calsteve

I'm on Mac OC 10.7.3

@7thsojourn

I'm going to have to revert to LR3 too until they get this sorted out. 

[calsteve@pacbell.net]

Thanks! I'm not sure about the Mac problem but after installing a trail

edition of Elements (not starting the program, just install) I went back

to LR4 and all the plug ins worked properly and are still working fine.

When they ever find a solution to the problem, I will uninstall Elements

and see what happens. I am using PC windows 7 64 bit.

[7thsojourn]

Yeah, my LR-3 is just fine. Beware, though, that someone suggested we uninstall our NIK software, then re-install it. 

I did with my Viveza 2. However, when it came time to type in the product key, NIK would't take it. I'm 

getting a new one from them. It's shame we have to revert back to 3 until they can get this fixed. Poor Scott

Kelby - he'll have to hold off on his new LR-4 book for a while

[7thsojourn]

Brand new iMac.

[Samoreen]

Hi,

Quoting what I already explained in another thread:

This error message is typical of a "dangling pointer" problem (in developer parlance). The "lower" function which converts a character string to lowercase, receives an argument that is a pointer (memory address) to the character string that should be converted. In that case, the pointer is invalid or null. This kind of bug may or may not cause a crash depending of the value (wrong address) contained in the pointer variable. This is just a matter of memory layout. So the bug affects everybody but in some cases it has no consequences. In other cases, it causes a crash that the system may (Windows) or may not (Mac) notify to the user.

Typically, this kind of bug originates in "last moment changes" made to a piece of code that is not  re-tested afterwards (it was not present in the beta version).

When you install another program like PS or PSE, you also install some services that were not there before. These modules are loaded when the system starts. So when you re-launch LR4, it is no longer loaded at the same memory address. This may (or may not) change the "dangling pointer" value. The value will always be invalid but in some cases this will do no harm.

This kind of behavior is typical with such bugs. Loading another program first may (apparently) fix the problem. Installing another application may have the same effect... or not. This is just random and this is what is observed. The "PSE fix" works for some users and doesn't work for others. I guess you could obtain similar results when installing/uninstalling another application. Don't waste your time with these tests. The problem is a plain old classical pointer bug. The error message is unambiguous. It clearly explains what's happening and where. It should be easy for the developers at Adobe to spot this coding problem quickly.

[Julie McLeod]

@Samoreen

Thank you for your detailed and technical explanation.  Much appreciated.  Once the engineers identify the coding problem, I wonder how long it would take to get a fix pushed out?

[N_H_O]

And if a fix is ready, i hope it can be in a form of a small patch and not a 700 mb download.

[Samoreen]

Julie McLeod wrote:

@Samoreen

Thank you for your detailed and technical explanation.  Much appreciated.  Once the engineers identify the coding problem, I wonder how long it would take to get a fix pushed out?

This is the problem with Adobe. Even for bugs that are easily spotted and fixed, it may takes a very long time until the fix is released. They are not used to release "x.0x" versions like Nik Software do, just to fix a specific bug. They never did this for LR. Chances are that we'll have to wait until they release version 4.1. For me, this is a major bug. If I can't safely invoke external programs or plugins, I'll stick with LR 3.6.

[Julie McLeod]

Samoreen wrote:

Julie McLeod wrote:

@Samoreen

Thank you for your detailed and technical explanation.  Much appreciated.  Once the engineers identify the coding problem, I wonder how long it would take to get a fix pushed out?

This is the problem with Adobe. Even for bugs that are easily spotted and fixed, it may takes a very long time until the fix is released. They are not used to release "x.0x" versions like Nik Software do, just to fix a specific bug. They never did this for LR. Chances are that we'll have to wait until they release version 4.1. For me, this is a major bug. If I can't safely invoke external programs or plugins, I'll stick with LR 3.6.

I was afraid of that as I can't recall getting very many "x.0x"  updates for previous versions of LR.  It's a very unfortunate thing and one which may have me looking into Aperture.

[7thsojourn]

I'm still wondering why I never had this problem going from LR-2 to LR-3. 

[helen_gossweiler]

Samoreen wrote:

... They are not used to release "x.0x" versions like Nik Software do, just to fix a specific bug. They never did this for LR.

Ever heard of LR 3.4.1?

Beat

[Samoreen]

b_gossweiler wrote:

Ever heard of LR 3.4.1?

Ooops! I forgot this one. Sorry.

[calsteve@pacbell.net]

I think you are 100% spot on the problem. I only had LR4 and using NIK

software. After installing a trial version of Elements (not running,

just install only), I returned to LR4 and all of the NIK software works

flawlessly in "edit in" command from LR4. I know this is only a temp

fix and only seems to work in PC Windows systems but at least it works

for now. I have 6 other people in my camera club who I called and they

did the same thing. They are also all working fine now. The only

exception was one person who had a Mac and it did not solve the issue.

Such a waste of time to install something I won't use (Elements) but

worth the time to have LR4 and NIK working properly for now.

[7thsojourn]

Great explanation. Thanks! Now, the question is: does Adobe know this?  🙂

[Samoreen]

7thsojourn wrote:

Great explanation. Thanks! Now, the question is: does Adobe know this?  🙂

I posted this in a thread in which an Adobe employee was participating. I also know that they have received at least one bug report from someone who has a tight relationship with the development team. Any skilled developer reading this error message should immediately understand what's going on. As I said above, there is no doubt about what is causing the error. Developers are using special debugging tools that are able to automatically detect such errors during program execution.

So the problem is not how quickly this can be fixed : this is a matter of a few hours if not a few minutes. The questions are "when will they decide that it is a problem worth considering quickly?" and "how long will it take until the fix is published?".

[7thsojourn]

I hear you on that, and since this is an Adobe product, it's got to be affecting users all over the world.

[Brett N]

Thank you for the insight Samoreen.

I'll post an update once we have more information from our engineers.

[Samoreen]

Brett N wrote:

Thank you for the insight Samoreen.

I'll post an update once we have more information from our engineers.

Thanks. Now I can simply answer "yes" to 7thsojourn .

[ymc226]

Thanks Samoreen.

I am definitely not going to upgrade to LR4 as I am running Lion as well.  I do have a question which I don't know if you have an answer but would value your opinion.

Just installed the complete NIK collection last week and updated then (prior to yesterday's update in reponse to the big LR4 bug). Would updating these most recent versions of the NIK plug ins do any good or harm if I still use LR3 only?

[Samoreen]

Hi,

ymc226 wrote:

Thanks Samoreen.

I am definitely not going to upgrade to LR4 as I am running Lion as well.  I do have a question which I don't know if you have an answer but would value your opinion.

Just installed the complete NIK collection last week and updated then (prior to yesterday's update in reponse to the big LR4 bug). Would updating these most recent versions of the NIK plug ins do any good or harm if I still use LR3 only?

Sorry for the late answer but I'm abroad and it was time to sleep a little.

There is no problem with installing the latest version of the Nik plugins and using them with LR 3.6. Actually, this is what I'm doing. These updates are here to fix (among other things) a problem that made impossible to update the metadata in the TIFF files generated after invoking the plugins from LR. The bug was first fixed in Color Efex and then they fixed it in the other plugins.

[Guest]

My 2 cents....After all the farting around and trying this and that....where I am at now is...I have all the latest Nik plugin updates

installed and I found Lightroom 4 beta, and "re-installed" that....everything seems to work. I might just stay with that until the "fix" for

lightroom is available.

  BUT  I was I do have elements , which I will prob never use.(since my converting to lightroom) But since i have plenty of room on my hard drive

I might just install that and see if the full Lightroom works. Really i should just hang tight with beta version, but thats just not me lol lol lol

I want the full version working now....as i paid for it, !!!

[ymc226]

Samoreen wrote:

Hi,

ymc226 wrote:

Thanks Samoreen.

I am definitely not going to upgrade to LR4 as I am running Lion as well.  I do have a question which I don't know if you have an answer but would value your opinion.

Just installed the complete NIK collection last week and updated then (prior to yesterday's update in reponse to the big LR4 bug). Would updating these most recent versions of the NIK plug ins do any good or harm if I still use LR3 only?

Sorry for the late answer but I'm abroad and it was time to sleep a little.

There is no problem with installing the latest version of the Nik plugins and using them with LR 3.6. Actually, this is what I'm doing. These updates are here to fix (among other things) a problem that made impossible to update the metadata in the TIFF files generated after invoking the plugins from LR. The bug was first fixed in Color Efex and then they fixed it in the other plugins.

Thanks Samoreen,

I will go ahead with installing the latest updates to be ready when LR4 finally works for Lion.

Is there a Lion user out there where the NIK or other plug ins are working with LR4?