Nik Collection alternative?

[Marieke Feenstra]

I have successfully used a paid version of the Nik Collection, until today, my new MacBook Pro keeps crashing and Google Nik does not offer support for newer Photoshop Versions. I do not have to time to find solutions to make it work and since Nik is not supported anymore, I would rather go to another software. Does anyone have suggestions that bring nice results like the Nik Collection? I use Silver Effects Pro and Color Effects Pro and Define the most. Thank you for taking the time to give me some suggestions to take a look at.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I seem to have no problems using Nik collection in Photoshop CC 2017.0.1 (on MacOS 10.12.2), so where did you get your information from?

[Marieke Feenstra]

When my Photoshop crashes you can send the crash info to Adobe, the solution that comes back is to uninstall Nik Collection, since it is no longer supported by Google.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

With which Filter/s exactly do you get the crash?

Did you install the most current version?

Google Nik Collection

What have you done for general trouble-shooting so far?

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/basic-trouble-shooting-steps.html

[Marieke Feenstra]

The Color Effects Pro and Silver Effects Pro, I reinstalled Nik Collection couple of times in the past months. Since the clear message by Adobe is that Nik Collection will not be supported I do not feel the need to keep putting my time in it and rather move to software that will be supported. There has been suggestions to use Nik without the PS plug-in, but I would prefer to be able to work in layers inside Photoshop.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Fair enough, Nik also mentions support only up to CC 2015 …

[Marieke Feenstra · Accepted solution]

Thank you c.pfaffenbichler. Here's the solution given by Adobe;

Adobe Photoshop crash with Nik plug-in installed

So any suggestion for other software is very welcome.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Sorry I »muddied the water« with the tangent about whether Nik works on CC 2017, maybe you should start a new thread to get actual feedback on alternatives.

[Trevor.Dennis]

c.pfaffenbichler  wrote

Sorry I »muddied the water« with the tangent about whether Nik works on CC 2017, maybe you should start a new thread to get actual feedback on alternatives.

Perhaps a major aspect of this request is that NIK is now free.   It would be a very decent collection of effects even if priced similarly to alternative plug-ins like Topaz, and I don't personally know of anything as good that comes free.  On1 has a few freebees, but I doubt they come close to the NIK filters, and I don't know if it includes a B&W.   Silver Efex is probably the best tool of its kind at _any_ price!

ON1 Effects 10.5 Free – ON1, Inc.

[EDIT] Perhaps I should have mentioned that I mostly use several of the Topaz plugins, but that's mainly because I have been doing so for a very long time now, and am used to them.   I would use Silver Efex Pro 2 for monotone work though.

[Marieke Feenstra]

I am using 10.12.3 on new MacBook Pro with Touch bar

[Zone5byRJW]

I installed Apple's latest update on my 2016 Macbook Pro and everything in Nik was back to normal including the sharpener plugin. Then adobe gave us an update to PS CC the other day and now the Nik sharpener program causes nothing but problems when creating the display for the plugin!!!!! Adobe YOU MUST want everyone to  use your program without any plugins and take classes from you to learn how to do what Nik has been doing for years!!!!

[trish r]

I just popped in to say that SilverEfex being discontinued is soul crushing.  I paid for it before it became free.  How does this work in Tech?  Is it unheard of for a company like a google to just hand it back to the developers or another developer to keep it going?  It really was the best.  My work is exclusively Black and white and the better technology gets and the better the quality of digital images, the more trouble I have trying to muck them up to an analog like state.  The Grain in Nik's software wasn't like anything else.  I'm devastated.

[rogerplaramos]

I was using the Nik Color Efex Pro 4.0 Complete until the Mac OS X Sierra version on a MacBook Pro 2016. Now, after uptading to Mac OS X High Sierra the pluggin don't works on Photoshop and crash when you select it.

[Linns2]

rogerp52808761, Photoshop crashed similarly for me when I tried to use the NIK Collection through the dropdown Filter menu. It seems to work though if you use it through the NIK chart that appears on your desktop.HTH.

[Jeff Arola]

For High Sierra, in each of the Nik plugins except HDR Efex, go to the Settings>After Clicking OK and change it to apply the filtered effect to the current layer.

[Linns2]

This is great Jeff! Worked for me!  Thank you!

[roberth10879500]

changing settings in the NIK worked like a dream - I just create a copy and apply filter to that - I can adjust from there - many thanks - boswell

[maverick147]

This worked!! Thank you Jeff. You are awesome. All I have to do is first, create another layer before launching NIK  so then I can adjust that layer. Used to do that anyway before the new layer option was created automatically. No big deal in order to save my NIK Collection now that I installed HS today. Again, thank you! - Phil M

[Martin_Bns]

I keep reading that the latest version of Photoshop is not supporting Nic Collection. I have the latest version of Photoshop and it's working great. Maybe it's not a Photoshop problem but the OS problem? I'm on OSX Sierra and it's working just at it used to work when i bought it several years ago.

Hope u can find the problem,
Martin

[Jeff Arola]

Actually adobe fixed some of the incompatibilities with the Nik plugins and photoshop cc 2017 in an update to cc 2017, but now High Sierra has an apparent problem with the save part in the Nik plugin.

Photoshop CC 2017.1: Nik DFine2 hanging in Sierra | Photoshop Family Customer Community

On macOS High Sierra the stand alone nik versions also crash on save, so one has to use save as instead.

Unfortunately Nik is no longer being updated by google.

[Jeff Arola]

DxO has acquired the Nik plugins, so maybe there is hope for future updates.

Homepage - Nik Collection by DxO