Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 is a set of over 70 traditional and stylizing photographic filters Screen Shot. The filters run from turning a daylight photo in to a blue midnight photo to taking a cold dull photo and making it look like it was shot on a nice warm sunny day. There are also more traditional filters like graduated colors for improving and/or changing the colors of the sky, there is a skylight filter, infrared filter, black and white conversion and more.
Each filter has its own set of customization options. Most filters are simple with two or three options, all have live previews so you can see the effect before you apply it. A couple of the filters have more options, like the Sunshine filter. You can also save and load presets so if you create an effect that you like you can save it for use later.
One of the most unique and interesting features of Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 is that instead of applying a filter to the entire image or controlling it by creating a mask first, you can paint the filters on using a brush or you can erase the filter using an eraser tool. Nik calls this “Selective Tool” Screen Shot. Besides painting and erasing effects right on your image you can use the fill tool to apply the effect to your entire image and there is even an option to have the effect applied to a copy of the image on a separate layer so that you have your original image as well. Both the brush and eraser tools allow you to use any of Photoshop’s brushes, sizes, etc. If you have a Wacom tablet you can even use it with the pressure sensitivity. This makes it quite flexible and a lot of fun.
Some of the filters have an advanced option that allows you to control the application of the filter to the shadows and highlights so you have even more control and flexibility.
How the Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 Filters Work
Nik Software utilizes the True Light color processing system that considers the existing color and light information in an image automatically to provide optimal photographic enhancements.
Each Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 filter adapts its effect based on the detail structures, colors, and contrast range of each image. By identifying the unique qualities of the image that the filter is processing, each filter is able to achieve consistency across a range of images. This consistency provides greater productivity as the filters can be applied with the same settings across a wide range of images.
Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 filters adapt to any previous filter adjustment or any other change made to the image to provide natural color and light enhancements. This feature becomes increasingly important since applying filters in a different order will provide you with more control over your images, as well as more options for great, natural photographic enhancements.
The combination of the True Light color processing system along with each filter's adaptive nature provides a truly unique system of controlling the light and color in virtually any image. Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop 5.5 through Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.0 through 5.0, and any other application that supports the Adobe Photoshop plug-in standard. Currently Nik’s plug-ins do not work with the Intel based Macintosh computers. They are working on an update to handle this. As for Windows Vista and Adobe Photoshop CS3 on the Windows platform they work just fine.
I have one complaint about Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 and it deals with it under Photoshop CS3 and to a lesser extent under Photoshop CS2. My complaint is that the Selective Tool panel doesn’t match the look and feel or dock with the other Photoshop panels. I would really like to see them do this so that the Selective Tool panel looks just like and works just like one of the Adobe Photoshop CS2 and CS3 palettes. I don’t know if this is doable but it would be nice, clean and very effective. Right now I have issues with the Selective Tools palette getting pushed behind Photoshop, Photoshop documents, etc. It gets a little tedious constantly looking for it and bringing it back to the front.
If you have a previous version of Nik Color Efex I am sure you would like to know what’s new in 2.0? There is a list of the new and enhanced features in the Features section below. Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 is simply an incredible set of filters. They are fun, practical, flexible and with the “Selective Tool” unique in the world of Photoshop plug-ins and filters. A must have for any photographer. |
