Many photographers, myself included, have included various aspects of the Nik software suite of tools in their regular workflow. I have regularly used Viveza, and Sharpener Pro. I have never bothered with other parts of the Nik offering, mainly because I felt I would use them only rarely and the cost of the full suite was therefore prohibitive.

However that has all changed. Back in September Google bought the software company and since then there has been much speculation on what the long term goals of the acquisition would prove to be. Much to my delight the full suite is now available for a staggering $149 and can be used in conjunction with Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom. Prior to this to purchase the full suite would have cost $499

The full suite contains the following plugins:

• HDR Efex Pro 2 – Create HDR versions using a single or multiple images.
• Color Efex Pro 4 – A comprehensive set of filters for color correction, retouching and creative effects.
• Silver Efex Pro – The very best black and white conversion tool.
• Viveza 2 – Selective adjustments without masks
• Sharpener Pro 3 – better sharpening than Aperture of Photoshop.
• Dfine 2 – Noise reduction software

Over the next couple of weeks I will post some examples of how I use the software suite.