What is your favorite Nik Color Efex filter? Please share your photos and tips. Nik Collection is enjoyed by a great number of UHH users. Click on the name for a free 30-day trial. A...

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Please share your photos and tips.

Nik Collection is enjoyed by a great number of UHH users. Click on the name for a free 30-day trial.

A great resource for the Color Efex filters is here, where each filter has its own very short, well produced video.

In Color Efex, I often use the darken edge/lighten center in lieu of a vignette for more subtlety (yes, I can be subtle

). Here is a Wilson's Snipe with that filter applied.

Please share your photos and tips in this thread. I'll be back later with another one or two. Many thanks!

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anotherview Loc: California

Color Efex Pro for my landscape pictures. I apply the color contrast filter. It gives my pictures a little bang.

Photoshop CC now acting up. Will post a picture or two later.

JohnCl Loc: Central Arizona

Thanks for posting the resource link Linda. That'll keep me busy for a while.

Steve DeMott Loc: St. Louis, Missouri (Oakville area)

Thanks for the link Linda.
I have an older version of NIK pro 4 before DXO. Would you know if DXO upgraded & improved the program?

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

steve DeMott wrote:

Thanks for the link Linda. I have an older version of NIK pro 4 before DXO. Would you know if DXO upgraded & improved the program?

The last I read, they had only made a few housekeeping changes, nothing radical (yet).

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Glamour Glow and Detail Extractor

.

Unedited, from raw.
Unedited, from raw....

Glamour Glow
Glamour Glow...

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Glow, with Detail Extractor added at 60% opacity, along with some masking to keep background black

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

anotherview wrote:

Color Efex Pro for my landscape pictures. I apply the color contrast filter. It gives my pictures a little bang.

Photoshop CC now acting up. Will post a picture or two later.

Thanks! That is one of my favorite filters also.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

JohnCl wrote:

Thanks for posting the resource link Linda. That'll keep me busy for a while.

The narrator has a soothing, encouraging tone - what we all need at times

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

My standard color efex formula is to take an image into photoshop, duplicate the base layer twice, process one for glamour glow (one of the first two options) at about 65 % and another processed for tonal contrast (first option) at about 45%. I fool with percentages to get what I want, then mask in/out degrees of the effects of either one wherever I want if needed. This is my basic approach to most images I take, my signature "look".

I may use other color efex filters instead of tonal contrast such as pro contrast for a lesser effect or detail enhancer for stronger effect. For street photos I'll sometimes bring in a layer of Topaz Adjust, one of the detail filters, and mix it with glamour glow. But I haven't found any other filter from any vendor that really does the glow I like as well as color efex. That said, I do use the Luminar family plugins and On1 plugins for similar effects sometimes.

Before and After

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

minniev wrote:

My standard color efex formula is to take an image... (show quote)

Fantastic information; thanks so much, Minnie. I've occasionally tried to repeat a workflow on more than one photo, such as for a cohesive looking series, but invariably there are shots that look much better than others. You have worked so hard at creating your highly engaging signature "look." It's great to finally learn the ingredients to your secret sauce, even though I'm just a short order cook and you're a master chef

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Great subject. I’m gonna pay attention here. I’ve owned Nik for a few years. Even updated to the DxO version, but I seldom use them. I should use them more. FWIW, there’s a British author named Robin Whalley that has written several books on how best to use the toolset.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

brucewells wrote:

Great subject. I’m gonna pay attention here. I’ve owned Nik for a few years. Even updated to the DxO version, but I seldom use them. I should use them more. FWIW, there’s a British author named Robin Whalley that has written several books on how best to use the toolset.

Terrific, thanks Bruce! There's a Kindle version of one of the Nik books for just $5.99 here

edit - I just bought it. Sooo easy when you have one-click ordering + the Kindle reading app on your Chromebook

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

brucewells wrote:

Great subject. I’m gonna pay attention here. I’ve owned Nik for a few years. Even updated to the DxO version, but I seldom use them. I should use them more. FWIW, there’s a British author named Robin Whalley that has written several books on how best to use the toolset.

The real key to effective use of ANY plug in or preset, IMHO, is your willingness to modify it to meet your needs. There is seldom one formula that someone else invented that will exactly fit your target photo. That's why the best way, for me, is to use them on layers within PS, so I can control density, blending mode/options, masking, etc. Most modern filters have modification tools built in, and I do use those, but I fall back on the familiarity of PS's layering/masking system to give me the fine-tuning control I want.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Linda From Maine wrote:

Terrific, thanks Bruce! There's a Kindle version of one of the Nik books for just $5.99 here

edit - I just bought it. Sooo easy when you have one-click ordering + the Kindle reading app on your Chromebook

Yeah, almost too easy!! I pay Amazon a lot of money every month!

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

minniev wrote:

The real key to effective use of ANY plug in or pr... (show quote)

I, too, use them on layers, for the same reasons.