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 nik
multimedia, Inc. is a privately-held company providing innovative
software solutions for the emerging digital imaging, photographic,
and graphic design markets. nik multimedia produces the several
Photoshop compatible plugins: Dfine,
nik Color Efex Pro 2.0, and
nik Sharpener Pro. |
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Color Efex Pro 2.0 |
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nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 has been updated
to include more functionality and some pretty impressive
features. With 75 filters effects and 16 bit compatibility,
it does a pretty nice job.
But the thing that blew me away was how you apply each
effect to your image with a brush, giving you amazing control. And I also liked
the Histogram display that gives you the full tonal range of the image, helping
you to make the right choices. The effects are sophisticated and ‘adult’ for
the most part, which is a nice change from the extreme filters you usually see
today.
nik multimedia has come up with what they call “True Light”
color processing system that is designed to preserve the relationship between
colors, contrast and details which provides more natural and film-like results.
That’s one of the attractive features about these plugins, they seem to be
coming from more of a photographic discipline than just a digital enhancement
interest. Filters such as “Infrared-Thermal Camera” or “Old Photo- Black and
White” which truly creates an old photo look while retaining the images
integrity. And then there’s “Paper Toner” or “Graduated Orange” which create
subtle, sexy effects.
Check out their Bi-Color filters in the set that combine
two colors that blend and can be added to virtually any image. You can use them
to separate the foreground and background, or just to create a mood or stylized
look. Different color relationships can be selected in each filter, while the
opacity, blend, vertical placement and rotation can also be adjusted. And to
take it one step further, you can apply the effect to only a certain part of
your image with the brush tool. Very cool.
For more
info and a demo:
nik multimedia
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Dfine
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 Nik
Multimedia has created a unique photo correction plugin that
will give you the control and finesse you’ve always wanted in
correcting those frustrating images you take with your digital
camera. How is it different from the others, and
specifically, the in-program plugins that come with PS-CS?
Dfine has the ability to
make four very specific corrections within the plugin.
‘Luminance Noise’, ‘Chrominance Noise & Artifacts’, ‘Color
Cast & Color Balance’, and ‘Contrast and
Light’. All digital cameras capture images differently, so if
you want to make highly refined corrections on your images,
you can purchase a camera profile that is specifically built
for your cameras errors, and it’s possible to have multiple
camera profiles loaded and ready to apply to any specific
image just incase you have more than one camera.
Within the plugin itself
you can view and analyze noise and details being affected
while correcting your image. JPEG artifacts appear as a
jagged blocking structure in the details and can be reduced
while maintaining image details, which is a miracle in itself.
You can even get as specific as to leave detail in grass and
leaves, while removing the noise in the sky by giving specific
color samples for it to correct. In simpler terms, correct
the blue, don’t correct the green. And even though PS already
has color balance and contrast and light adjustments in it’s
own filters, it’s handy to have them in the plugin so you can
see the effects on the image as you make the other noise and
artifact corrections. Very nice plugin for serious digital
camera users who need serious results. I highly recommend you
purchase the filter defined for your digital camera.
For more
info and a demo:
nik multimedia
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Sharpener Pro 
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There are many ways
to sharpen an image, and at first glance Sharpener Pro
doesn’t seem to give you the results you expect. On the
other hand, it does do what it claims in helping with
better images for print, which is really what you want
after all. What it looks like on the screen can be
another thing entirely.
nik’s Sharpner Pro
has some parameters built in that allows you to specifie
inkjet, color laser, digital photographic and offset
corrections depending on where your final output will
be. That is more than PS offers us. It takes into
account the presence of detail, the final size of the
image, and specific types of detail in that specific
image. So the final output isn’t how great it looks like
on the screen, but what it will look like when it
prints. Get it? It has automatic protection processes
to help maintain the image’s natural ‘photographic’
qualities, which is something we rarely think about when
tweeking an image on the computer. By analyzing the
details in the image, nik Sharpener Pro can
automatically determine the correct amount of sharpening
needed while utilizing several protection algorithms
that prevent the introduction of unwanted details.
We’ve all seen those.
It comes with a nice
little PDF user manual, and the program itself is simple
to understand. Once you get it setup for your printer,
it’s really just a click of the filter and the program
does the computations. Pretty sweet.
For more info and
a demo:
nik multimedia
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