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Starting immediately, Google’s Nik Collection of desktop image editing plug-ins is being offered free of charge. Nik’s Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine apps are all available as a free download from Google, a substantial savings over the previous $ 150 price.
Nik’s applications put a focus on ease of use and accessibility, compatible with Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. The company was purchased by Google in 2012, and prior to that each program cost around $ 100 for a total of up to $ 500 for the software suite. Google opted to offer the whole bundle for $ 150, and made it available for all of its supported applications via a single installer.
To download the collection without dropping a dime, head to Google’s Nik Collection site.
System requirements:
Mac:
- Mac® OS X 10.7.5 through 10.10
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 (CS5 for HDR Efex Pro 2) through CC 2015
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 through 13 (apart from HDR Efex Pro 2, which is not compatible with Photoshop Elements)
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 through 6/CC
- Apple® Aperture® 3.1 or later
Windows:
- Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows 8
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 through CC 2015
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 through 13 (apart from HDR Efex Pro 2, which is not compatible with Photoshop Elements)
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 through 6/CC
GPU Compatibility:
NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series, GeForce 9 Series, GeForce 100 Series, GeForce 200 Series, GeForce 300 Series, GeForce 400 Series, GeForce 500 Series, ATI Radeon HD2000 Series, Radeon HD3000 Series, Radeon HD4000 Series, Radeon HD5000 Series, Radeon HD6000 Series.
If no compatible card is available, GPU acceleration will be disabled and the CPU will be used.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)