DxO Nik Collection 4 is the most recent offering in the Nik Collection suite of plug-ins. It’s a collection of broad-ranging plugins that can be used as a stand-alone editor or by using applications such as Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Affinity or DxO PhotoLab as a host. 

I edited this night photo of a 100-year old abandoned farmhouse using only DxO Nik Collection 4, beginning with Viveza 3.
I edited this night photo of a 100-year old abandoned farmhouse using only DxO Nik Collection 4, beginning with Viveza 3.

I have been using the collection since it was owned by Nik, prior to Google’s acquisition and long before DxO bought it. For this entire time, I’ve used them as a plugin with Photoshop, where they can automatically create a new layer (if you wish).

I’ll briefly offer an overview of the collection. Then we will have a glimpse into several of the plugins. To showcase this, I’ll edit a light painted night photo of the abandoned interior of a 100-year old farmhouse only using the Nik Collection suite.

Viveza 3

Beginning with Viveza 3 for balancing out some of the highlights.
Beginning with Viveza 3 for balancing out some of the highlights. Here, I felt that the back door was a little bright, so you can see that I have a control point with circle around the door.

I’ll begin with Viveza 3, simply because it was the first Nik plugin that drew me in. Viveza is great at making targeted adjustments, so I often begin with this. Above, I am using a control point to lower the highlights of the door in the back.

Viveza is considerably more powerful than that, however. It allows you to change the hue or even the color of specific areas, again using control points (more on this later). And now, it also includes presets.

When I first began using a control point, I initially had difficulty finding the adjustment parameters. These adjustment parameters don’t appear until you use the control point. You need to scroll down below the Control Point box on the right to access the controls. I would rather have instant access to the adjustments without the need to scroll down.

Suites and more

DxO Nik Collection 4 comes in three core plugin suites: Color, Analog and Silver Efex Pro. Additionally, there are several plugins that do film simulations, convert to black and white, sharpen, correct or alter perspective, do HDR, sharpen, or to provide color filters.

Color Efex Pro 4

Color Efex Pro 4 has a dizzying amount of plugins. While I have rarely use the color filters, I did here. It nicely evened out the tone, subdued the colors, and looked pleasing to me. The "Classic Portrait - Hint of Color" filter was used in the final edit.
Color Efex Pro 4 has a dizzying amount of plugins. While I have rarely use the color filters, I did here. It nicely evened out the tone, subdued the colors, and looked pleasing to me. The Classic Portrait — Hint of Color filter was used in the final edit.

Color Efex Pro 4 probably has the most bewildering array of filters. This allows you to apply color filters for certain looks or effects. Many of these are great for Instagram users. It also provides filters for effective color correcting, tonal contrast and extracting detail.

Detail Extractor in particular manages to pull out, well, more detail. The sliders allow you to apply it with a subtle touch, which is my preference, but the filter’s default is strong.

Color Efex Pro might initially feel like a sort of “jack of all trades.” However, some of the power of this suite lies in two areas. One is that you can stack various filters on top of each other, as has been done in the filter called Classic Portrait — Hint of Color screenshot above. The other is that you can create “recipes” that can consist of different filters and save them as custom filters.

Analog Efex Pro 2

This suite of filters uses color and monochrome filters, emulating vintage cameras, lenses, and film types. You may also add vignettes, dirt, scratches and more. And it actually has a whole separate section entitled Wet Plate!  This is a thoroughly enjoyable plugin.

Silver Efex Pro 3

Silver Efex Pro 3 for monochrome enthusiasts.
Silver Efex Pro 3 for monochrome enthusiasts. The screenshot above is for example, as I did not ultimately use this for editing the photo. However, it is one of my favorite plugins in the Nik Collection.

Silver Efex Pro has long been the gold standard among black and white enthusiasts. The good news? It’s still great! DxO streamlined the interface a bit. Consequently, if you are used to older versions such as the old Google version, you may need to poke around a bit. For instance, toning is in its own dropdown section.

DxO has also added 39 new black and white film grains, as if it didn’t already have enough! Silver Efex Pro also incorporates Clearview technology borrowed from DxO PhotoLab, acting somewhat like a dehaze filter.

The presets and general sliders allow you to get a great looking black and white photo quickly. Or you can deep dive and get lost for hours tweaking your monochrome masterpiece to perfection. This is for people who understand that black and white photography is not simply about eliminating color. This is for those who love the emotional impact, depth and potency that black and white photos can have. And Silver Efex Pro does this better than any program I’ve ever seen.

Perspective Efex

Perspective Efex allows you to correct geometric distortion manually, as shown above with the horizontal and vertical lines. After drawing the lines to the areas that you want to be corrected, hitting "Apply" transforms the image. Don't like it? Simply undo it and try something else.
Perspective Efex allows you to correct geometric distortion manually, as shown above with the horizontal and vertical lines. After drawing the lines to the areas that you want to be corrected, hitting Apply transforms the image. Don’t like it? Simply undo it and try something else.

Perspective Efex was not included in my previous version of the Nik Collection. DxO introduced it in the Nik Collection 3 suite. So far, it appears to be easy to use and works effectively. It applies changes quickly and powerfully.

The plugin addresses geometric distortion in your images via automatic corrections or manually placed reference lines. The Auto version works extremely well, correcting numerous distortion simultaneously. Perspective Efex also corrects keystoning in architecture images. Also, it corrects lens distortions such as barrel, pincushion and fisheye distortion via the Volume Deformation panel.

Using the Volume Deformation and Left/Right Perspective controls to put the finishing touches on correcting perspective. In this particular photo, the crooked areas were from both lens distortion as well as the aging house itself.
Using the Volume Deformation and Left/Right Perspective controls to put the finishing touches on correcting perspective. In this particular photo, the crooked areas were from both lens distortion as well as the aging house itself.

I was pleasantly surprised that it also includes a Miniature Effect tool. This emulates the effect of a tilt-shift lens when used to create a very shallow depth of field. The Miniature Effect is generally easy to use and looks good.

U-Point technology

Nik is well known for its U-Point editing technology. It utilizes control points to allow you to specifically target certain regions or colors in the image. It further allows you to view the target area in black and white so you may see which area is being affected. From here, you may alter various parameters, such as brightness, contrast, structure and saturation.

Is DxO Nik Collection 4 for you?

DxO Nik Collection 4 menu bar as it appears when using Photoshop.
DxO Nik Collection 4 plugin panel as it appears when using Photoshop.

Although you can be specific in some of your edits, such. as targeting and changing specific colors and using U-Point technology, I believe Nik Collection 4 is strongest at processing photos as a whole. In this way, it might be best for landscape (including, yes, nightscapes!), cityscapes, architecture and travel photography.

Given this and its intuitive interface, it seems well-suited for those who are newer to photography. With its accessible and plentiful filters and options, it could also spark a sense of discovery and creativity.

That said, the collection is capable of doing more specific location adjustments, color-swapping, perspective control, tonal contrast, white neutralizer (effective for removing color casts) and other features that seasoned photographers might enjoy.

And of course, there’s Silver Efex Pro 3. This alone is worth the price of admission.