AmateurPhotographer

SOFTWARE TEST Testbench
Analog Efex Pro 2 can recreate practically
any film look of any vintage. If you don’t
like the presets, you can make your own
Google Nik Collection
Rod Lawton tests the Google Nik Collection, a suite of premium
image-editing plug-ins that has just been made free to download and use
At a glance
● Set of 7 image-processing
plug-ins
● Works with Adobe Photoshop and
Lightroom or Apple Aperture
● Free for Mac and PC. Visit
www.google.com/nikcollection
● Requires Photoshop CS4-CC 2015
(CS5 required for HDR Efex Pro 2
on Mac), Photoshop Elements
9-13 (HDR Efex Pro 2 not
compatible with Elements),
Lightroom 3-CC, Aperture 3.1
● For Windows Vista, 7 or 8,
Mac OS X 10-7.5-10.10
The Google Nik
Collection contains
some of the most highly
regarded image-editing
plug-ins for Photoshop, Elements,
Lightroom and Aperture on the
market. The plug-ins were originally
developed by Nik Software, and
when Google bought the company
in 2012 it promptly rolled them
into the Google Nik Collection
with a retail price of £95 – a
substantial reduction on the prices
charged by Nik.
Now Google has slashed the
price to zero. Some see this as a
warning that the software is soon
to be discontinued. Whatever
happens, this looks like an
unmissable opportunity to
download some truly great
plug-ins at no cost.
There are no strings: these are
the fully functioning, unlimited
products that once commanded a
hefty price tag, even in Google’s
hands. So, what do these individual
plug-ins do, and are they all useful?
Analog Efex Pro 2
Analog Efex Pro 2 is the only
plug-in here that was produced
by the Google team – all the rest
were inherited from Nik Software.
Even so, it is one of the highlights
of the collection. Analog Efex Pro
is designed to replicate the look
of old fi lms and darkroom
techniques by adding grain, fade,
borders, light leaks, toning,
In Analog Efex Pro 2, you can create
your own ‘camera’ using a wide and
powerful set of retro tools
cross-processing effects
and more.
The presets are organised into
categories that give some indication
of its scope. They include Classic
Camera, Black & White, Colour
Cast, Motion, Wet Plate, Subtle
Bokeh, Double Exposure, Toy
Camera, Vintage Camera and
Multi-lens. It doesn’t just replicate
lofty, arcane processes from the
past, but includes novelty cameras,
cheap lenses and lo-fi accessories.
It also has ‘Build a camera’,
Analog Efex Pro 2’s Double Exposure
tool lets you adjust the appearance,
size and position of the effect
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