Mar 082011
 

Silver efex pro 2 boxIn this age of digital color imagery we sometimes forget the subtle beauty of Black and White. Lightroom’s Black and White conversion features are indeed superb. But if you want to take it up a notch take a look at  Silver Efex Pro 2. Here is some background from Nik Software…

Nik Software (www.niksoftware.com) is now shipping Silver Efex Pro 2, a major upgrade to its award-winning Silver Efex Pro software. Many photographers regard Silver Efex Pro as the leading solution for creating black-and-white images, delivering new features, better performance, and an improved workflow. Silver Efex Pro 2 offers a unique darkroom-inspired workflow and the ability to fine-tune images with precise selective adjustments powered by U Point technology. To learn why Silver Efex Pro is the leading black-and-white imaging software, users can watch training videos, download a free trial, download visual preset styles, and join live online training sessions at www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro

“Nearly every pro I know already uses Silver Efex Pro to create their B&W conversions, but I can tell you this: they’ll all be upgrading to version 2 the minute it comes out. It’s that good!” said Scott Kelby, President, National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). “Nik Software really gets the whole user experience for photographers, and you can see that attention to detail throughout Silver Efex Pro 2. When it comes to creating fine art black and white conversions, this changes everything,” Kelby concluded.

Silver Efex Pro 2 introduces new features that offer even more control over image detail, contrast, and tonality, making it easier to go beyond the limits of the traditional darkroom. The software’s new features include the History Browser for endless experimentation, revolutionary algorithms such as Dynamic Brightness, Amplify Blacks and Whites, Soft Contrast, and Fine Structure, plus finishing touches like Image Borders and selective colorization.

Nik Software’s proprietary U Point technology provides revolutionary selective editing by enabling photographers to make the precise detail, contrast, and tonality enhancements necessary for amazing black-and-white images, without the need for complicated selections or layer masks. The selective enhancements applied through U Point technology are automatically blended throughout an image for natural results.

Key Features

  • New History Browser facilitates intuitive comparison of previous edits and different looks
  • New Dynamic Brightness enables adaptive brightening adjustments for different areas in the image
  • New Amplify Blacks and Amplify Whites increases the presence of highlights and shadows adaptively throughout the image, creating a unique contrast effect
  • New Visual Presets categorized by photographic style provide great, single-click starting points, which can be edited and shared with others
  • New Soft Contrast applies contrast intelligently, based on image details, creating a less harsh contrast and a stylized mood
  • New Fine Structure brings out even the smallest details and textures resulting in more visible image detail without creating an over-sharpened look
  • New Image Borders use organic image elements to create unique and completely random borders, giving classic darkroom-style edges a modern look with infinite possibilities
  • New Selective colorization easily adds color elements back into images utilizing
    U Point technology to precisely select objects
  • New GPU Processing takes full advantage of the processors found on advanced display adapters providing even faster performance

Pricing and Availability

Silver Efex Pro 2 is available directly from Nik Software (www.niksoftware.com), through specialty camera retailers, and through online and national resellers. A list of Nik Software resellers may be found athttp://www.niksoftware.com/resellers.

The suggested retail price of Silver Efex Pro is $199.95. Upgrades from the first version are $99.95. Customers who purchased Silver Efex Pro or a Complete Collection bundle after December 6, 2010 are eligible for a free upgrade. To pre-order Silver Efex Pro 2, users can visit www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro.

Silver Efex Pro 2 installs as a 32-bit and 64-bit plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 or later, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® 2.6 or later (Windows and Macintosh) or Apple® Aperture® 2.1.4 or later (Macintosh). For more information about Silver Efex Pro 2, including a video tutorial and a free 15-day fully functional trial version, please visit:www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro.

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Gene is an Adobe Community Professional and and Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop, and InDesign, and an avid Lightroom fan. He belongs to the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). Gene also the Co-Founder, Manager and a frequent blogger for the Dallas Fort Worth Adobe User Group (DFWAUG).

In addition to running Lightroom Secrets, Gene also contributes to O'Reilly's media blog, moderates on the Adobe forums, and helps out on lightroomforums.net.

  • m kalstrup

    I have recently upgraded to Silver Efex Pro 2. I am using it as a plug in module in Lightroom 3. The editing capabilities while in the Nik software are wonderful, however when I save my converted photos from Silver Efex Pro 3  they will only show up in the develop module in LR3. The will not show up in the library modue or the print module in B&W. I was curious if anyone else has experienced this issue.  I’d like to figure this out in order to be able to use the software. 

  • m kalstrup

      I would like to correct what I wrote in the previous post. I stated that I am using Silver Efex Pro 3 as a plug in module in LR3. When in fact I should have stated that I have it set up as an external editing program. 

  • http://lightroomsecrets.com Gene McCullagh

    Hi m kalstrup! Happy New Year!

    The only thing I can think of is if you have stacks collapsed and have chosen to stack the Silver Efex image with the original. If that is the case you will see the BW in Develop when you return from Silver Efex but it will be hidden in the other module.

    Try this… in the Library module make sure that the All Photographs option is selected in the Catalog panel. Then go to the Photo menu and choose Stacking…Expand All Stacks. See if the Silver Efex image is now visible in the Library module.

    If that isn’t the problem then the installation could be faulty. Try downloading the latest version of Silver Efex and reinstalling it. Make sure you download the LR plugin as well. It’s an option on the download screen.

  • m kalstrup

    Thanks Gene and Happy New Year to you also. Thanks for your help. The uninstall and reinstall did the trick. As soon as I opened Silver Efex 2  after reinstalling I was immediately prompted to update the software. This did not happen until I uninstalled and then reinstalled the program. I was able to use the original file that I had downloaded from Nik software. All is good now, the Silver Efex 2 files show up in all of the different modules now.  I really do like the updates and changes in the new version of this software. Some really nice improvements on software that was already one of my favorites.  

  • m kalstrup

    Whoops, the thumbnail was a slip on the trackpad. 

  • http://lightroomsecrets.com Gene McCullagh

    Great! Yes, Silver Efex is an impressive utility. I enjoy how much it can bring out in a BW image.