Nik Collection 6 Upgrades Local Adjustments and Improves Workflow

DxO has released version 6 of the Nik Collection photo editing suite of plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. It sees significant upgrades to the U-Point Local Adjustment tool that includes new Control Lines, Color Selectivity Filters, inverted and diffused adjustments, as well as an updated and cleaner user interface designed to improve users overall workflow.

In addition to the global updates mentioned above, Nik Collection 6 also includes a new filter for Nik Color Efex, an updated interface for Nik Dfine, and additional Smart Object functionality which the company says is intended to give users all the tools they need to make better photos.

The new update comes just under a year since the release of Version 5 which brought updates to Color Efex and Analog Efex among some improvements to the Local Adjustment tools.

Further Improved U Point Technology

Version 6 of the Nik Collection adds what the company describes as “more creativity, more control” for its users through its updated U Point technology which is available throughout all eight of the suites’ applications. The improved local adjustment tool adds new functionality to make selective edits “more intuitive” for users by adding several new features and expanded controls.

These include the new Control Lines (as seen in the image above), which allow for broad adjustments and linear gradients, control point diffusion to regulate the strength of an adjustment more easily, the ability to rename, invert, and tie control points and control lines to specific colors or tones, as well as adding the ability to save local adjustments as a custom preset giving users quick assess to their most frequently used edits.

Customizable UI and Improved Workflow

The update also adds a customizable user interface that gives editors the ability to choose where the sliders for local adjustments appear on their screens. Controls can be overlaid on top of the image (in traditional Nik Collection style) or kept in a sidebar to keep the image area clear of distractions.

Several new quality of life updates have been made that include the ability to call on any of the last 15 edits (within Nik Collection) and apply them with a single click. Additionally, Presets can be searched by name, users can change their edits into Smart Objects at any stage from within the plugin expanding the non-destructive editing capability when used in Adobe Photoshop, and HiDPI and Multiscreen setups have been updated to support users working with nearly any screen configuration.

Version 6 of the plugin suite also expands support to work directly with DxO PhotoLab, Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom Classic, and Affinity Photo.

Individual App Upgrades

According to the company, five of the eight plugins have received massive upgrades to provide users with additional features and smoother functionality:

• Nik Color Efex has a brand-new Hue/Saturation/Luminance tool designed for deeper and more accurate control of color and tone



• Nik Dfine receives a complete visual overhaul bringing it into line with the other plugins, creating a more refined experience as well as improved options for saving denoising recipes and returning to them in just a few clicks
• Nik Perspective adds the new ReShape Tool which allows photographers to warp and shape local areas for complete precision
• Nik Sharpener will also be receiving a rebuild and interface overhaul, destined for Nik 6.2, and available as a free update
• Nik HDR Efex gets a fresh new interface as part of version 6.3 (arriving in August) that will provide a clearer, faster workflow

Pricing and Availability

The Nik Collection 6 is available now from the DxO website for $149 and $79 for those upgrading from the previous version.