- Video tutorials on Sliver Efex Pro 2, the world's leading black and white imaging software.
- Silver Efex Pro, Darkroom-inspired tools provide the power to create incredible black-and-white images.
- Product Description. bit compatible. Please note: Silver Efex Pro 2 will not work on images.
- Score: 90 Pros: Great localized toning controls; very good grain emulation; well-designed interface Cons: Needs a histogram display; missing some keyboard shortcuts.
Travel photographer Ken Kaminesky's Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 review. Explore the ideal way to create stunning B&W digital images. Silver Efex Pro Master the art of black-and-white photography with darkroom-inspired controls. Silver Efex Pro from Nik software is a dedicated black and white plug-in for use in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. Costing around 199 Euro, the main new.
You can convert colour photos to black and white in Photoshop and Lightroom (or your Raw conversion software of choice). But the last few years have also seen an.
Silver Efex Pro - Free download and software reviews. From Nik Software. Silver Efex Pro, Darkroom- inspired tools provide the power to create incredible black- and- white images. From the most advanced algorithms tuned for superior black- and- white results, to the ability to emulate nearly 2. Silver Efex Pro 2 provides control over the entire process. Patented U Point technology makes it possible to create amazingly precise selections without time consuming and difficult tools, such as selections and layer masks.
By using control points, you have the ultimate level of control over the tonality, contrast, and detail of your images, producing results that meet your vision as a photographer. Achieve incredible results faster than ever with never- before- seen advancements in black and white controls such as Dynamic Brightness, Fine Structure, Soft Contrast, Amplify Whites, Amplify Blacks, and our legendary Grain Engine. Explore all of the features in Silver Efex Pro 2 with the freedom to try different looks, undo adjustments at any time, and compare different edited history states of your image.
Silver Efex Pro Tutorial
Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 review. While there are countless ways to create black and white digital photographs today, Nik software’s Silver Efex Pro 2 stands out as  my preferred method of creating Rich and beautiful black and white images in the digital darkroom. I spent many years in real darkrooms back at the beginning of my career in photography. I think that having that background allows me to have a deeper appreciation of what is possible to do with digital images today on a computer.
We are living in a golden age of photography where the possibilities for creating incredible images is near limitless. While programs like Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop are quite capable of creating excellent black- and- white images, Silver Efex Pro 2 offers incredible diversity along with simplicity for the user. Anyone who is serious about black and white photography needs to try this excellent plug- in. Luckily, there is a 1. This software can be as intricate or as simple as you would like it to be, making it a solid choice for both amateur and professional photographers.
Some of my favourite features of the software are the possibility to emulate types of film, adding filters, total control of “film” grain, controlling image structure, one- click toning, and Nik’s U Point® Technology. While I’m using Silver Efex Pro 2 as a Photoshop plug- in, you can also use it as a stand alone product or in Lightroom and Aperture.
Let’s take a closer look. Silver Efex Pro 2 presets with a split before & after preview screen Less is more. As with so many other image editing plug- ins (as well as in Photoshop itself) going to the extreme possibilities can lead to destructive results to your image. Knowing when to stop is one of the keys of producing high- quality digital photographs.
The controls in Silver Efex Pro 2 are extremely in- depth yet simple enough to use. Global Adjustments Global Adjustments.
In this panel you control the typical brightness and contrast within the image. Two excellent features within this panel our dynamic brightness and soft contrast. With the dynamic brightness slider Silver Efex Pro 2Â does some of the thinking for you. The unique algorithms within the software assesses the different areas of your image and takes that information into consideration to give you a much smoother blending of overall brightness.
The soft contrast slider also will intelligently assess the overall contrast of your image and allow you to make subtle yet striking changes to the photograph you are working on. You really have to play with this slider in order to fully appreciate what you can do for you. It is a great addition to the plug- in.
Structure is one of my favorite parts of this software. Partly a sharpening tool, partly a depth tool; structure adds that extra bit of “oomph” to a photograph that takes it to the next level in terms of image detail. Silver Efex Pro 2 control points. Control Points. I love this feature. Control points allow you to selectively manipulate global adjustments in specific areas of your image. You can add as many control points as you wish to the image you are editing and control the size of each one individually. The top slider is the size slider which controls the area that you wish to adjust.
The adjustment area is represented by the circle you see in the photo above. Dragging the slider left and right allows you to increase and decrease the size of each control. Below that slider are the enhancement sliders that give you full control over global adjustments in each individual control point. With pinpoint precision you can adjust everything from brightness, contrast, structure, and even add color back to specific parts of your image. The selective adjustment control point tool is a very powerful feature yet amazingly easy to use. Original Image. Filter Efects. Filters. Back when we were all still using film cameras, it was customary to use coloured filters on our lenses in order to achieve certain books to our black- and- white images.
The same effects can now be achieved in Silver Efex Pro 2 with the colour filter palette. In fact you have far more control now than ever before since you can manipulate these filters from 0 to 2. Once again starting with the presets is a good starting point but certainly not a one- button solution.
Carefully selecting hue and strength allows you to have incredible control over the colour filter tool. In the thumbnails above you will see how each filter reacts to a vividly colourful photograph at 1. Using the colour filters in conjunction with global adjustments, selective control points, film grain, and toning allow you to make stunning black- and- white or monochromatic images. Silver Efex Pro 2 Grain. Grain Engine. Like so many of the other features in Silver Efex Pro 2, the grain engine is extremely versatile and delivers near unlimited possibilities in terms of grain structure within your black and white images. When are used to shoot with film I was a big fan of high grain films from Kodak, Fuji, and Ilford. Today I gravitate much more towards high definition low grain images.
There still is a place for grain in photography though, especially in black and white photographs. With precision control of the grain engine it has never been easier to create beautiful high grain black and white digital photos. Toning menu with drop- down presets. Toning. I’ve always been a big fan of sepia and selenium toning of black and white photographs but I sure never enjoyed the horrible chemical smells especially when working with sepia toners in a traditional darkroom. This is just one more reason why I love working on digital imaging which gives me far more versatility and is far better for the environment as well.
Like the other tools in Silver Efex pro 2 the toning tools are quite extensive. You can use any of the 2. Sepia Toned Image with Custom Vignetting. Vignettes and Burnt Edges Creating custom vignettes has never been easier.
Using the vignette and burnt edges tool allows you to darken or lighten the edges of your photo with good accuracy. Once again you can start with one of several presets and fine tune the results quite nicely with the different adjustment sliders.
Image Border sample. Image Borders. This is one of the only parts of the software that I find lacking. Image borders are tricky and also very subjective in terms how people judge them. Is a border really necessary? I’d say that in 1. They just risk looking tacky. While I do like the use of image borders in i.
Phone or Android photography, those are just fun and playful ways of sharing snapshots. If your professional images require a fancy border to make them good, then it’s not saying much about the images. These borders are customizable to a degree .
There are several standard presets that you can fine tune but you can’t save your favourites as custom presets. Even if I doubt that I’ll use this feature much, the borders are relatively well done and certainly fitting in style for use along with black and white photography. There is room for improvement here though.
Presets. Silver Efex Pro 2 allows you to use any of its already existing presets but you can also create your own. Once you achieve an overall look that you enjoy, clicking the “Add Preset” button at the bottom left of your screen will allow you to save and name your own custom presets. Now with one click you can re- create your favourite overall looks on any new image that you are working on.
Creating and naming your own custom presets by using the selective tools can be a great time saver for future projects. Pros and Cons. If when you are reading this review you feel like I’m not finding anything wrong with the Silver Efex Pro 2, you’re close to being correct. While I don’t do a lot of black and white work anymore, when I do, this is my go to software.
On the plus side. Amazing Versatility. Speed. Ease- of- use and navigation. Pinpoint accuracy in adjusting select parts of your photograph with Nik’s “U point technology”Excellent overall image presets and toning presets. Infinite possible end results.
The intuitive history browser similar to Photoshop’s history pallet. Nik’s intelligent dynamic brightness, fine structure, and soft contrast sliders. Compatibility with Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture. Film Emulation with grain control. The down side. Image Borders don’t support transparency on PNG files.
It isn’t possible to see the original colour file while Silver Efex Pro 2Â is active**Editor’s note: You can see the original colour image as was pointed out to me by the Nik team. I find the solution to be complicated and would love to see a simple “See Original Image” button that would allow you to revert to the colour image you began with as a preview at any point during your editing. Here is the solution as given to me from Nik Software: How to see the original colour filea. Go to the History browser.
Click Compare once, this will have the History State Selector show up (this may seem like an odd UI, but when we always displayed the history state selector in the single image view mode, everyone that tested the software got really confused since the control didn’t do anything. It’s always visible in the side- by- side and split- view modes). Drag the History State Selector to Original Imaged.
Press and hold the Compare button. Wrap up. Nik Software offers some excellent tools for digital photographers and Silver Efex Pro 2 to me is their flagship plug- in. Not only does it work well and offer high end results that top photographers around the world are using but it is a lot of fun to work with.
I do not say that about most software I use for work. I’ve been wanting to share my Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 review for a while now but I kew it would take some time to cover all the features properly. This is a powerful and robust piece of software aimed at professional photographers and proficient amateurs.