Nik Silver Efex Pro 2

Swamp Lace. South Boulder Creek, Colorado, 2012

This is arguably the best plug-in for converting your color images into something that might resemble the classic silver prints of old. Topaz, onOne, and even Photoshop, among others, can also do these conversions, but Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 is certainly my personal favorite for its ease of use and its final effects (as in the above image).

Here are the highlights of what the software offers:

–Over 30 presets–just click to see the effect…you might go no farther than that if it works for you!

–Global adjustments–Brightness, Contrast, Structure, Highlight/Shadow protection.

–Structure adjustment–brings out fine detail without oversharpening or ugly artifacts and can really make your photographs pop.

–“U Point” Technology for local adjustments–just click, adjust the circle size for the area desired, and move the sliders…no layers or masks.

–Five color filters (like with film!)–and you can adjust their strength and hue. There is also a set of six color sliders here (similar to Photoshop) that allow you to adjust monochrome tonalities on the underlying colors.

–18 film simulations, with grain adjustments and levels/curves.

–Borders, burned edges, toning and vignettes, with adjustments to customize these in thousands of ways.

–Histogram–one of my favorites as it shows you which parts of the image fall in which of Ansel’s famous zones.

A fully-functioning Silver Efex Pro 2 can be downloaded for a free 15-day trial from the Nik website here. Try it out and see what you think! I ended up purchasing the entire Nik software suite and haven’t regretted it at all.

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Nik and obviously make no money if you buy it–I rave because I think it is the best!

One more note: Keep an eye on Nik software…They were recently purchased by Google (September, 2012) and it might be interesting to see if they move more toward the mobile app business or if they continue to support the serious photographer. (Not that there aren’t some very good and serious artist photographers using iPhones!)

2017/2018 Update: Google is still offering the formerly-Nik software plug-in suite for FREE! It’s an offer you can’t refuse, for sure. Get the free download at their website HERE.