how much is changed after the freeversion?
v2 was as i am right debugging and new connection with dxopl.(you got the pl for free in essential version.)
I am using NIK almost never/ very few times. (The controlpoint userinterface is out of sinc with PL gets me confused and frustrated. (yes my problem))
But i am out of interest interested in what’s really changed/ added/improved?
Hi Peter. There’s really not much changed overall. As you mentioned V2 got the bugs out. V3 includes Perspective Efex, which is Viewpoint without the RAW support. Nice if you don’t already have VP. My favorite addition is the non-destructive workflow between PL(or Lightroom) and one of the Nik modules. I’ve used this feature many times and am glad it’s there. Now @John-M will come along and tell you that non-destructive workflow is available even with the free version if you save the preset correctly. 
I can’t seen to remember the correct procedure, so I find this new feature to be invaluable and very easy to use. The latest version “25th anniversary of Nik” includes 15 new presets for CE4 and 10 new presets for SE3, some of which are pretty nice. That’s about it.
I find the CE4, SE3, HDR2, PE(if you don’t have VP3) all to be useful and very nice additions to PL4. The others are out of date and could be scrapped as they are overshadowed by PL4’s abilities to sharpen, denoise, and apply local corrections. I wish they would replace them with more useful and modern modules like masking and layers.
You can read the release notes for all versions of the software released by DxO. Just go the the support web site. Here’s a link:
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the review,
Nondestructive?
Largest file is a 16bit tof file in adobeRGB which can be sent to NIK.
It’s about the same as a DNG sending out DxOPL to LR.
When i use NIK then it is a VC which i use as a alternative approach.
I scrape of the endfiddling and send it to NIK silverefex colorefec and such as tiff 16bit.
Do my best to edit it as i hope will be better then the DxOPL’s version
Sent it back with the suffix “filtername” so i know later which i used, to PL.
And from there i export to jpeg.
Detail extractor, b&w monochrome. The color efec power i didn’t used much,yet.
My main problem is that i have every time a slowdown searching for the how do i get what i want.
And this is also the reason i don’t have saved presets in NIK jet because i am not satified, comfortable on the end product.
(Totally lack of my side of training i know. But i need it not very often PL handles most of my needs.)
Yes you must send a Tiff file to Nik, but it is non-destructive in the sense that the Tiff that you send to the Nik module of your choice can be re-edited in the same module later non-destructively. Many times I have gotten my Tiff from CEP4 back into PL and then noticed that I had missed something or wish I had done something differently. No problem in Nik v3, just send it back, without corrections, and start where you left off, including all control points! Old way, v2 or lower, I had to trash the Tiff, make another one and start all over. Quite an improvement I’d say.
I was the same way when using Nik before v3 very seldom, but I’m getting to quite like the modules I mentioned above. Some of the filters in CEP4 and SEP3 are unique in that the software that I own, as I can’t reproduce their effects in other software including PL4. I’m getting to quite like it and no need for presets as they are merely starting points.
Now i know the nondestructive way for v1.x v2!
Safe as a preset before saving back to PL.
So when you want to change again something re-export from scratch and apply that preset and start from there.
V3 has an automated preset saving database of the images you send it.
Must be that easy…
I need to have PL4 save the preset for me as I never remember to do it myself. 
Yes, but … unless you save the recipe/preset while holding down the Shift-key, any Control Points will NOT be saved … See here for details.
John M