NIK 8 update just came out and unless I’m missing something, I have to pay for the upgrade? I purchased NIK 7 (4)months (3) weeks ago along w/ DXO 8, almost $350, (discounted) now to upgrade to NIK 8, they want another $89.99? I boasted about DXO / NIK 7 and their perpetual license to friends and associates, who converted from Lightroom, after dealing w/ Adobe, and now I just got a couple of nasty emails regarding my recombination. I guess DXO is going the way of Adobe…Perpetual? Seriously… 4 months? Total: $248.99 in less than a year, Congrats DXO-NIK, your more expensive than a year of Photoshop by a over $100!
Well, if this was really Adobe’s Business Model, your copy of Nik 7 would stop working if you didn’t pay to upgrade it. But with DxO, you can choose to skip this upgrade if you’re not interested in the features and continue to use the software you purchased.
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Splitting hairs, its. a slipery slope! Most companies allow a year or two before charging an upgrade, not 4mo. Bottom line, DXO totally lost my trust and will NOT recommend again!
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Nik 7 was released in May 2024. So a year between upgrades, not 4 months. You just happened to buy it 2/3 of the way through the upgrade year. But hey, if you want to be pissed off at DxO, go ahead. I can see why you’re choked at having to pay another $89 if you want the latest and greatest after just paying $350. I’m still on Nik7 (and am very happy with it), and am not planning on upgrading to Nik8 as I don’t see enough bang for the $89 bucks for me.
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I presume you are using Silver Efex, as you are posting in that specific sub-forum?
I don’t know why you bothered buying the Nik collection when you could have just used FilmPack, integrated into PL, which costs a lot less, especially when bought in a bundle. Nik is primarily targeted at Photoshop users.
Anyhow, I use PL8 with FP7 and, taking one of the advertising images from the web page for Silver Efex, where they show a benefit of using ClearView as an “exclusive” tool, I downloaded the colour version from Un vieil homme avec une moustache et un chapeau photo – Image gratuite de Portrait sur Unsplash and ran it through PL/FP with the Kodak T-Max 400 emulation and got this…
… without even touching ClearView.
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PL upgrade come in the Fall while NIK come in Spring. when you read released date it kind of tell you. that you bought it months ago, many got caught in the same wagon. people don’t ask those question and/or don’t do search in the forum. sorry, we see this every year when new released come out. if there’s no feature you need in the new release than don’t buy it, you still have 2 years before you’ll get to pay full price, many skip 1 version.
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filmpack is integrated in Nik, so if you’re using Nik with other software than why bother buying FP7?
@OldHickory30 states he bought Nik together with PL8
Personally, unless you are using Nik Collection frequently as a plugin from Adobe then I think there is not much incentive to upgrade this year.
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DxO provides updates for two generations of most of its products. This means that updates for bug and feature fixes and new features are available for 2 years typically.
Major versions have been arriving on a yearly basis for a few years now, before that, each product had major updates after random number of years or months.
Perpetual license means that you’re granted the right to use the software in the major version (and including all its dot releases) as long as you like or your gear allows.
Caution: According to posts in this forum, DxO seems to be particularly old fashioned in their style of dealing with what we users would call installation, update and licensing issues. The best I can offer are a few hints to reduce the risk of having to deal with such inconvenience:
- Keep copies of the sales documents (mails, credit card receipts etc.)
- Keep copies of the installers
- Know (and document?) your requirements
- Exhaustively test during the full trial period
- RTF EULA - DxO
- Buy a license - if all things have been considered, useful and acceptable
Basically, the above is both best practice and common sense, and I do admit that I take shortcuts occasionally - and have to accept that, if sellers aren’t accommodating, it’s all due to me not following my own advice.
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I’m speaking of the purchase date, not the release date. One should be granted at least a grace period to update. Based on this policy if I would have bought NIK 7 (2) days before the release date, I would distill be charged the upgrade price.
I don’t have filmpack, never had filmpack and don’t see the relavancy.
So according to your statement am I to assume that there is, or is not, an option to upgrade to a new version if purchased within that year?
Which is why it is always recommended to download the trial version before upgrading.
The reason for getting FilmPack is that it costs less, and is integrated into PhotoLab, so no need to pass your files through multiple different apps.
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Again not interested in Filmpack, have very specific reasons for using NIK 7, and its again its about the upgrade policy!
Out of curiosity, what would that be?
Nik 8 is not an “update” to Nik 7. It is a new version, which you are not obliged to purchase unless there is something in it that makes it worth the money for you. If it isn’t, simply don’t pay for it.
If, as you say, you have a specific reason for using Nik 7, then don’t move to Nik 8. It’s not obligatory.
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A license is good for one MAJOR version, e.g. Nik Clollection v6.
If I wanted to UPGRADE to e.g. Nik Collection v7, I’d have to pay the upgrade price.
Other than a few years ago, DxO currently asks for the following:
- BUY license of product version x → pay full price
-
- upGRADE license from x to x+1 or x+2 → pay upgrade price
-
- upGRADE license from x to x+3/4/5… → pay full price (or buy a new license)
-
- upDATE license from x.0 to x.1/2/3 etc. → free (already paid for)
In general, upgrading a license voids the original license. With DxO, the original license stays valid, that is why it’s called perpetual. Nevertheless, support will end according to what DxO publishes regarding this matter.
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There’s a grace period; it’s just not 4 months. And frankly, no company that I’ve ever used has offered a 4 month grace period…90 days maybe but that’s about the best I’ve seen. Having said all that, wait to upgrade until November when all products are on sale for the holidays. That’s what I usually do, though I never upgraded to Nik 7. Will go to 8 from 6 around Black Friday.
Although I appreciate the matrix and totally grasp the concept of a perpetual license, this is just an overall complaint. There is NO grace period; DXO support confirmed that a bit ago. If I buy v.7 / 24 hours or 4 months, prior to the release of v.8, there is no grace period. I’m sure that I’m not going to change their policy, but for those of us that are new to DXO, it took us by surprise and I find it a poor business decision and just another way of charging a subscription, mere semantics. Not interested in continuing this conversation and will be more careful recommending companies further, without doing a deep dive.