After downloading the trial of the NIK Collection and trying out certain filters I find that some of the filters are closely similar in many respects to what DXO 9.7 is capable of. In other words: DXO 9.7 has everything I require for my photographic needs, as it is an excellent program indeed.
The NIK Collection is also excellent for those who have chosen to make use of it for what extras they may need, and I am certain that those who use it are far more knowledgeable of the processes that the NIK Collection of filters are capable of than I am. Nevertheless, DXO 9.7 does me fine on its’ own.
Agreed. While PL and Nik have quite some overlap, they are made for different use cases. There’s no need to have both - unless both uses cases are part of one’s daily business.
If it’s just to convert a photo in black and white, PhotoLab is more than enough. But I find Nik Silver Efex indispensable if I really wish to push the boundaries and lean towards creative artwork rather than just a photo.
I’ve used NIK since before the times when Google acquired the plugins and made them available for free, and never really found the other plugins useful.
I’m trying out the updated Color Efex and find some of the filters to be really good. The options available are vast, way beyond the built-in presets. However, in today’s test I’ve managed - with less work - to get a slightly better result with PhotoLab plus Photomatix Pro 7 (which I already have). I’ll continue with more images over the next three weeks.