I wasn’t going to bother upgrading from Nik 7 to 8 as I have Photolab 8 with Filmpack 7 and don’t use Photoshop at all, so the main improvements to the suite don’t affect me.
However with this latest offer I can get Nik 8 and Viewpoint 5 for £79.99 which seems like a good deal, effectively upgrading Nik for £20.
Can anyone tell me what the workflow would be starting from PL8 and using Nik8 and VP5? Thanks.
The ViewPoint User Guide describes a workflow between VP and PL:
https://userguides.dxo.com/viewpoint/en/workflow/#with_dxo_photolab
The Nik Collection User guide describes its WF with PL:
https://userguides.dxo.com/nikcollection/en/workflow/#dxo_photolab
ViewPoint as standalone app can cooperate with Nik, both only support JPEG and TIFF file formats.
As I see things, you can keep doing the things as you did before, and with a VP license, the VP features are available in PL and applicable to RAW files too.
That’s certainly one way of thinking and if money is abundant, go ahead.
I still DO recommend you download the Nik and VP trials and see if you need the new features. If you e.g. check out Quelles sont les nouveautés de Nik Collection 8 ? - Nik Collection by DxO, you’ll find some marketing information about the new features.
In a few words - a whole lot more work than using PL8 with ViewPoint and FilmPack integrated. There is no need at all for the VP standalone version. Drop Nik and save yourself even more.
Thanks for the helpful reply and those links. I hadn’t realised that VP could be used within PL on RAW files, that makes it even more appealing. I’d previously read in a review that it only worked on JPEG and TIFF files. I now realise they were referring to a standalone version.
It isn’t that money is abundant, but I’ve recently been using an ultra-wide lens and was already considering getting VP at Black Friday later this year. With this offer I get it for a discounted price 5 months earlier and the NIK upgrade means I’ll still be eligible for an upgrade price up to Nik 10…unless DXO change the rules.
Thanks Joanna, I hadn’t realised that VP would integrate with PL, so I’ll obviously use it that way before using Nik which I’ve been using since 2011, when I paid £236 for it!
In fact, VP is already part of PL. You don’t even need to install it, simply register from the top menu bar.
Nik doesn’t work well with PL, so if you don’t use Ps or any pixel software than keep your Nik 7. maybe if DxO introduce layers or make Nik working within PL like VP and FP does than it might be worth buying.
I’ve been using Nik for long time and it’s a great combo Nik/Ps or Nik/AP.
Except that, with Ps or AP (PhotoShop or Affinity Photo), you’re getting only mediocre RAW processing (esp. lens sharpening optimisation & Noise Reduction) compared with PhotoLab.
And Stevenesque, do not underestimate the advantage of this kind of full integration: furthermore there is still a certain independency: even if PL is updated to a new version, your “old” VP and FP versions will seemlessly continue to work with it. And if you once decide for another version of FP or VP it’s the same. You do not have to fiddle around with a multiple software nightmare and can go out shooting instead 
Seriously, I’m with DXO since 15 (!) years now and could not be happier.
i open images in PL first, but honestly in near future might just switch to PureRAW. lens correction/sharpening and noise reduction is best in PL, but clone/repair tools in PL are behind compare to other software, so does some other tools. I’m not opening a debate, I just go from my experience. helical selection and color grading should had been implemented before bringing LUTs to be honest.
Ah - OK … That makes sense.
Thank you, it’s good to know that existing versions of VP and FP will continue to work inside an updated version of PL.
I have always tried to use one main product + Nik to process my photos, previously using Aperture and then C1. I now use DigiKam to upload and catalogue, then PhotoLab +Nik. I would find trips to multiple pieces of processing software each with a different UI just too confusing.
I switched from Capture 1 / Topaz , and bought Photolab 9 Elite, VP, FP and now the Nik suite. I am still trying to settle on a workflow and need guidance as there are many products.
I suppose using both Nik and FP would be an over kill.
Would appreciate hearing from experts here regarding your workflow.
Best,
To make your workflow simpler you could do all the processing including the film effects in PhotoLab. I particularly like the Colour Positive films, a good jumping off point is Fuji Velvia 50 (richer colours, deeper reds, more contrast). Keep in mind you can diminish the intensity of any of these treatments with a slider.
The only time I feel I really miss Nik is for Silver Efex. The magic of Silver Efex cannot easily be replicated in PhotoLab. That said when I’ve played with Colour Efex, it has some film treatments which do look more persuasively like film than FilmPack. I just can’t be bothered adding a whole other step to my workflow (which is not based around film emulations, YMMV).
Thanks, I will try the Fuji Velvia 50.
I’d second this. Nik greatly overlaps what PhotoLab can do, but IMO PhotoLab can do it better (along with FilmPack and ViewPoint).
I toyed with Nik but ended up going back to PL, FP, and VP. That’s it.
I gather some folks keep Nik around for certain fringe cases, so if you can afford it then that’s an option too. I wouldn’t make it part of a workflow though, personally.
Thanks Fineus. Makes a lot of sense.