Can Nik Collection run on Linux without a slow Windows VirtualBox VM?
Asked 3/2/2018
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m trying to use Nik Software/Nik Collection on Kubuntu/KDE Neon. My current workaround is Windows 7 in VirtualBox, but it runs very slowly even on an Intel Core i7 with 8GB RAM. Are there better ways to run Nik plugins on Linux, such as Wine or native integration tools? If I stay with VirtualBox, is there anything to improve performance?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
4
I published a small open-source application for using Nik Collection plugins on Ubuntu. The app compiles both under Linux and Windows, but it is recommended to compile Windows version and use under wine. Pre-compiled binary is available for direct use. Project is hosted here: https://nik4nix.sourceforge.io
The app will talk to Nik plugins and to some other image editors on Linux for an integrated workflow. You can use it stand-alone to just load a photo and edit it with Nik. Then either save or export directly into gimp/pinta/darktable.
Will release more features related to integration with Picasa3, because IMHO this is the best photo manager that one can run on Linux, and I'd like to be able to use Nik Plugins from it via nik4nix.
Tested with wine version >=3.
Some screens:
Originally by user78284. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user78284
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. Based on the community answers, the main alternatives are:
-
Use Wine instead of a full Windows VM. Several users report better results running Windows photo software under Wine, often in 32-bit mode. This can avoid some of the overhead of VirtualBox.
-
Try nik4nix, an open-source tool made specifically to use Nik Collection plugins on Linux. It can work standalone or integrate with editors such as GIMP, Pinta, and darktable, and it was reported to work with Wine 3 or newer.
-
If you keep using VirtualBox, enable graphics acceleration for the guest: in the VM settings under Display, turn on 3D Acceleration and 2D Video Acceleration. That may help, although GPU-heavy photo tools often still perform poorly in virtualization.
So the best path is usually to try Wine first, ideally with a tool like nik4nix if it fits your workflow. VirtualBox can work, but it’s often slower for graphics-dependent editing software.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago