How should I use the Nik Collection with RAW files if I only have free software?
Asked 4/5/2016
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2 answers
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I shoot RAW on a Canon 700D and want to use the free Nik Collection without Photoshop or Lightroom. Since Nik doesn’t open RAW files directly, is this the right workflow?
- Shoot in RAW
- Convert the RAW file in a free editor such as Canon DPP or RawTherapee
- Export a TIFF as the intermediate file
- Open that TIFF in a Nik plugin and make edits
- Export a JPEG for sharing
Also, does Nik save a new file, or does it overwrite the TIFF I opened? I only edit occasionally and don’t mind launching the Nik tools manually for single images.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
4
Your assumption is mostly correct. The Nik tools have what could most politely be described as an 'awkward' workflow when used without Photoshop and Lightroom.
The key difference is that any changes are saved back to the TIFF which you opened, there aren't other save options in most of the plugins (if any). So keep a note of the settings needed to recreate the TIFF if your choice of raw tool doesn't do this for you, or copy the TIFF before opening the image in the Nik software.
There is a step-by-step guide to using the plugins in Michael Clark's answer to Can the Nik Collection be used without Photoshop or Lightroom? which is detailed and has good references.
Originally by user14028. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user14028
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — that’s basically the correct workflow.
The Nik Collection does not work directly on RAW files, so you should first process the RAW image in a RAW converter such as Canon DPP or RawTherapee, then export to TIFF for editing in Nik. After finishing in Nik, export a JPEG only if you need a shareable final file.
One important detail: when used without Photoshop or Lightroom, Nik’s workflow is awkward. In most cases, the plugin saves changes back into the TIFF you opened rather than offering many separate save/export options. So if you want to preserve an untouched intermediate file, make a copy of the TIFF before opening it in Nik, or keep enough information to recreate that TIFF from the RAW file later.
A practical workflow is:
- keep the original RAW
- create a TIFF from your RAW converter
- duplicate the TIFF if you want a clean master
- edit the copy in Nik
- export JPEG only for final delivery or web use
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