DxO Nik Collection 5

[OldRadioGuy]

(On my 2017 iMac)

The latest version of the Nik Collection, DxO Nik Collection 5, has been released, and PhotoLine 23.40b9 continues to have the inability to run these plugins correctly. In my tests the Nik apps can be opened in PL either as a plug-in or as an external app, but the result cannot be saved back to PL.

This same problem has been experienced in some other editors with the Nik Collection, too. However, two editors that had this problem recently released updates, and they will now run the DxO Nik Collection plug-ins correctly.

I know when I raised this issue earlier, there seemed to be a problem with communication with the DxO programmers. Perhaps that may no longer a problem since these two editors solved the problem with the Nik Collection.

Can you please take another look at this issue?

Thanks for your support.

[Gerhard Huber]

I sent an email once more again. Will see what happens.

[Martin Huber]

This same problem has been experienced in some other editors with the Nik Collection, too. However, two editors that had this problem recently released updates, and they will now run the DxO Nik Collection plug-ins correctly.

So these two editors didn't show the "Apply" button, but after an update of the editor (not the plugins) it worked? Is this with version 5 of Nik?

I know DXO released a version 4 NIK update that explicitly enabled the "Apply" button for Affinity, which led me to believe that the plugins have an internal list of supported editors and that they block all others. Your statement contradicts my conclusion.

Martin

[mrocha]

This is other problem, some plugins don't allow you to use the plugin in a non supported host, I think it is ridiculous, have plugins which don't allow even the installation if you don't have the Photoshop installed, and others don't install the .8bf file without Photoshop installed forcing you to use the plugin as a external program. I don't know if the plugin check a registry entry or if check the presence of the "Photoshop.exe". If possible, can be very good implement something to fool this "selective" plugins.

[shijan]

In macOS A lot of newer plugins use path /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC instead of /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2018/Plug-ins
Maybe you can't see some of them because you didn't set path in PhotoLine preferences?

Another possible problem (already described here) - plug-ins that use some sort of additional automation/scripts plug-ins may be invisible in PhotoLine.

[mrocha]

I use Windows, but is not it, in the past I tried some plugins that you can't install because the installation process stop because you don't have Photoshop installed on PC, you NEED Photoshop to continue the installation, in this case is impossible to install the plugin, I don't remember the names of all plugins that I have this problem, but one was the "Mask Pro" (acquired by ON1). And have plugins that install the software but don't install the .8bf file if you don't have Photoshop installed on PC, a plugin that I remember that have this problem was Alien Skin Exposure 7 that forced me use it as a external program. I don't know if this changed with the new versions of Exposure, maybe not. So, if possible, can be very good implement something to fool this "selective" plugins, the devs need do a little research, I don't know how do it, maybe PL can add some registry keys to handle this situations like with the Mask Pro that was impossible to me even to try it. I think PL is very good, and that is essential the compatibility with PS plugins, but I think that this plugins feature would be better, need a special attention, and maybe the devs would download the trials at least of the most known plugins to be sure this plugins is working well with PL, is just my humble opinion.

[shijan]

You may try to create Photoshop plugins folder structure manually, so installator can "see" the plug-ins folder path and install plug-in there.

Guess Windows paths looks like this:
C:/ Program Files/ Adobe/ Adobe Photoshop CC (year)/ Plug-ins
C:/ Program Files/ Common Files/ Adobe/ Plug-ins/ CC

[mrocha]

With Mask Pro I tried it, I even make a fake exe file using the exact name used by Adobe, but Mask Pro don't swallow it.

[mrocha]

An example is Nik Collection, I don't use it, but guy, this plugins need work perfect with PhotoLine, EVER, because you know, this plugins is very popular, and used by A LOT of people, like Mask Pro was, like Exposure is, like Eye Candy is and that is one of the most known PS plugins absolutely, like Topaz Remask was popular also, and so on.

[OldRadioGuy]

This same problem has been experienced in some other editors with the Nik Collection, too. However, two editors that had this problem recently released updates, and they will now run the DxO Nik Collection plug-ins correctly.

So these two editors didn't show the "Apply" button, but after an update of the editor (not the plugins) it worked? Is this with version 5 of Nik?

I know DXO released a version 4 NIK update that explicitly enabled the "Apply" button for Affinity, which led me to believe that the plugins have an internal list of supported editors and that they block all others. Your statement contradicts my conclusion.

Martin

This is version 5 of Nik.

[OldRadioGuy]

In macOS A lot of newer plugins use path /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC instead of /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2018/Plug-ins
Maybe you can't see some of them because you didn't set path in PhotoLine preferences?

Another possible problem (already described here) - plug-ins that use some sort of additional automation/scripts plug-ins may be invisible in PhotoLine.

DxO FilmPack 6 is installed there, but not DxO Nik Collection 5.

[Gerhard Huber]

I now got the answer, that it's to much effort for DxO to support PhotoLine.
I don't know why, because they should only implement the interface correct, but that's all they wrote.

[gennadiy]

DxO told me that PL is an incompatible program.
It is not clear what they are generally developing for money.
Completely ugly interface.
The latest normal/stable version is 3.

[Martin Huber]

I have now investigated the problem in more detail.
After I couldn't find a bug in PhotoLine's plug-in interface, I created a test version of PhotoLine with the same name as an app officially supported by DxO, and voila, the Apply button appeared and I was able to transfer the plug-in's results to PhotoLine.
I tested this with Color Efex Pro 5 and Viveza 3.

So now it is clear:

• The Nik plug-ins work fine with Photoline's plug-in interface.
• DxO blocks host applications that they don't want to support. That's the only reason why you can't use Nik plug-ins with PhotoLine.
• The only ones who can change this are DxO. All they have to do is stop blocking PhotoLine.

Martin

[mrocha]

Some times is very simple and fast to fix a bug, like on DxO Nik Collection 5, we can't understand why the devs can't do it, maybe they don't like your face, your name, maybe your country, I don't know, for one person the plugin devs has all the time of world for understand a bug and has time to read and write big texts, several posts, and to do a lot of tests, for another person don't has time even to read very few lines from a bug report, or to read a email with more than two sentences, or for instance to fix a little "apply" button. For Photoshop DxO has all the time of world, but for Photoline not! Why? What we can do? One thing we can do, and that I ever do, is just pay for softwares that devs respect and give attention for everyone the same way and that has a little time to read few words or to fix little "apply buttons", when we need it, if is not so, DON'T PAY for the software after the trial period.