Nik Software, Inc.

FAQs

To view a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for a product, click on the product name listed to the right. Alternatively, click on any question to go to the product page and the specific answer to the question.

General Product FAQs

>	I recently upgraded to Mac Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) and now whenever I access any of my Nik Software plug-ins in Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture, the plug-ins will cause an error message and the host application will sometimes quit unexpectantly. How can I resolve this issue?

>	I am planing to upgrade to Mac (OS 10.6) Snow Leopard and would like to know, are there currently any incompatibilities issues I should be aware of with Nik Software plug-ins?

>	I recently upgraded to Mac Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) and now whenever I use Color Efex Pro 3.0 in Photoshop, the interface window is extremely wide and I am unable to resize it. How can I resolve this issue?

>	I have logged into my account to download an update, I would like to download Color Efex Pro 3.1, but all I see is Color Efex Pro 3.0, where can I find the update?

>	I upgraded to Adobe Photoshop CS4, I don't see my Nik Software plug-ins. How do I access my Nik Software plug-ins, or move them over to Adobe Photoshop CS4?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with Photoshop CS4 on Mac?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with Photoshop CS4 on Windows (32-bit)?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with Photoshop CS4 64-bit in Windows?

>	How do I install my Nik Software plug-ins into the 32-bit version of Photoshop CS4 on Windows XP 64-bit or Vista 64-bit?

>	How do I open the 32-bit version of Photoshop CS4 on my XP or Vista 64-bit of Windows machine?

>	Are older Nik Software products compatible with Photoshop CS4?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with Photoshop Elements?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2?

>	How do I install Nik Software products into Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2?

>	Are Nik Software products compatible with image editing applications other than Adobe Photoshop?

>	I am trying to install the software and it is asking me for a product key. Where do I find the product key?

>	What are the limitations and/or time limit for the trial versions of your software?

>	Do I need to uninstall the trial version before I upgrade to a full version?

>	I ordered and electronic download of my software online, however I have not received an email with a download link and product key, why is it taking so long?

>	Does Nik Software offer a money-back guarantee on its software? How are returns handled?

>	Do you have an academic program with reduced pricing? How do I qualify?

>	My 15-day Trail version is about to expire or has expired. How do I activate it with my product key that I just purchased?

>	How do I access my product updates?

>	If I downloaded the 15 day trial version and then buy the product; how do I activate the product?

>	I lost my product key to my software and want to upgrade to the new version. How do I upgrade without a product key?

>	What is the recommended workflow when using Nik Software products?

>	Where can I find a list of the latest product updates?

>	What is the best way to reach Nik Software for customer support?

Dfine® 2.0

>	What is noise?

>	What is the retail cost of Dfine 2.0?

>	What will the cost be to upgrade from Dfine 1.0 to Dfine 2.0?

>	How do I purchase a Dfine Camera Profile?

>	What is the difference between camera profiles in Dfine 1.0 and Dfine 2.0’s measurement and profile system?

>	Does Dfine work on film grain and noise generated in the scanning process?

>	Is a graphics tablet necessary to use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	Will Dfine 2.0 work with my color management system?

>	How do I use the Load Based on EXIF Data feature to automatically profile my images?

>	How do I create a profile?

>	When I use the "Load Based on EXIF Data feature", it doesn't seem to be loading a profile, what am I doing wrong?

>	I have the Apply effect to separate layer option selected for the After Clicking OK setting in the filter preferences but when I apply the filter in a batch process, it does not apply to a separate layer. How can I fix this?

>	How do I create a batch process in Dfine 2.0?

>	How do I apply a batch process of selective noise reduction with Dfine 2.0?

>	How do I uninstall Dfine 2.0?

>	Should I turn off noise reduction in my camera if I am using Dfine 2.0?

>	Is Dfine 2.0 Smart Filter compatible?

>	How do I access Dfine 2.0 inside of Aperture?

>	How do I preserve my layers and or my CMYK color space when using Dfine 2.0 in Aperture?

>	I made RAW edits using Aperture on a version and went into Dfine 2.0, and now I can't see the RAW edits?

>	When I start Photoshop, the Nik Selective Tool is not automatically launching. How can I enable it to automatically launch?

>	Why should I use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	Is a graphics tablet necessary to use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	What type of images does Dfine 2.0 for Lightroom support?

>	How do I manually add Dfine 2.0 for Lightroom as an external editor in Lightroom 2?

>	How do I access Dfine 2.0 as an external editor inside Lightroom?

Viveza™

>	I had Color Efex Pro 3.0 and/or Viveza installed and working. Now after installing Dfine 2.0 the selective features and/or layering effects no longer work correctly. When I try to use the Selective Tool to brush on the effect, nothing happens. How can I fix this?

>	What is the difference between Viveza and Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	How does U Point technology in Viveza differ from U Point in the other plug-in products?

>	What is the retail cost of Viveza?

>	At what stage of the image editing process should Viveza be used?

>	Is a graphics tablet necessary to use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	Will Viveza work with my color management system?

>	Can I use Viveza in a Batch process?

>	Is Viveza Smart Filter compatible?

>	How do I prevent the Nik Selective Tool from automatically opening each time I start Photoshop?

>	Why should I use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	How do I uninstall Viveza?

>	Are there any training Videos or lessons available for using Viveza?

>	What type of images does Viveza for Lightroom support?

>	How do I manually add Viveza for Lightroom as an external editor in Lightroom 2?

>	How do I access Viveza as an external editor inside Lightroom?

Color Efex Pro™ 3.0

>	I had Color Efex Pro 3.0 and/or Viveza installed and working. Now after installing Dfine 2.0 the selective features and/or layering effects no longer work correctly. When I try to use the Selective Tool to brush on the effect, nothing happens. How can I fix this?

>	What is the difference between each edition of Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	What is the retail cost of each edition of Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	What new filters are available in Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	I can’t find the filter I used to use in Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 in Color Efex Pro 3.0. How do I find what filter correlates with the one I am looking for in Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	At what stage of the image editing process should Color Efex Pro 3.0 be used?

>	Is a graphics tablet necessary to use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	Will Color Efex Pro 3.0 work with my color management system?

>	How do I prevent the Nik Selective Tool from automatically opening each time I start Photoshop?

>	What is the difference between the Color Efex Pro B/W Conversion filter and converting an image to Grayscale mode?

>	Why should I use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	I have the Apply effect to separate layer option selected for the After Clicking OK setting in the filter preferences but when I apply the filter in a batch process, it does not apply to a separate layer. How can I fix this?

>	How do I create a batch process in Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	How do I uninstall Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	What type of images does Color Efex Pro 3.0 for Lightroom support?

>	How do I manually add Color Efex Pro 3.0 for Lightroom as an external editor in Lightroom 2?

>	How do I access Color Efex Pro 3.0 as an external editor inside Lightroom?

Color Efex Pro™ 3.0 for Capture NX 2

>	Is Color Efex Pro 3.0 compatible with 16-bit images?

>	What operating systems is Color Efex Pro 3.0 compatible with?

>	My filters will not install. An error message comes up stating that I have entered an invalid serial number. How can I fix this?

>	I am having trouble reading my serial number. I can't tell if a character is a letter or a number.

>	How do I access the filters from within Capture NX 2?

>	What is the difference between the Vignette Control from Nikon Capture and the Vignette filter from Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	What new filters are available in Color Efex Pro 3.0?

>	I had Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 for Capture NX filters applied to my NEF files and I’ve upgraded to Color Efex Pro 3.0 for Capture NX 2, how can I use the Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters on the files I’ve already edited?

Silver Efex Pro

>	What is the difference between Color Efex Pro 3.0 Black and White filters and Silver Efex Pro?

>	Why should I use Silver Efex Pro when I can use Photoshop’s Black and White adjustment tool?

>	What type of files does Silver Efex Pro work with?

>	Can I use Silver Efex Pro in a batch process?

>	Is Silver Efex Pro Smart Filter compatible?

>	How do I prevent the Nik Selective Tool from automatically opening each time I start Photoshop?

>	Why should I use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	How do I uninstall Silver Efex Pro?

>	Are there any training videos or lessons available for using Silver Efex Pro?

>	What is the retail cost of Silver Efex Pro?

>	How can I back up or share the styles that I created within Silver Efex Pro’s Style Browser?

>	How do I download additional custom styles?

>	What type of images does Silver Efex Pro for Lightroom support?

>	How do I manually add Silver Efex Pro for Lightroom as an external editor in Lightroom 2?

>	How do I access Silver Efex Pro as an external editor inside Lightroom?

Sharpener Pro 3.0

>	What is the retail cost of Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	What is the difference between the one edition for Sharpener Pro 3.0 and the two editions for Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0?

>	I thought Sharpener Pro 2.0 did a great job sharpening my images, so why should I switch to Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	What are all the new features in Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	At what stage of the image editing process should Sharpener Pro 3.0 be used?

>	Is Sharpener Pro 3.0 Smart Filter compatible?

>	Is Sharpener Pro 3.0 compatible with Intel-based Macs?

>	Can I use the RAW Presharpener for my TIFF files?

>	Should I turn sharpening off within my camera?

>	Should I base my sharpening on what I see on my monitor?

>	How do I use Control Points to sharpen my images?

>	In Sharpener Pro 2.0 there were controls under the Advanced tab. Where do I find these controls in Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	How do I set the amount of sharpening in Sharpener Pro 3.0 to my taste?

>	What is the Sharpening Soft Proof?

>	I print at a photo lab or with an online printing facility, what settings do I use?

>	Will Sharpener Pro 3.0 work with my color management system?

>	How do I access Sharpener Pro 3.0 inside of Aperture?

>	How do I preserve my layers and or my CMYK color space when using Sharpener Pro 3.0 in Aperture?

>	I made RAW edits using Aperture on a version and went into Sharpener Pro 3.0, and now I can't see the RAW edits?

>	Previously I had Photoshop CS3 running in Rosetta, how do I turn it off now?

>	When I start Photoshop, the Nik Selective Tool is not automatically launching. How can I enable it to automatically launch?

>	What is the difference between LPI and DPI?

>	Why should I use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	Is a graphics tablet necessary to use the Nik Selective Tool?

>	How do I create a batch process in Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	How do I uninstall Sharpener Pro 3.0?

>	What type of images does Sharpener Pro 3.0 for Lightroom support?

>	How do I manually add Sharpener Pro 3.0 for Lightroom as an external editor in Lightroom 2?

>	How do I access Sharpener Pro 3.0 as an external editor inside Lightroom?

Dfine® 2.0
Viveza™
Color Efex Pro™ 3.0
Color Efex Pro™ 3.0
for Capture NX 2
Silver Efex Pro™
Sharpener Pro™ 3.0

Compatibility
Contact Us