Google drops Nik plugin collection to $149
When Google recently announced that it was pulling support for the desktop version of Nik’s Snapseed editing software, people started to worry what this meant for the rest of Nik’s non-mobile products. But a new announcement today from Google has the company not only recommitting to these plugins, but also dramatically dropping the price.
Today the company announced the Nik Collection by Google, which is every single one of Nik’s desktop plugins in a single bundle, for just $149. This marks the end of them being sold as separates, and for that flat fee, you get Dfine® 2.0, Viveza® 2, HDR Efex Pro™ 2, Color Efex Pro™ 4 Complete Edition, Silver Efex Pro™ 2, and Sharpener Pro™ 3.0.
Previously, individual plugins would run around the $100 mark, with a bundle of all of them costing as much as $500. The new, $149 bundle will not just feature all six plugins, but will work on all supported applications from a single installer: Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and Apple Aperture.
I talked to Josh Haftel, Product Manager at Google, who told me that this new bundle is all but identical to the previously available versions, with the only changes of note being an all-in-one installer, and Google branding. He also commented that Google plans to continue to develop and support Nik software’s plugins, saying:
“We definitely plan to continue developing and evolving the software. This is our first release and by bringing this under the Google brand, we hope to show our commitment not only to Nik users, but to the photography community at large.”
If you previously bought any of these plugins, Google isn’t going to leave you in the cold for already having dropped a lot of money. If you purchased any individual plugin within the last five years, you get the entire collection for free. If you spent more than $149 on plugins since February 22nd of this year, you’ll be refunded the difference.
This is a mammoth reduction in software price, and should make it much easier for amateur and semi-pro photographers to afford these plugins. You can take a demo of the software for a 15-day trial from Nik Software’s website.
