Way to use NIK non-destructively with GIMP or other?

[billmcl]

I have been using NIK Silver Efex as a stand alone. The obvious problem with this is once I save as a TIFF or JPEG, there is no going back to undo or modify any part of the history. I suppose I could save each finished file as a preset, but that seems unwieldy and I don't think it would include the local adjustments.

I don't have PS or LR. I just tried to send a layer out from GIMP to NIK and that works fine, but when I save the final file then try to reopen the layer in NIK, the NIK history is lost.

I did a few searches on this but nothing came up. Was hoping someone can give me some insight. Does PS save the NIK changes to a layer?

Thanks!!!

 

[Janoch]

If you can't do that in software, you could save the file in steps...

 

[StephaneB]

The only way to achieve that is to use Photoshop. It has so-called smart filters. I've worked years with Photoshop and NIK with smart filters. Excellent combination. However, it generates huge files and the saves tend to get slowish.

 

[Steve Bingham]

. . . or simply make an adjustment layer and save both as a layered file. I believe the cheap and simple PS Elements allows this. In Photoshop Elements 11, you can place elements on separate layers yet show them together to create a composite. You can also add, delete, or rearrange ...

--https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/using/creating-layers.html

Steve Bingham

 

[StephaneB]

. . . or simply make an adjustment layer and save both as a layered file. I believe the cheap and simple PS Elements allows this. In Photoshop Elements 11, you can place elements on separate layers yet show them together to create a composite. You can also add, delete, or rearrange ...

No, that won't work. Adjustment layers do not support filters nor plugins. Only smart filters allow that and that is only available in Photoshop.

 

[billmcl]

Thanks for the replies! It looks like just saving each completed photo as a unique preset may be the best I can do right now. It would certainly be better than starting from scratch. Fortunately, I don't process that many photographs a month right now.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this.

 

[Steve Bingham]

OK. Thanks. After 25+ years with PS, I don't even have Elements on my computer. So layers in Elements won't support filters? How weird.

. . . or simply make an adjustment layer and save both as a layered file. I believe the cheap and simple PS Elements allows this. In Photoshop Elements 11, you can place elements on separate layers yet show them together to create a composite. You can also add, delete, or rearrange ...

No, that won't work. Adjustment layers do not support filters nor plugins. Only smart filters allow that and that is only available in Photoshop.

 

[MichelB]

. . . or simply make an adjustment layer and save both as a layered file. I believe the cheap and simple PS Elements allows this. In Photoshop Elements 11, you can place elements on separate layers yet show them together to create a composite. You can also add, delete, or rearrange ...

No, that won't work. Adjustment layers do not support filters nor plugins. Only smart filters allow that and that is only available in Photoshop.

Maybe the very affordable Elements+ add-on could bring back the smart filters to Elements?

https://elementsplus.net/

I am not familiar with the scripts in the 'smart object' section, but there are so many useful scripts that you can't go wrong if you miss a number of Photoshop features.

 

[StephaneB]

OK. Thanks. After 25+ years with PS, I don't even have Elements on my computer. So layers in Elements won't support filters? How weird.

Photoshop has adjustments and it has filters. A curve is an adjustment and sharpening is a filter.

Adjustment layers, like their name indicates, can only be based on adjustments, not on filters. You have a curve adjustment layer, but regrettably you cannot have a sharpening adjustment layer.

However, you can use sharpening as a smart filter, which allows you to go and revisit the sharpening settings.

Plugins act as filters and cannot be put in adjustment layers because, well, they are not adjustments. But they can be put in smart filters, allowing to go and revisit the settings you put in the plugin.

Photoshop Elements does not have smart filters.

 

[ddharriman]

Hello

Based on this: https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=124723.0, Photoshop Elements with Elements+ plug-in can get (most of) Nik Collection to run as a smart object.

Best Regards,

 

[ssepan1]

. . . or simply make an adjustment layer and save both as a layered file. I believe the cheap and simple PS Elements allows this. In Photoshop Elements 11, you can place elements on separate layers yet show them together to create a composite. You can also add, delete, or rearrange ...

Steve B,

I just happened to get my hands on a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2019 (17.0) earlier this week and every time I opened it, it also popped up a floating window showing me that it had detected the free Nik Collection on my Win7-64 system. Although I hadn't gotten around to trying it (learning layers and masks has kept me busy) it seems odd that it would not use Nik if it offered it.

After seeing @StephaneB's reply, I figured OK, maybe you can only use it 'destructively'. But I had to check it out.

Attempting to invoke Nik when an adjustment layer is selected won't work, because Nik is grayed out. You can select Nik when on the background image. Whether you select the whole frame or just a part of it, the selection will open Nik and the result will come back into a new layer.

So, unless I misunderstood something, I think the answer (with this version of PSE) is 'Yes, sort of'.



SteveS

 

[billmcl]

Interesting! I guess the question is now, can you send that back into NIK and undo/alter the changes you made??

 

[ssepan1]

I've exceeded the timeout for edits, but I needed to replace my screenshot; here is the screenshot illustration (replacement) that I wanted to use with that post...

Steve S



In the example above, I've first done a circle selection before invoking Silver Efex, and then added a Viveza filter to a selection of the whole frame and done a point w/ increased saturation.


Steve S.

 

[zippski]

I have been using the google free version of NIK with PS6 for years. It is installed in the filters menu alongside Topaz.

No smart filters or other exotica needed. NIK gives you the option in the set up menu to create a separate layer. I can go back in the PS history and undo any changes I want.

Leigh

zippski

 

[ssepan1]

Interesting! I guess the question is now, can you send that back into NIK and undo/alter the changes you made??

tldr; Undo=No, Alter=eh, not the way you think; the sliders are back to default.

As @zippski echoed separately, you can go into the PS and remove or replace that change (in PSE17 by removing / replacing that layer created by Nik).

Note that in PSE, unlike adjustment layers, you can take that Nik-created layer and invoke Nik with it.

However, you should also be aware that doing so is just creating a new edit / layer. So, if you select a layer created by a trip out to Nik Silver Efex, and then select Nik Silver Efex again, you are not getting the settings as you left them last time, to tweak or undo. You are doing a totally new edit in Nik with the last one as a starting point. (This is consistent with the way that I have experienced the free Nik tools in the past, so it is no surprise to me.)

Steve S

 

[String]

I have been using the google free version of NIK with PS6 for years. It is installed in the filters menu alongside Topaz.

No smart filters or other exotica needed. NIK gives you the option in the set up menu to create a separate layer. I can go back in the PS history and undo any changes I want.

Leigh

zippski

Yep you can go in and remove/add a layer however if you want to edit that actual Nik Filter layer, you'll need to use Smart Layers in PS. Thats the only way it works.