nik collection 2018 by dxoBack in 2016, we reported that Google acquired one of the world’s best editing plugin suites, the Nik Collection, and then subsequently offered it for free. Unfortunately, just as we speculated then, Google discontinued the software and ended support for the plugin suite, after using it to ramp up their own photo services.

Since Google no longer kept the Nik software up to date, the plugin suite lost compatibility with the latest versions of Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Lightroom. Fortunately for everyone, however, DxO bought the technology from Google in 2017 and promised to restore it to its former glory.

But here’s the good news! The fine people over at DxO, has made good on their promise and just released the first version of their new Nik Collection 2018 plugins.

Though visibly, nothing has changed, DxO made a lot of changes underneath the hood. This new version promises an improved user experience and increased stability. According to the product owner at DxO, Bruno Sayakhom, it was a long and complex process. They had to completely redo the source code as it has not been maintained for a long time and thus had to be made compatible with the latest Adobe Creative Cloud and Apple OS updates. He assures us that; “This is a first step that allows us to start afresh.”

What this means is that they had to do a complete overhaul of the plugin suite, by modernising the code to be compatible with the latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop, while fixing many of the bugs and errors that plagued the plugin suite in the past. 

As users of the Nik Collection ourselves, this is incredibly exciting news and a very promising start. They will now be able to start working on new features and provide continual support for this already impressive photo editing suite.

The new Nik Collection 2018 is currently available on DxO’s website for the introductory price of $49.99 USD. This promotion will end on the 1st of July, with the price rising to $69 moving forward.  

Try it out now by installing the 30-Day trial version.