Something new has appeared in the photographic image processing world… We’ve been waiting with anticipation for the release of Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Was it worth the wait? Yes, but first let me say that the big recent improvement in the Nik software suite was the release of 64-bit executables. Anyway, back on track, and yeah, the just-released Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 really does improve on the original. Naturally, within the next few days, all the tech-oriented photobloggers will wax philosophical about the awesomeness of the new version. Greatest thing ever? Nah, but worth the $100 upgrade cost.
As keen as I might be to provide a review of the cool new features, as you can plainly see, I got something even better to show – Why the HP of course! I did use most all of the new feature set to generate the final image though, including Dynamic Brightness, Soft Contrast, the new Toning controls (Sepia 21), a touch of Vignette, and the Type 7 Image Border. An Inner Bevel was applied to the image after placement in the background. For reference, the original unprocessed image is shown below.
The image of the HP at Cathedral park in PDX was recorded at around noon on February 20, 2011, using the Nikon D3s and the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens at 70mm. Exposure was f/8 and 1/20s, ISO at 200.
Copyright 2011 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.
