Hello DXO? Enough is enough!

If you were to ask me what plugins I suggest for Photoshop, the first thing I always say is The NIK Collection.  For those of you uninitiated with The NIK Collection, it is a set of plugin filters for Photoshop that does so much.  On average, I would say that 75% or more of the images I create are touched by a NIK Collection plugin.  

I began using the NIK Collection in 2010.  At that time the complete collection was available for $500 and because of what it did it was well worth it.  In 2012 the software was purchased by Google, who dropped the price to $149.  At the  $149 price point, a large number of people jumped  in and got the software.  I suggested it all day long to my students. 

On March 24, 2016, Google shocked people by announcing that The NIK Collection would now be free.  I wrote a special Blog that day about the announcement. 

Google announced in May of 2017 that they had no plans to update the Nik Collection.  Everyone worried that over time The NIK Collection would stop working with newer operating systems.

Then on October 25, 2017, DXO announced the acquisition of the Nik Collection from Google.  This was great news as DXO is a serious software brand in the world of digital imaging.  In 2018 I purchased the NEW NIK Collection.  I was lucky enough to get in on an introductory offer.  So I paid DXO and excitedly downloaded my NEW version of NIK.  I wondered what new wonderful things DXO did with my favorite plugin.  That excitement was quickly replaced with “Huh? It’s exactly the same as the old version of NIK ”  It was the same, no real change.  I went so far as to pull up the free version on my laptop and compare it to the NEW DXO version on my desktop.  But hey, it will probably work better with the new OS and I don’t have to spend time learning the software. 

Everything worked well with the NEW, yet NOT new version NIK just like it did before.  In late 2018, DXO decided to put out an update to the NIK Collection.   I knew they had an upgraded version of the software available because every single time I tried to use my NIK plugin a big screen appeared asking me to upgrade.  After this occurred more times than I counted, on January of 2019 I gave in and paid DXO for their “UPGRADE”   What I received was the new version of NIK (so I thought) plus another piece of software I had no interest in.    Once again I was excited to see what my NIK had become with its “UPGRADE” and once again I was underwhelmed by what I saw.  This version was just like the original version, which looks just like the free version. 

So,  . . . .  I have now paid twice for a software that does the same thing it did when it was FREE!  I was not thrilled, but NIK still did what I wanted, so I decided to just let it go. 

THEN,

A few weeks ago I started getting this message every time I opened NIK.

For a moment, like a foolish child, I thought “Maybe a free Update??” After all, I’ve paid twice now for something and basically gotten nothing. 

Oh NO, this “UPDATE” is going to cost $20 more than the last “UPGRADE”.

I said NO @!$%& WAY!!, or something to that effect with way more colorful vocabulary. 

Enough is ENOUGH!

I made the decision not to just keep paying for …… nothing.  

I decided to stick with the version I had and just go from there.  There’s just one little problem.

DXO has my NIK Collection bring up this screen every time I go to use NIK.

Not just once, but Every. Single. Time.

On an average day, I may open NIK every time I work with someone online.  And every time I do, they get to see this screen, and if they ask I tell them of my challenges with DXO. 

The way I say it is “The NIK Collection is a great Plugin.  If you have the free version, keep using it, because with the new version you can’t keep DXO out of your pockets.  

Hello DXO?  Enough is enough.