NIK COLLECTION AND PHOTOSHOP CC 2018
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HOW TO USE NIK COLLECTION AND PHOTOSHOP CC 2018 ON A MAC
If, like me, you love what the plugins of the Nik Collection and Photoshop CC 2018 can do to improve your photographs, rejoice. While they aren’t officially supported by the latest Photoshop release, not all hopes are lost yet: we still can use the Nik Collection with Adobe Photoshop CC 2018!
UPDATE: DxO just released their Nik Collection 2018 by DxO, which solved all problems: read my post THE “NEW” DXO NIK COLLECTION FOR PHOTOSHOP CC 2018 for further details!
As a user of Nik Collection, you are likely well aware that Google, after buying the Nik suite, first made it available for free and then basically killed it by stopping further developments, with no apparent reasons. Since they have no competing product offer in their portfolio, there is nothing that seems to justify such a move: whatever the reason, they did it anyway. Too bad, since Nik Collection was a great plugin suite, offering powerful tools such as SilverEfex Pro and ColorEfex Pro, and featuring the unique control point technology. The fact that Google stopped developing the Collection, though, just means that Google is not updating it anymore, not that the previous versions suddenly stopped working.
So, what does this mean, in practice, for us Nik Collection’s users? Basically, it means that when you update to the next version of Photoshop CC, Photoshop will create a new folder, in this case called “Adobe Photoshop CC 2018”. Your Nik plugins, however, will be left in the old “Adobe Photoshop CC 2017” folder, in a subfolder called “Plug-ins/Google” and they will not be automatically ported to the folder of your new version of Photoshop CC 2018.
After updating Photoshop CC to the last 2018 version and launching the program, therefore, you are very likely to notice the disappearance of your Nik plugins from your newly updated software. The plugins, however, are still working fine – and with a little trick you’ll be able to make them work for you in Photoshop CC 2018 as well, provided that you still have an installer for them. Let’s see how to do that.
To keep using Nik Collection in Photoshop CC 2018, start by deleting the Plug-ins/Google folder in your old “Adobe Photoshop CC 2017” directory, and delete the “Nik Collection” folder you’ll find in the Applications folder as well. Once you have done that, start the Nik Collection installer (the last version should be called nikcollection-full-1.2.11.dmg) and follow the instructions. After agreeing to the license, you will be asked which compatible host application to add your plugins to, and there you should see “Adobe Photoshop CC 2018” listed. If you don’t see it, just click the “+” sign on the bottom and browse your Application folder until you find Adobe Photoshop CC 2018. Select the software and complete the installation as per the instructions.
That’s it! Launch Photoshop CC 2018, and you’ll see your Nik Collection there, where it should be. More, if you had any old presets made, they should also be available automatically in the newly installed Nik Collection as they were before updating Photoshop.
In conclusion, I am happy to confirm that Nik Collection lovers will be able to use the Nik Collection with Photoshop CC 2018 as well, and I certainly hope that this will be the case for future versions too. Since there is no guarantee that this will happen, however, in the meantime I will keep my seamless move towards a Nik-independent workflow, either by replacing them with other solutions or by replacing them with Photoshop routines.
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Try your methods being careful, did get Nik filter reinsatalled, launch nik from filter in photoshop set the filter to nik color efex pro 4 used the warmth filter and it started to processing and then cause photoshop 2018 to quick.
using an imac with new mac-os hight serra 10.13.1
I will keep checking
Thanks , Richard
Hello Richard,
sorry to hear about your PS CC crash. Everything works fine here, but I am still on MacOS Sierra, didn’t upgrade to High Sierra yet: perhaps that could be part of the problem? If you still have a Sierra Mac, perhaps you can try with that and see if all works fine.
Best,
Vieri
I when I try and use the brush not apply the filter to the whole image it crashes photoshop any ideas. but when I apply the filter to the whole image photoshop doesn’t crash
G’day – I also suffer PS cc 2018 shut down after using Google Nik. I am IMAC and also updated last night to High Sierra.
Bloody updates – I am gutted :(
Hello Neil,
thank you for your comment. Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Nik and High Sierra as well, as mentioned before I am still on Sierra, and am not planning on updating any time soon. When I do, it’ll probably be because I got a new iMac Pro when they come out, and I’ll not port my current computer / apps but start from scratch to see if that fixes the problem. Perhaps you can try and do the same: start with a clean installation, import only your personal settings from your Time Machine but not your apps and reinstall them fresh on High Sierra and see if that fixes the problem.
Hope this helps, best regards
Vieri
hi Vieri, thanks for all your effort to make Nik and Pho 2018 work, I tried all kind of things also what you wrote and still Pho quits, crashes or whatever so Nik is not working which is a huge problem because I am in the middle of a jog where I used for the first part, now the second part is waiting .. so I am in trouble .. and yes i have installed Sierra High on my Mac, so you think that may cause the problem?, best , Paul
Hello Paul,
thank you for your comment, I am sorry to hear that you couldn’t make Nik work with PS CC 2018. Yes, I think it might be High Sierra causing the problem, for some reason. I am still on MacOS Sierra and everything works perfectly so far (fingers crossed). See if you can go back to Sierra, perhaps, or if you have multiple machines perhaps roll back one of them just to try and see?
Best regards,
Vieri
thank you Vieri, i have only one laptop at the moment, I tried Pho 2015, 2017 and 2018 and now in none of them Nik is working well .. but i found a solution that can also help others (till the bug in High Sierra – which is the only reason I can find that causes it – is solved): there is a setting in Nik when finish and go back to Photoshop there are two ways doing that: in a new layer of it transforms the old one. I alwasy used of course to get the Nik layer in a new layer and that one is not working (crashing) burt the other is working! That means I make first a new file and then I duplicate it back after I am back in Pho .. a bit devious but this works and I can use Nik again .. but I keep looking for easier solutions. Thanks for you help and time, wish you all the best with your fantstic photography and workshops, Paul
Hello Paul,
thank you for the update. I always use Nik on a new layer, which I make a Smart Object so that I am able to re-open it and keep working on my Nik if need be, so I never tried the process that you found out is not working – luckily for me.
This is a great tip for everyone having problems with Nik on PS CC 2018, thanks again for sharing your experience!
Best regards,
Vieri
That worked a treat for me using Mac High Sierra – thank you so so much.
Hello David,
thank you for your comment, I am glad that my article helped! Best regards,
Vieri
Bonjour
Merci pour cette aide tombée du ciel ! J’ai bien fait tout comme il faut ;-) mais quand je relance l’installation, je ne vois pas apparaitre photoshop 2018 , ni le ” + ” en bas de page, ni ancun accés à une fenetre de choix d’application . On ne me propose que bridge 2018 ce qui ne donne rien d’ailleurs … help !
mille mercis
Frédérique
very bad translation ! i’ll write again in english ..
Hello ! It’s ok … I’ve just restart my computer and it’s just as you tell us.. perfect
Many thanks
frédérique
Hello Frederique,
I am glad that you found the article useful, and that it all worked out for you in the end. Enjoy Nik Collection then! Happy Holidays, best regards
Vieri
Thank you! Works great now.
Hey Christopher, I am glad I could be of help! Best regards,
Vieri
Thank you! Using High Sierra, I experienced the problems with the shutting down Photoshop. I found that if I create a duplicate layer and set the “AFTER CLICKING OK” tab and select “apply the filtered effect to the current layer” it works. While it means that I must duplicate layer, it at least doesn’t shut down PS.
Hello,
I am glad I could help to make it work! Best regards,
Vieri
I have seen this fix elsewhere but the thing is, I just bought a new IMAC and installed PS 2018. I have no previous PS 2017 on this mac. So this fix won’t work. Is there any other option? do I retrofit PS CC 2017 some how and then copy the plug in?
Hello Jimi,
in your case, I think just a fresh install of Nik on PS CC 2018 should do. Let me know, best regards
Vieri
Vieri – I contacted the company directly through their support and they are saying NIK is not compatible with PS 2018. IT was a fresh, first time install. I just bought the computer yesterday – Good news is it works with Light Room. Kinda shame because I love using it as a plug-in on PS – primarily for Architectural work.
Yes, officially it’s not compatible but in truth it is – me and many others use it without any problems. My suggestion is, do a fresh install of Nik into your PS CC 2018, it should work. Best regards,
Vieri
By the way, if you try and do a fresh install, Nik will tell you that here is no compatible app – just select manually Photoshop CC 2018’s folder, and proceed. Once done, you’ll see in the PS folder a new folder called Google; move it into the “Plug-ins” folder and you are all set. Hope this helps, best regards
Vieri
FABULOUS! Thanks so much. Worked perfectly for me. After searching for a solution for weeks, I came accross your post and tried it and it worked! YAY!
Thank you very much Georgia for your comment, I am glad my solution worked for you :) Best regards,
Vieri
I am not sure I have seen this mentioned, but I figured out if you just go to the Applications folder, then open up the NIK folder, you can work directly with whichever NIK plug in you like. (Avoiding photoshop) The only thing to be aware of, is that it will automatically write over the file you opened… so make sure you first make a copy. Once you create your effect, then just open that image back in photoshop.
Hello Glenn,
thank you for your comment, that would certainly do – though, it would make the Workflow a bit less streamlined, and you’d lose the benefits of using, say, a Smart Object as a copy of your background layer in PS CC to apply Nik to, in order to be able to go back and modify the added effect – which I find invaluable.
I just made a fresh install of High Sierra on my new iMac, installed Photoshop, installed Nik, and got it to work just fine – even if, for some reasons, the first time you try and apply a preset, it crashes Photoshop. Once you reopen it, it will not crash it even applying presets, saving on a different layer or on the same layer, and so on. It just works.
Best regards,
Vieri
Hi Thanks for article it worked for me with High Sierra and photoshop 2018 . It was the settings part in colour Efex pro which I needed to change. Had tried numerous reinstalls, copy plugins etc
the other thing which I found useful is that someone commented that Lightroom continued to work with Nik , which is another option ie photo > edit in > colour Efex
However the issue seemed to be the settings in the Nik module. Before these problems did not even know Google had passed on NIK, will not be around free for much longer I guess
Hello Phil,
glad it worked out for you! Best regards,
Vieri
Hi Thanks for article it, But i’m still facing same issue with my MacPro High Sierra. When I’ trying to apply Nik on smart object it will apply smoothly but when i want to edit the same smart object in psb mode. Photoshop will crash every time. It was working just fine before update to High Sierra. Please help me out.
Helo Amit,
sorry to hear that. I am using smart objects with High Sierra without any problem, including re-opening it and editing previously applied filters, following the instruction I gave in the article. Best regards,
Vieri
Dear Vieri,
thank you for your great advice. I’m running High Sierra. Photoshop had already migrated nik into 2018 but it kept crashing. Now I go to settings every time in Nik and choose “apply the filtered effect to the current layer”. Works every time!
Dear Lee,
thank you for your message, I am glad that my suggestions worked for you! Best regards,
Vieri
Thank you! Worked for me on High Sierra except for this …. In Nik when I try to apply a filter selectively using the brush option I get thrown out of PS with none of the previous filters applied!!! A big problem because I like using the filters selectively,
Can anyone help please?
The only problem I have after clean installed Nik in Photoshop 2018 is that all the names on Nik interface disappeared. I can however still moving slides controls (those with the triangles) to achieve the effect “memorizing” what control it is but I don’t see any control name there. Any clue?
Hello Karel,
sorry, I have never seen the problem you mention. Hopefully someone else here will be able to help. Best regards,
Vieri
thank so much…that worked perfectly!!!!!
Thank you very much for your comment Marvin, glad my suggestions worked for you. Best regards,
Vieri
Please address the problem of the brush not working in Nik Software – High Sierra. For example – you have an image open and you only want to apply total contrast, for example, to the sky – you would use the brush tool and apply only to sky. Doesn’t work now – you can only apply filter to entire image!! Big problem in my workflow!!!
Is there a fix that anyone knows?
Hello Priscilla,
glad my solution worked for you. About your problem, sorry but I never do that so I can’t help you with it. Perhaps someone else here can chime in?
Best regards,
Vieri
So surprising to me that you never use that feature!
It’s was so great to be selective in where you apply the filters! I’m dying over not having it!!!! This whole thing makes me never want to upgrade my OS again!!!
If anyone has the solution please let me know!!!
Perhaps I didn’t understand why you meant then with “using the brush”. There are no brushes in Nik, only control points. Once you applied the filter to a PS layer, then yes you can mask the layer and brush it, and I regularly do so, but once you applied the filter then it has nothing to do with Nik anymore, it’s just PS.
Best regards,
Vieri
Thank you so much. This worked GREAT! I love working with NIK, and not having it work in CC2018 was SO disappointing —for months. I make my images speak from using NIK. You have no idea, how much pleasure I’ll get from having this plug-in work. Thank you SO MUCH.
Hello Glenn,
thank you for your comment, I am glad my article helped, enjoy Nik (until DxO will release an ‘official’ new version)! :) Best regards,
Vieri
Could you please tell me where I can down load. Can’t find anymore. Thanks a million.
Randy
Hello Randy, I am not sure the collection is available any more now that DxO got it. Perhaps on their website?
Best regards,
Vieri
Good evening Vieri, I am an old user of Nik for photoshop and had difficulties adapting it in the CC2108 now also with my new operating system High Sierra. Today reading your guidelines, was excellent and of very much value to me. Thank you very much for your tips. Regards Sandra
Good morning Sandra,
thank you for your comment, much appreciated indeed, I am glad that my article has been of help! :) By the way, Nik Collection has now officially been “resurrected” from the dead by DxO, see here:
https://vieribottazzini.com/2018/06/the-new-dxo-nik-collection-for-photoshop-cc-2018.html
which frees us from all the hassle :)
Best regards,
Vieri
Hi. Was wondering if you can help. I had cc 2017 on my old PC with nik perfectly working . I disposed off my old PC and installed the new cc 2018 on my new PC and also installed the nik collection in my new PC. Now my cc 2018 crashes all the time even after trying all alternatives explained above. Is there anything you can help me here. I do not have a folder to copy since i didn’t take back up of cc 2017 with the thought that i will be getting new cc 2018.
Thanks in advance
Hello YS,
thank you for your message, and sorry that you couldn’t make Nik work. Since DxO released a new, compatible version of the Collection, my suggestion is to see my article here:
https://vieribottazzini.com/2018/06/the-new-dxo-nik-collection-for-photoshop-cc-2018.html
and proceed with the upgrade, which works perfectly. Best regards,
Vieri
What about to buy the new license to use also with lr and without crash?
Hello Joe,
thank you for your comment .That works fantastically well, see here:
https://vieribottazzini.com/2018/06/the-new-dxo-nik-collection-for-photoshop-cc-2018.html
Hope this helps, best regards
Vieri
is there any way i can have nik efex in both Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64 Bit) and Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 .. on the same computer .. windows 7 and 10 .. .. i dont want to take it out of cs6 at this time .. thankyou .. :)
Sorry, but I have no idea. Perhaps someone else here can help. Best regards,
Vieri
Hi Vieri. I don’t suppose you could share your installer with me? Looking through my application folder I don’t see the .dmg file, and I don’t have my old CC 2017 with me to copy from. So, I have the plugins, but no installer. Any help appreciated, thanks.
Hello Dinesh,
sorry, I don’t have the installer anymore – I am now using the new and compatible DxO Nik Collection, see here: https://vieribottazzini.com/2018/06/the-new-dxo-nik-collection-for-photoshop-cc-2018.html
Best regards,
Vieri