DxO just announced the new Nik Collection 8

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DxO just released the new Nik Collection 8 suite (Click here). You can buy it here or try it out here.

Press Text:

Nik Collection 8 expands Photoshop’s photo editing potential across all seven plugins thanks to new integration and powerful features
Version 8 unlocks the full power of Photoshop masks, and upgrades make Nik Color Efex better than ever. Plus, Nik Silver Efex has been rethought to ensure effortless black-and-white images.

Paris (France): DxO today unveils Nik Collection 8, the latest version of its celebrated creative plugin suite for photographers. This new release brings a completely redesigned Photoshop panel, powerful new masking functionality, and significant improvements to Silver Efex and Color Efex, delivering a more dynamic editing experience.

“With Nik Collection 8, we wanted to enhance both creativity and efficiency,” said Boris Oliviero, Product Director. “We’ve reimagined the Photoshop workflow, making it easier than ever to apply powerful effects, refine local adjustments, and move seamlessly between plugins.”

Powerful new mask options

Photographers can now import masks directly from Photoshop into any Nik Collection plugin, making full use of Photoshop’s powerful selection tools. A new feature in the Local Adjustments panel also lets users transfer masks effortlessly between plugins. And when ready, photographers can send masks created in Nik Collection straight back to Photoshop for further
refinement. With Nik Collection 8, your masks remain accessible at every step of the workflow, whether they originate from Photoshop or a Nik Collection plugin.

A smarter, more flexible return to Photoshop

Bringing edits back into Photoshop is now more intuitive. Users can choose to:

  • convert edits into a Smart Object for non-destructive editing;
  • apply changes to the current layer or create a new one;
  • generate a new layer with a mask, providing additional flexibility.

Send edits as Layers to Photoshop

Photographers can now send their Nik Collection edits directly to Photoshop as a new Photoshop layer while continuing to work inside Nik Collection. This allows users to test multiple ideas for an image without breaking their creative flow, and have all of their edits immediately at hand once back inside Photoshop.

Brand-new Photoshop panel for maximum efficiency

Nik Collection 8 introduces a fully customizable and dockable Photoshop panel, replacing the traditional Nik Palette. This new design allows photographers to save screen space by choosing which plugins to display, and launch any plugin with a single click for a more fluid workflow. Plus, all of the essential controls for managing layers and masks are immediately accessible.

Major upgrades to Nik Silver Efex

Nik Silver Efex, the industry’s leading black-and-white editing tool, gets significant usability and
feature boosts:

  • Color Reference Image: Users can now view their original color image while working in
    black and white. This makes it easier to make changes that are dependent on the
    original image, such as applying Color Filters or adjusting the Sensitivity sliders inside
    the Film Types filter.
  • Streamlined interface: The logic of the interface now matches that of Nik Color Efex and
    Nik Analog Efex, keeping filters on the left-hand side until they are used to edit an image.
  • Better logic when applying presets: Only the relevant filters appear on the right-hand
    side when a preset has been selected.
  • New Local Adjustments: ClearView and Selective Tones can now be applied locally.
  • New Filter Looks: Each filter now includes various pre-defined options for quick
    application.

New Color Masks bring precision edits to Nik Color Efex

Targeting local adjustments just became more powerful as the suite now lets photographers select a range of colors for changes. Simply click on the desired color, tweak the handles as
required, and then start making adjustments.

Quick Export upgraded for a faster workflow

Upgrades make it quicker to switch to TIFF format when using the Quick Export button. Plus, the export options are now instantly accessible so that users can tweak the Quick Export configuration directly rather than having to navigate the menu.

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Sony will likely announce TWO new cameras this month: One of them is a new kind of camera!

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I have unconfirmed rumors from a sources about a DOUBLE Sony camera announcement:

  1. On May 7 Sony could announce a small ‘update‘ of this camera. With new LCD screen, new charging port and other minor updates. Bad news: Increased price tag of $4500?
  2. The exciting news: In late May there would be a completely new kind of camera that has one aspect of this Alpha series. More about that soon on SAR!

I am working right now with sources and hopefully within hours I can tell you more about both cameras!

If you happen to know more about this announcement feel free to share the info though this anonymous contact form or contact me via eMail, Signal, Telegram. Thanks!

 

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Good news: New large stock of Sony A1II camera is now shipping out in the USA

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As you know, the Sony A1II is still in high demand. In the US, it’s out of stock at BHphoto, Adorama reports that it will ship in July, and Amazon has even stopped accepting preorders and canceled all older preorders. But now there is good news:

Our reader Andrew reported

I, a regular customer running a small photography business, ordered a Sony A1ii on March 31st from B&H Photo, and I just received a shipping notification email that it got shipped today and is expected to be delivered on 02-May-2025 (tomorrow).  I’m a customer on the East coast of the USA. 
This may be indicative of the overall trend towards B&H (and likely other retailers) slowly clearing their backlog and catching up with orders of the A1ii.  I heard (unofficially) from some of their workers that they received a large shipment of a1ii cameras in early April (between 500-1000 units). 
My personal experience is also consistent with the trend as expressed in this thread:  https://old.reddit.com/r/SonyAlpha/comments/1ilis6f/sony_a1_ii_shipping_updates/?sort=new (see especially, comments by /u/Arizona_Monsoon and /u/Repulsive-Meeting490).
Just thought I’d let you know since I’ve followed you for a while, and I know that this is a topic of some interest to your readers, including myself.
Keep up the great work!

Thanks Andrew!

All new Sony rebates can be found on those pages at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.

Sony Camera deals:

Sony Lens deals:

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Tamron financial report: Six lenses coming in 2025, but sees some risks related to tariff uncertainty.

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Tamron released the full Q1 financial report. They reported a slight decreased in Net Sales but an increased gross profit thanks to cost reductions and productivity improvements. They still plan to release to launch a total of six lenses in 2025:

And this is their worldwide market share:

Tamron sees: “Continuing geopolitical risks and uncertainty over the policies of the new U.S. administration have led to a widespread slowdown in overseas economies

Overall, the company is doing well and is confident that it will survive the turbulent political situation as it relocates production outside China. Of the six new lenses they will launch in 2025 only a few will be new E-mount lenses. The others will be new Z/RF/X mount versions of existing E-mount lenses.

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Ending on Sunday: Sony USA savings with first ever $200 discount on the Sony A7cII

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For the first time we have a $200 discount on the Sony A7cII sold by BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama.

All new Sony rebates can be found on those pages at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.

Sony Camera deals:

Sony Lens deals:

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