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<blockquote data-quote="BackdoorArts" data-source="post: 306731" data-attributes="member: 9240">I started with Nik and downloaded a trial version of Photomatix just to be able to speak to it.&nbsp; I far prefer the Nik tool.&nbsp; Why?1. Superior ghost reduction.&nbsp; Using HDR in a moving world means that you can't always get 3-9 consecutive frames to match perfectly.&nbsp; It allows you to select a reference frame and it will eliminate elements that are different in other frames.2. Range of image manipulation.&nbsp; There are a lot of programs that can give you that super structured, compressed HDR look.&nbsp; But not many allow you to pull all sorts of light out in a very natural looking way.&nbsp; HDR Efex Pro 2 will give me full blown natural, can't tell it's not just a really well lit photo, whenever I want.&nbsp; And it will give me something surreal when I need it.3. Control Points.&nbsp; These are what make the Nik Tools so effective.&nbsp; Sometimes you can get an image 95% of the way there but no matter what you do there's the trouble spot or two, or range of colors somewhere, that you just can't get right.&nbsp; Simply stick a control point on the problem area and adjust 8 key parameters based on the color of the point you place the point on.&nbsp; Want a natural looking photo but some surreal texture on the water?&nbsp; Place a control point on the water - done.&nbsp; Want to desaturate the blues that are getting blown out, but not lose other colors?&nbsp; Control point.&nbsp; Want a face to be less surreal than the rest of the image?&nbsp; Control point.&nbsp; White balance inconsistencies across the image?&nbsp; Control point.&nbsp; You get the idea.Plus, for your money ($149 and 15% off coupons available everywhere, so net is ~$127), you get the entire Nik Collection, which includes the best noise reduction program out there (Dfine 2.0), a control point enabled basic editor (Viveza 2), a world class B&amp;W conversion tool (Silver Efex Pro 2), and a pair of phenomenal (and control point enabled) filter packages (Color Efex Pro 4, Analog Efex).&nbsp; Not a hard decision.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="BackdoorArts, post: 306731, member: 9240"] I started with Nik and downloaded a trial version of Photomatix just to be able to speak to it. I far prefer the Nik tool. Why? 1. Superior ghost reduction. Using HDR in a moving world means that you can't always get 3-9 consecutive frames to match perfectly. It allows you to select a reference frame and it will eliminate elements that are different in other frames. 2. Range of image manipulation. There are a lot of programs that can give you that super structured, compressed HDR look. But not many allow you to pull all sorts of light out in a very natural looking way. HDR Efex Pro 2 will give me full blown natural, can't tell it's not just a really well lit photo, whenever I want. [I]And[/I] it will give me something surreal when I need it. 3. Control Points. These are what make the Nik Tools so effective. Sometimes you can get an image 95% of the way there but no matter what you do there's the trouble spot or two, or range of colors somewhere, that you just can't get right. Simply stick a control point on the problem area and adjust 8 key parameters based on the color of the point you place the point on. Want a natural looking photo but some surreal texture on the water? Place a control point on the water - done. Want to desaturate the blues that are getting blown out, but not lose other colors? Control point. Want a face to be less surreal than the rest of the image? Control point. White balance inconsistencies across the image? Control point. You get the idea. Plus, for your money ($149 and 15% off coupons available everywhere, so net is ~$127), you get the entire Nik Collection, which includes [I]the best[/I] noise reduction program out there (Dfine 2.0), a control point enabled basic editor (Viveza 2), a world class B&W conversion tool (Silver Efex Pro 2), and a pair of phenomenal (and control point enabled) filter packages (Color Efex Pro 4, Analog Efex). Not a hard decision. [/QUOTE]

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