Fun with Silver Efex - what are your favorite settings?

P

pniev

Guest
I had some time available so I tried a few Nik Silver Efex settings on some X20 shots. I am amazed by the options available. Here are few I tried. Although I prefer the Fine Art process for most shots, sometimes using the Dynamix mode works better. What are your ideal settings?

Dynamic harsh - blue filter:

View attachment 11321
DSCF0104-BW.jpg by Peter Nievaart, on Flickr

View attachment 11322
DSCF0148-BW.jpg by Peter Nievaart, on Flickr

In other situations, the red filter worked better:

View attachment 11323
DSCF0129-BW.jpg by Peter Nievaart, on Flickr

And Fine Art process:

View attachment 11324
DSCF0106-BW.jpg by Peter Nievaart, on Flickr
 
Fantastic look here,all of them.I bought the Nic software a couple of days ago and haven't been able to come up with presets I prefer over what I've worked out on my own.I'm sure I will need A LOT more time to master it.I wish they were accessed directly in Lightroom rather than through the top menu.
 
I wish they were accessed directly in Lightroom rather than through the top menu.

I just had the same thought yesterday. Since NIK has a suggested workflow, each of those different NIK tools should be able to be added as panels in the LR develop module. Now you have to "Edit In" several times to follow their workflow, and that feels clunky after just one time.
 
I wish they were accessed directly in Lightroom rather than through the top menu.

If you right-click on the photo you should see 'edit in' in the popup menu. There you should be able to select The Nik app. Well, at least on the mac.
 
I had some time available so I tried a few Nik Silver Efex settings on some X20 shots. I am amazed by the options available. Here are few I tried. Although I prefer the Fine Art process for most shots, sometimes using the Dynamix mode works better. What are your ideal settings?

...

And Fine Art process:

View attachment 11332
DSCF0106-BW.jpg by Peter Nievaart, on Flickr

When you first posted that shot of the trunk, I immediately pictured it in B&W, looking pretty much exactly as you have processed it here. NICE!!!
 
Fabulous photos and excellent post processing work. I rarely use the presets. I have one custom made one, which the neutral with no grain. It's always my starting point. I then process each file according to my whims of the moment:)
 
Did the pictures move somewhere else? I am looking for inspirations to learn to process B&W.

Every few months, I buy a copy of BW magazine. It's a bit pricey for a magazine, but the photography within it is pretty good.

Try to select one photo and try to reproduce it (capture and in post processing). You'll pick up some new skills.

We're all different. I rarely look critically at images online. For me, I have to see images in print. I often find inspiration by visiting museums, and/or reading about art and artists, art movements, etc.

I'm sure some one will be along soon and point you to some sites featuring bw work.
 
Back
Top