Nik HDR Effex Pro Review

Hi.
Today I’d like to talk about HDR, but in this case a Plugin that is available for Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge.
To be honest I am not a fan of Plugins, it’s a bit like you are cheating, having said that Nik has a Plugin called HDR Efex Pro.
When I started working with HDR in Photoshop I was always after the surrealistic look because it was the one it looked cooler, however HDR is more than that.
Last night I downloaded the free 15 days trial version from Nik and I was amazed.
The download is very straight forward and very easy.
To install it took me no more than a minute and it was also very easy.
But the best was when I opened Photoshop and launched Nik HDR Efex Pro, but because the name mentions Pro, you don’t need to be a Pro to use it, but you will create some cool photos that will look that was a Pro who processed.
There are lots of easy to use presets, even has a preview mode without the need to apply the effect to your photos, but the control is brilliant.
Just like Photoshop CS5 you can process just one photo, or for a better result I would advise to work with 3 or 5.
In the matter of adjustments you will find in the “Global Adjustments” Exposure, Contrast, Saturation, Structure, Blacks, Whites and Warmth.
Then there is “HDR Method” where you can find easy to use presets like Natural, Crisp, Subtle and lots more, and just bellow that you will find Vignette and Levels and curves adjustments.
One thing is for sure, its a very cool plugin, but then I saw a button “Add Control Point” and I started “playing” with that.Basically I could add a control point in the Photo where I could adjust that area with Exposure, Contrast and Saturation, how cool is that?
Even that I am not a big fan of Plugins I tried in the past another, and I was very confused on how to work with it and with Nik HDR Efex Pro I found it not only very easy to use, but only with very good results, and the control over the photo is brilliant.

For those who are interested in trying or buying, just go to
Nik Software
I hope I helped in any way with this short review.

See you next time

Miguel