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Nik's new version of Silver Efex Pro is the best black-andwhite conversion software on the market.
While testing Nik's superb new Silver Efex Pro 2 black-and-white conversion software, I couldn't help but wonder what a diehard film user would think of the program. And please excuse me for automatically equating "film user" with "black-and-white devotee." There are certainly many color film photographers still out there even If their numbers have dwindled.
It's just that I've always thought of photographers who specialize in black and white as the most loyal film holdouts. Sure, there's tons of software designed to give your digital images a black-and-white look but it hardly compares to actually shooting with Kodak TMAX, llford Delta, Fuji Neopan, etc.
The only program that's helped me produce black-andwhite images on par to what I get from film was the original Silver Efex Pro, which was released back in 2008. Though that program has had some incremental updates over the years, Silver Efex Pro 2, which operates as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or Apple Aperture, takes it all to the next level.
It's only in the last few months while using the new software that I've realized my comparison to shooting with black-and-white film was specious, at best. Silver Efex Pro 2 Is not like using film at all. With the massive amount of control and adjustment available In the program, it's more like painting the world using a silver hallde palette; a dab of shadow here, a scooch of gray there, some grain overthere, a little white for contrast and voilà: you've created a monochrome masterpiece.
In the end, I'm not sure film photographers will be as interested in Silver Efex Pro 2 as I originally thought. Having this much power over your black-and-white photography sort of defeats the purpose of something as simple and serendipitous as film. But for the rest of us who obsess over the smallest flakes of simulated grain in our black-and-white work and enjoy spending hours trying out different classic looks, this plugIn is nothing short of a revelation.
SUBTiE REVAMP
The design of the original Silver Efex Pro was a good one, offering a straightforward and highly functional Interface that reminded me of Adobe Lightroom. The new...