google nik hdr efex pro 2 HDR

[afarkas]

Hi,
i am trying to use google nik hdr efex pro 2 HDR plugin,
but cant find the way to load 3 images to precess...
each time i call the plugin, it seems to work with one image only, whether it is called within working space where the images are in 3 layers, or where images are opened separately as documents...

How to achieve google nik hdr efex pro 2 HDR plugin to merge 3 images???
Thank you

[JoeB]

Others might have more info, but in my very limited experience if you are using Nik HDR as a plugin from PSP it only opens the plugin with Tone Compression (aka Tone Mapping) as the method, which is applied to a single image and the image will be whichever image is in focus in your PSP workspace.

The only way I know of to do HDR Merge (multiple images) with Nik's HDR 2 is to open it as a standalone program, then click File at the upper left of the program to select your three images. To open it as a standalone program you use the .exe file which is in the same Nik Collection folder as the .8bf files. However, as I have never used it for the HDR Merge function but only on single images I don't know the ins and outs of using the standalone program.

[afarkas]

Thank You Sir...
you saved my brain... i was looking for the modu operandi everywhere and started to doubt about myself

Others might have more info, but in my very limited experience if you are using Nik HDR as a plugin from PSP it only opens the plugin with Tone Compression (aka Tone Mapping) as the method, which is applied to a single image and the image will be whichever image is in focus in your PSP workspace.

The only way I know of to do HDR Merge (multiple images) with Nik's HDR 2 is to open it as a standalone program, then click File at the upper left of the program to select your three images. To open it as a standalone program you use the .exe file which is in the same Nik Collection folder as the .8bf files. However, as I have never used it for the HDR Merge function but only on single images I don't know the ins and outs of using the standalone program.

[JoeB]

You're welcome. I do not know, however, if it operates differently when used with Photoshop or Lightroom. Regardless, if that's the way it works with PSP then I think it would behoove Google to more specific about the fact that you have to open the program as standalone to do HDR Merge.

As further info, once the merge is complete then the program shifts to Tone Compression for further fine tuning if desired.

Also, it MAY be possible to use the script that was created to make Nik plugins work with earlier versions of PSP (when people had difficulty making them work) to be able to use the HDR program as a standalone from within PSP and, when it finishes its work, return the image to PSP. But note I said MAY, because it may not work with this particular program and I haven't tried it.

EDIT: I tried using the script that I mentioned in the last paragraph above. But while it will open HDR Efex Pro 2 and allow you to choose the files you wish to merge it won't return the result to PSP. In fact, it returns the original image that you had open and focused in PSP back to PSP with no changes whatsoever. I don't know enough about it to answer why, but can only guess that it does this because it is the original image that is in focus in PSP that it remembers and it can't tell that you have actually selected several images (including the original) in the filter. It's probably more complicated than that but that may be part of the issue at least. JMHO, of course.

Now that I think of it, I believe a similar problem was experienced when a user used that script with another third party program. But I can't remember the thread about that and don't remember if there was a workaround suggested by anybody.

[afarkas]

Thanks. It works standalone by simply dragging and dropping 3 images onto the .exe icon... Works as a charm...
The fact it doea not work directly from psp with 3 files i found ridiculous.
From Lighteoom it works with 3 - no problem...
Thanks

[brucet]

FWIW it seems Google has just sold the Nik collection to DxO. According to internet rumours!! So we may see some changes ahead for the collection. And price!

regards

[JoeB]

Thanks. It works standalone by simply dragging and dropping 3 images onto the .exe icon... Works as a charm...
The fact it doea not work directly from psp with 3 files i found ridiculous.
From Lighteoom it works with 3 - no problem...
Thanks

I suspected it would work properly in Lightroom. That probably explains why Google didn't bother clarifying anything regarding its use in PSP. As long as filters work as described in Adobe products they are generally considered by their developers as working as they should.

And in case you missed it, I just edited my previous post with info about the issue I ran into trying to use that filter with the script I mentioned in that post.