Nik Software

I'm starting to try my hand at B&W conversions and the consensus of opinion is that Nik's Silver Efex Pro is the best one available.
I think that I'm going for the Complete Collection rather than just the SEP http://www.academicsup​erstore.com …ware?qk_srch=ni​k+software

What I don't know is...what is the difference between the LR version and the Photoshop version as my workflow virtually demands that I do some alterations in PS all the time.
The is a significant price difference between the two versions. Can I do my PS work, then pull the image back into LR to finish up with the NIK tools?

I'd say the big difference is that in Photoshop you can incorporate your Nik processing into layers, wereas in LR you are forced to use the in-and-out plug-in. To me, if I was going to be using Photoshop anyway, I'd likely do all my Raw processing first in LR then the Nik stuff in Photoshop.

But that's just me...

I have been using Nik Software on LR for a while and I love what it does - but you can't go back and adjust anything. I just bought a new MacBook Pro and CS5 and upgraded the Nik collection to work in CS5. tonylong is right. I don't know how to do it, yet, but you can use the Nik software within CS5 and actually go back and adjust things like you u-points. The Silver Effects Pro is amazing.

Does this hold true if you save and close the image?

Since the Nik stuff is done in layers, you can save and close a tiff with the layers, so I'd imagine the "important" stuff is going to be intact, but again I don't have the Nik software.

tonylong wrote in post #11496647
I'd say the big difference is that in Photoshop you can incorporate your Nik processing into layers, wereas in LR you are forced to use the in-and-out plug-in. To me, if I was going to be using Photoshop anyway, I'd likely do all my Raw processing first in LR then the Nik stuff in Photoshop.

But that's just me...

+1...Tony.
Thats what I do, but sometimes I use Nik in LR it make's a copy of the image and when you save in the Nik window it returns to LR as a edited copy..

TTk wrote in post #11497103
+1...Tony.
Thats what I do, but sometimes I use Nik in LR it make's a copy of the image and when you save in the Nik window it returns to LR as a edited copy..

So then, your advice to Chauncey is to do whatever fits the needs of the image, right? If you can get it all done in LR with the plug-in and don't need Photoshop, fine. But say he will go into Photoshop for a given image -- would that not be a reason to use the Photoshop plug-in for the most flexibility?

It sounds as if, in spite of the price difference, I would be happier with the PS version rather than the LR version.
Appreciate the insight guys.

chauncey wrote in post #11497000
Does this hold true if you save and close the image?

Yes, if you use smart objects in PS.

tonylong wrote in post #11498436
So then, your advice to Chauncey is to do whatever fits the needs of the image, right? If you can get it all done in LR with the plug-in and don't need Photoshop, fine. But say he will go into Photoshop for a given image -- would that not be a reason to use the Photoshop plug-in for the most flexibility?

Yes photoshop + the plugin would be the most flexable way for him but the plugin will load into LR aswell if installed.