Workflow Tutorial · Beginner Guide
How to Use Nik Collection 9
A practical beginner workflow for understanding Nik Collection 9, choosing the right tools and using creative effects without overcomplicating your photo editing.
Nik Collection can look like a huge collection of filters when you first open it, but that isn't how I think about it. For me, it sits primarily in the creative finishing stage of a photography workflow. I get the photograph technically where I want it first, then use Nik when the image needs stronger atmosphere, colour, contrast, monochrome treatment or a more distinctive visual personality.
Nik Collection 9
Beginner Workflow
Creative Editing
Photography
Workflow Quick Answer
What's the easiest way to learn Nik Collection 9?
I would start by treating Nik Collection as a creative finishing suite rather than trying to make it replace your complete RAW editor. Build a good base image first, decide what the photograph actually needs, choose one main creative treatment, use local masking where the effect shouldn't apply globally, compare your changes against the original, and stop when the edit supports the photograph rather than becoming the subject of it.
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SIMONSONGHURST
Watch + Read
Start with the overview
The video gives you the quick introduction. The guide below goes further into where Nik fits into a real editing workflow, which tools I would learn first and the mistakes I would avoid as a beginner.
01 / The Basics
What is Nik Collection 9?
The simplest way I can describe it is as a collection of specialist photographic tools for taking a technically finished image and pushing the creative character further.
Nik Collection isn't one editor with one purpose. It is a suite of different applications covering areas such as colour editing, black and white conversion, selective adjustments, film-inspired treatments, noise reduction, sharpening and HDR.
That distinction is important for beginners because you don't need to learn everything at once.
If I'm working on a colour photograph, I may only need Color Efex or Viveza. If I'm building a monochrome image, Silver Efex becomes far more relevant. If I'm looking for a vintage or analogue direction, Analog Efex may be the tool I explore.
The beginner principle
Don't learn Nik Collection by trying to memorise every filter. Learn it by understanding what problem each part of the suite helps you solve.
Use Case 01
Colour
Shape colour, contrast, atmosphere and overall visual character.
Use Case 02
Black & White
Build much more deliberate monochrome photographs with dedicated tonal controls.
Use Case 03
Local Editing
Target individual areas rather than applying every creative decision to the entire photograph.
Use Case 04
Creative Finish
Introduce glow, film character, texture and other finishing decisions once the base photograph is working.
02 / Version 9
What's new in Nik Collection 9?
Version 9 becomes more interesting to me because the creative tools are increasingly paired with better ways of deciding where an effect actually belongs.
New / AI Control
AI Masks
Intelligent masking can identify useful subject or image regions, reducing the amount of manual selection needed for local creative treatment.
New / Local Control
Depth Masks
Depth-aware selection gives you another way of separating nearer and more distant areas when an effect should change across the scene.
New / Colour
Colour Grading
Dedicated grading control makes it easier to influence shadows, midtones, highlights and global colour as part of a deliberate visual direction.
New / Atmosphere
Halation
Halation introduces glow around brighter regions and can be useful when the photograph needs a softer, more analogue or cinematic character.
New / Experimental
Chromatic Shift
A more stylised colour treatment that can introduce deliberate channel displacement and visual imperfection.
New / Texture
Glass Effect
Glass-inspired distortion introduces optical texture and refraction, ranging from restrained surface character to much more experimental results.
03 / My Workflow
Where Nik fits into my editing workflow
I generally don't begin an image in Nik. I use it after the photograph already has a solid technical foundation and I know what I want the finished image to feel like.
RAW File
→
Lens Corrections
→
Noise Reduction
→
Exposure
→
Colour Balance
→
Nik Collection
→
Local Finish
→
Export
The precise RAW editor can change depending on the project, but the principle stays the same.
I want exposure, lens behaviour, noise, basic tonal balance and the obvious technical issues resolved before I begin experimenting heavily with mood.
Once that foundation is there, Nik becomes much more useful because I'm making creative decisions from a controlled starting point.
Why I separate correction from character
Technical correction asks whether the photograph works. Creative finishing asks how I want the photograph to feel.
Keeping those jobs reasonably separate makes it much easier for me to recognise whether an effect is genuinely helping the image or simply distracting me because it's new.
04 / Beginner Process
My simple Nik Collection beginner workflow
You don't need thirty filters to make one photograph interesting. Start with one clear intention and build from there.
01
Finish the important RAW corrections first
Correct exposure, white balance, lens issues, noise and the general tonal foundation before asking creative effects to solve problems they weren't designed to solve.
02
Decide what the photograph needs
Is the image missing atmosphere, separation, colour direction, monochrome character or local emphasis? Knowing the problem makes choosing the tool much easier.
03
Choose one main treatment
Beginners often learn faster by exploring one meaningful treatment properly rather than stacking several unrelated effects immediately.
04
Use local control
If an effect helps the sky but damages the subject, don't compromise the entire photograph. Mask or localise the treatment so it works where it belongs.
05
Compare before and after
Toggle the creative treatment and judge whether you've genuinely strengthened the photograph rather than simply made it more processed.
06
Stop before the technique becomes obvious
There are exceptions, but for much of my work I prefer the viewer to notice the photograph before they notice the software used to edit it.
05 / Where to Start
Which Nik tools should beginners learn first?
The whole suite is there when you need it, but I would start with the applications whose purpose is immediately understandable.
Best All-Rounder
Color Efex
My first stop for creative colour, contrast and atmospheric finishing. It gives beginners a broad introduction to what Nik can do.
Black & White
Silver Efex
The application I'd explore when monochrome is the actual creative intention rather than simply removing saturation from a colour image.
Selective Editing
Viveza
Particularly useful for understanding targeted tonal and colour adjustments without turning every correction into a complicated masking exercise.
Film Character
Analog Efex
Useful when I deliberately want analogue character, optical imperfection or a more stylised film-inspired direction.
Dynamic Range
HDR Efex
Designed around HDR workflows, including combining bracketed exposures when a scene needs more dynamic range than one capture provides.
Finishing Tools
Dfine + Sharpener
More technical than the creative applications, but useful for understanding that Nik also contains specialist noise and output-sharpening tools.
06 / Masking
Why masking matters more than collecting presets
One of the biggest jumps in editing quality happens when you stop asking every part of the photograph to accept exactly the same treatment.
A preset can be a useful starting point because it gives you a visual direction quickly.
But a preset doesn't know which part of the photograph matters most to you.
That's why local control is so important. A contrast treatment that looks brilliant across architecture may be too aggressive on skin. Halation that adds atmosphere around a bright background may not belong across every fine detail in the foreground.
Version 9's AI and Depth Masks give you additional ways to localise those decisions rather than accepting a one-size-fits-all treatment. DxO also continues to build Nik around its U Point selective editing approach.
Preset = starting point
I would never judge the quality of a creative editing suite purely by the number of presets it contains. The more important question is how easily I can turn the initial look into something appropriate to my own photograph.
07 / Comparisons
Nik Collection vs your main photo editor
I don't think the most useful question is which application wins. The better question is which job I want each application to perform.
Nik vs Lightroom
Lightroom is much broader as a RAW-development, organisation and photography workflow platform. I would generally use Nik as an additional creative finishing environment rather than expecting it to replace Lightroom's complete workflow.
Nik vs PhotoLab
PhotoLab is where I would think about RAW processing, optics, noise reduction and the technical development of the file. Nik becomes useful when I want to push creative interpretation beyond that foundation.
Nik vs Photoshop
Photoshop gives me far greater freedom for compositing, retouching, layers and highly specific pixel-level work. Nik provides faster access to specialist photographic treatments without requiring me to build every look manually.
Nik vs Luminar
Both can contribute strongly to creative finishing, but they approach the workflow differently. I would choose according to the particular tools, visual result and host workflow I want rather than assuming one creative suite must replace every other option.
08 / Common Mistakes
The mistakes I'd avoid when learning Nik
Most beginner problems don't come from choosing the wrong software. They come from asking the software to do too much to the photograph.
Avoid
Stacking effects because they're available
Start with the photographic problem, not the filter list. More processing isn't automatically a stronger edit.
Better
Build around one clear visual intention
Decide whether you're creating atmosphere, separation, colour character or monochrome structure and work deliberately.
Avoid
Applying everything globally
What improves one part of the image can easily damage another. Learn local control as early as possible.
Better
Use masks to control attention
Place the treatment where it strengthens the image and protect areas that don't need it.
Avoid
Trying to rescue a poor RAW file creatively
Sort obvious exposure, noise, optics and colour problems before building an elaborate look over them.
Better
Create a strong base first
Creative finishing becomes far easier when the source photograph is already technically under control.
09 / Standalone or Plugin
Do you need Lightroom, Photoshop or PhotoLab?
Nik can work on its own, but the surrounding workflow matters—particularly if your starting point is a RAW file.
Nik Collection applications can be launched in standalone mode, so you don't necessarily need to enter the suite through another photo editor.
However, RAW files are a different consideration. A compatible RAW-capable host such as DxO PhotoLab, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop or another supported application handles the RAW development before Nik receives the image.
For that reason, I still think beginners benefit from understanding where Nik sits inside the wider workflow rather than treating it as an isolated collection of effects.
Check compatibility before changing your workflow
Host support and operating-system compatibility can change as applications are updated, so check DxO's current compatibility information before buying specifically for integration with another editor.
10 / Who It's For
Who will get the most from Nik Collection?
I think Nik makes most sense for photographers who already understand that technically correct and creatively finished are two different things.
- Travel photographers wanting stronger atmosphere and colour character.
- Street photographers developing a recognisable visual finish.
- Portrait photographers making selective tonal and colour adjustments.
- Black and white photographers wanting a dedicated monochrome environment.
- Landscape photographers balancing local contrast, depth and atmosphere.
- Editorial photographers building more deliberate visual treatments.
- Photographers who like starting from presets but want deeper control afterwards.
- Existing Lightroom, Photoshop or PhotoLab users wanting additional specialist creative tools.
11 / When Not To Use It
When Nik Collection isn't the answer
A good workflow isn't about forcing every photograph through every application you own.
Some photographs simply don't need an additional creative finishing stage.
If the image already says exactly what I want after RAW development, opening another application purely because it's available can make the result worse rather than better.
- I wouldn't use Nik merely because I feel every photograph needs a preset.
- I wouldn't use it to replace proper RAW exposure or white-balance correction.
- I wouldn't stack effects purely to demonstrate how many filters the suite contains.
- I wouldn't force a strong film treatment onto an image whose natural character is already working.
- I wouldn't assume the most dramatic preview is automatically the strongest finished photograph.
My Workflow Perspective
The image should lead. The software should follow.
After years of editing photographs, I don't think the goal is to find one application that creates a dramatic effect every time. I want tools that help me make the photograph feel closer to what I intended when I made it.
That's where Nik remains interesting to me. Color Efex, Silver Efex, Viveza and the newer creative controls give me different routes into the character of an image without requiring every look to be constructed manually from scratch.
But restraint still matters. Some of the strongest edits are the ones where nobody looking at the finished photograph could tell you which software I used.
12 / Workflow FAQ
Nik Collection 9 beginner questions
The practical questions I'd want answered if I were opening Nik Collection for the first time.
Is Nik Collection 9 suitable for beginners?
Yes. I would simply avoid trying to learn the entire suite at once. Start with one application such as Color Efex, understand what problem you are trying to solve, and gradually introduce masking and additional tools.
What should I learn first in Nik Collection?
For general colour photography I would start with Color Efex and local control. For black and white photography, Silver Efex is the obvious place to begin.
Is Nik Collection a replacement for Lightroom?
I don't use it that way. Lightroom provides a much broader photography workflow including RAW development and image organisation. Nik is better understood as an additional specialist and creative finishing suite.
Is Nik Collection a replacement for DxO PhotoLab?
No. PhotoLab is a RAW-processing environment with optical corrections and noise-reduction tools. Nik Collection complements that workflow with specialist creative applications.
Can Nik Collection be used without Photoshop?
Yes. Nik Collection applications can operate in standalone mode, although RAW files require a compatible RAW-processing host before being passed into Nik.
What is Color Efex used for?
Color Efex is one of the broadest creative applications in the suite and is useful for colour, contrast, atmosphere and photographic finishing treatments.
What is Silver Efex used for?
Silver Efex is Nik's dedicated black and white environment, designed around deliberate monochrome conversion and tonal control rather than simply removing colour.
What is Viveza used for?
Viveza is focused on selective colour and tonal control and is particularly useful when you want to adjust particular regions without building an unnecessarily complex selection workflow.
What are AI Masks in Nik Collection 9?
AI masking gives Nik additional ways to identify and target useful subjects or image areas, making selective creative adjustments easier to build.
What is a Depth Mask?
Depth Masks let you make local adjustments according to perceived depth within the photograph, giving you another way to separate and treat areas of a scene.
Should beginners use presets?
Yes—as starting points. I would use them to explore possible directions, then adjust the treatment and mask it where necessary rather than assuming the preset should remain unchanged.
Do I need every Nik application?
Not necessarily on every photograph. The advantage of the suite is having different specialist tools available; the workflow becomes stronger when you only use the ones that solve something useful for the image in front of you.
Can Nik Collection process RAW files directly?
Nik's standalone applications work with RGB image files. RAW files need to be developed through a compatible host or RAW-processing application first.
About The Author
Simon Songhurst
I'm a professional photographer and filmmaker with more than 25 years of experience working across commercial beauty, editorial and creative photography. These Workflow tutorials are built around practical processes, software and creative tools I use or test as part of real photography, filmmaking and content-production workflows.
