Creative photo editing suite · review & 15% offer
Nik Collection 9 gives photographers seven focused creative tools for colour, black and white, local adjustments, film-inspired effects, sharpening, noise reduction and HDR finishing.
Use code SIMONSONGHURST for the supplied 15% DxO offer. Confirm product eligibility and the applied saving at checkout.
My Nik Collection 9 review
“Nik is at its best when it helps you move from a technically correct image to one that actually feels like yours — without turning every creative decision into a ten-layer construction.”
Nik Collection 9 is more than another preset update. AI Masks and Depth Masks make local work faster, while the new Color Grading tool gives Nik Color Efex a more deliberate route to shaping mood across shadows, midtones and highlights.
The suite still feels recognisably Nik: fast previews, expressive filters and U Point local adjustments. What version 9 changes is how easily those effects can be targeted, combined and refined. That makes the collection feel more like a finishing environment and less like a box of separate effects.
My advice is to use the free trial on a small group of images you know well. Test a portrait, landscape and monochrome conversion. You will learn far more from that than cycling through every preset in the suite.
What matters in version 9
The strongest updates are connected by one idea: creative effects are more useful when you can place them precisely, preview them quickly and combine them naturally.
Click or draw around a subject for an AI selection, or build a mask from the scene’s depth to treat foreground, middle distance and background differently.
The new Nik Color Efex tool uses one wheel to control shadows, midtones, highlights and global colour independently or in linked movement.
Halation, Chromatic Shift and Glass Effect add distinct analog and graphic routes, supported by 18 blending modes in Color Efex and Analog Efex.
DxO currently offers a 30-day Nik Collection 9 trial with no restrictions and no card details required. Use images you already know to judge whether the workflow earns a place in your editing process.
Seven applications, one toolbox
Nik Collection separates different kinds of image-making into focused applications, which keeps each workspace clearer than one enormous panel trying to do everything.
Build stylised colour, tonal treatments and precise local corrections, including Nik 9’s new Color Grading, Halation and AI-assisted selections.
Create black-and-white interpretations, film-inspired texture and experimental analog effects with local control and expanded blending options.
Handle noise reduction, input/output sharpening and multi-exposure HDR work within dedicated tools built around those specific jobs.
A sensible buying route
A creative suite should fit the way you already edit. Use a familiar set of files and a repeatable workflow before deciding whether to purchase or upgrade.
Visit DxO through the link, confirm system and host-application compatibility, and begin the current 30-day unrestricted trial.
Test local masking, colour finishing and Silver Efex on photographs with different demands instead of judging the suite from demo presets alone.
If the workflow suits you, enter SIMONSONGHURST at checkout and confirm the supplied 15% saving before paying.
Nik Collection 9 FAQ
DxO creator partner offer
Try Nik Collection 9 on your own photographs, then use code SIMONSONGHURST when you are ready to buy eligible DxO software.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The supplied code, product eligibility, trial, compatibility, pricing and features can change; confirm current details with DxO before purchase.
