Silver Efex

[Casakleinhuis]

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Until now, i'm using Lightroom to edit the photos from my Q2M. I'm thinking about changing tot Silver Efex. Is it worth it? Does it really add something if you compare it with Lightroom?

 

 

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[LocalHero1953]

I'm on the fence. I used to use it much more than now, but I'm not sure if I've just got better at using Lightroom, or Lightroom tools have caught up.

Pluses: it's quick, and you can try out different 'looks' very easily, and tweak them easily. Control point technology is good.

Minuses: it is destructive compared to edits in Lightroom - you end up with a tiff. You can get round this with smartlayers in PS, but that is a faff and you end up with large files.

With what I now know about LR I would rather use it than Nik. But, as I say, I'm on the fence!  

[Jon Warwick]

I have used Silver Efex in the past, but now only use Photoshop and Capture One. I like the grain simulation especially in Capture One, I find it very convincing in terms of the interplay of grain within shadows vs highlights. 

 

[Luke_Miller]

When I capture a monochrome image I want to process to maximum effect I use Silver Efex.  It has tools not present in Capture One or Lightroom.  But for more ordinary shots it will be Capture One, primarily because of the Structure Tool which is part of my workflow.  Lightroom has the Texture Tool which is not the same and I rarely find a use for it.

[Jeff S]

7 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

..,but I'm not sure if I've just got better at using Lightroom, or Lightroom tools have caught up.

 

Probably both, but I can attest to the latter.  I have far less need for PS or other (IP excepted).

Jeff

[jaapv]

I think that an upgrade to Photoshop with the required learning curve will, in the end, yield better results. I am not a great fan of Silver Efex, as I dislike presets and I think that it is too easy to overdo the processing but for quick results, not much can be said against it.

[SrMi]

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I use SilverEfex occasionally both for color and b&w images (play with blending modes in PS). Most of the time, I do not use presets but manually adjust the sliders and/or control points. The presets can be a time-saving step or point you in which direction you might move with your changes. I think it works especially well with PS.

I see SilverEfex as an additional tool for LrC/PS, not a replacement.

[Casakleinhuis]

Tnx for all the comments. I think i made my descision: Silver Efex it will be.