Google's photo editing software is now free

[Moliere]

Google Makes Its $149 Photo Editing Software Now Completely Free to Download

Google’s Nik Collection, a photo editing software package designed for professional photographers, once retailed for $149. Today it’s absolutely free to download, for both Windows and Mac users.

[Carpet_pissr]

Whoa! Didn't even know Google bought/owned those! Schweet!

[Victoria Raverna]

Those are plugins, right? So you still need to own expensive photo editing software to use them.

[Carpet_pissr]

Those are plugins, right? So you still need to own expensive photo editing software to use them.

Correct, just plug-ins. Not sure all the programs they are compatible with, but I know at least Lightroom (and of course Photoshop). Lightroom is really not that expensive these days after a BIG price cut a few (couple?) years back.

[Isgrimnur]

PS: Some readers have asked whether this software can work as a standalone program, or whether it needs to run with a program like Photoshop. Here’s what PC Magazine has to say about that: “Though you can run the seven different plugins in the collection as standalone products, they tend to work better when you integrate them into an existing image editing program, like Adobe’s PhotoShop. ‘(On Windows) You can make shortcuts to the individual .exe files on your desktop and then just drag stacks of images onto them,’ suggested one Google+ user.” In short, you have some options.

[Carpet_pissr]

Wow that's interesting! No idea they were ever able to work as standalones.

When I installed them, the first thing it asked me for was a compatible "host" program (Lightroom in my case, but it doesn't give you a list or anything...you just have to point to a "qualified" and installed program).