Strange Thing Happened To My NIK

[rpcrowe]

I have been using NIK Software for years - in fact, I bought it from Google within a few days of Google acquiring the rights to that software.

I have been using is seemlessly. It has always appeared on my drop down filter list UNTIL TODAY.

I was on a photo shoot and shot several hundred images of a couple of models with my Sony A6500. I shot the images in RAW and opened them in through Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera RAW as always. The images open with the Suffix .ARW.

Tonight when I tried to use Photoshop to edit one of these .ARW images, NIK was not in the drop down menu of filters. This is the first time that it has happened whether I was shooting Canon or shooting Sony.

I tried a few more shots with the Sony in Bridge - Camera RAW and tried to edit the .ARW images with NIK but, no NIK appeared on my filter drop down list.

I then shot some images with my Canon and what do you know I could edit the CR2 images using NIK. It appeared on the drop down filter list as always.

Then I made a final test by shooting some images with my Sony and then opening them in through Adobe Bridge in Camera RAW (AS ALWAYS) but, this time I converted the images to Adobe Digital Negative (.dng) as I used Bridge to open then. What do you know - when I brought the .DNG images into Photoshop the NIK filters appeared on the filter list as always.

I have two questions...

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE .ARW IMAGES WHICH, IN THE PAST I HAVE ALWAYS USED NIK TO EDIT AND HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING?

CAN I USE NIK TO EDIT THESE .ARW IMAGES EVEN THOUGH NIK DOESN'T SHOW UP ON THE DROP DOWN FILTER LIST FOR THESE .ARW IMAGES?

[Shadowman]

Hi Richard,

Not familiar with your particular programs but isn't the .ARW file the original RAW and once brought into Photoshop isn't it converted (at least to PSD or tiff) once complete the ACR adjustments? I know my Nikon NEF files will sometimes display as such but once edits are started they are eventually converted. Also, if the Nik files aren't showing in the drop down, check to see if they are still in the plug-ins folder.

[Donald]

I'm afraid I can offer no help at all, Richard. There may have been some options to explore if it was the case that .arw files never worked, but it is the case that that they did and now they don't that makes this particularly perplexing. My only suggestion is to ask if you did a Firmware update to the software in the camera

[billtils]

If you have made no workflow or software changes between it working and not working then most likely it's some thankfully minor corruption. Delete and restore from a back up (or find somewhere that still has the free version for downloading, or fork out to DxO for the paid version).

If you have made workflow or software changes, the delete and restore may still be the best option.

[Manfred M]

Have you tried doing a cold restart on your computer to see if that clears up the problem?

It seems to me that you have had a couple of issues recently that point to something having gotten messed up in the mapping of how your computer points to software. I suspect they are related.

[rpcrowe]

I think that Manfred is correct and that there is something happening with my computer since I have been experiencing some strange problems with the computer recently.

[John 2]

I'm still having problems with Nick software but as Manfred has pointed out I don't think that's the issue here. I went through a similar phase not long ago and decided that I might have to rebuild the system. However. I discovered that Windows 10 can now be reloaded and corrected using a Windows .ISO file without having to reformat the hard drive and without having to reload all of the apps etc afterwards. It takes a bit of time (most of a morning in my case) but it cured all of my niggles and the machine is currently running like clockwork. The .ISO file is the form of file that is used to load Windows from Memory stick or in my case, from a separate hard drive, rather than a DVD. It's available on the Windows 10 support site provided you have a legitimate account. Hope this helps.

[Stagecoach]

I have Win 10, PSCC & LR and the NIK Collection.

For about the past month;

a) if I select a file in any location (ViewNX, Windows viewer, Explorer etc.) and ask it to open in PS the NIK collection is in PS if PS was open already.

b) if I select a file in any location (ViewNX, Windows viewer, Explorer etc.) and ask it to open in PS the NIK collection is NOT in PS if PS was NOT open already.

I have not bothered to re-load NIK yet to see if that solves it.

[MichaelC]

Hi Richard, the other day I was watching a tutorial by Thom Hogan and he mentioned something similar to your problem when passing an image onto Photoshop after processing with Nik. Can be viewed at the 50 minute mark in the tutorial after demonstrating with Nik Sliver Efex. Unfortunately he doesn't offer any fix, however quite possibly it is not a problem with your setup rather something that has changed with Photoshop.

The tutorial can be found at B&H event space youtube and is called "All the ways to get to black and white from Raw by Thom Hogan"

or via the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc6mTutZRk4

[rpcrowe]

Thanks Michael... I have done a work-around with Adobe camera RAW that allows me to use NIK on my Sony files.

My problem was ever if I opened ARW files using Bridge and then saved them as a PSD or JPEG files. I still could not use NIK on the Sony images I shot recently.

However opening the files in Adobe Caemra RAW and saving them initially in Adobe Digital Negative format allows me to use NIK on these files even after they are saved as JPEGs...