Jim Fisher Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 My Nik Collection plug ins were installed and working, but have vanished & Affinity Photo doesn't "see" them anymore. Mac OS Catalina 10.15.4 8 GB RAM (I know... I have one of the non-upgradable iMacs) Affinity Photo 1.8.3 Nik Collection 1.2.11? (when it was a free option from Google) I had the plug ins up and running and was using them with great success. With some on-going computer issues, I re-set Affinity Photo's user defaults (Reset User Defaults from Preferences > Miscellaneous) in an attempt to reset the Performance Preferences to default. Now, the Nik plug ins are missing. I have reinstalled from the Nik DMG and they still don't show up. I have re-started Affinity Photo at least half a dozen times to no avail. I'm at a loss and totally open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rostron Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Have you tried to Add them back in in the Preferences > Photoshop Plugins dialogue? You will need to tell Photo where your plugins are stored. John Quote Windows 11, Affinity Photo 2.4.2 Designer 2.4.2 and Publisher 2.4.2 (mainly Photo). CPU: Intel Core i5 8500 @ 3.00GHz. RAM: 32.0GB DDR4 @ 1063MHz, Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fisher Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 They are in this folder. .../Applications/Nik Collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted May 18, 2020 Staff Share Posted May 18, 2020 Hi Jim Fisher, Welcome to Affinity Forums There's a step during the Nik installation process where you have to manually create a folder where the plugin files will be installed - if you don't do it only the standalone versions will be installed by default. I believe you missed this step. Follow the instructions on this video. Pay attention to the section that starts at 0:40s where James click the "+" button to add a custom folder to where install the plugin files. This folder must be created manually by you. James has created it on his desktop and called it Plugins but I advise you to create the folder inside the Applications folder on your Mac and call it Photoshop Plugins (or whatever you see fit). Then, when you click the "+" button (as in the 0:40s in the video) point it to that folder you just created and continue following the rest of the instructions in the video. The Nik installer will create a new folder named/labelled DxO inside the folder you created - this is where all plugin files will be placed - and its the folder you have to browse to/add to the Plugin Search Folder section in Affinity Photo Photoshop Plugins Preferences. The folder where you are currently pointing to in your screenshot above is where the standalone versions are installed by default - not the plugin files. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fisher Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 3 minutes ago, MEB said: Hi Jim Fisher, Welcome to Affinity Forums There's a step during the Nik installation process where you have to manually create a folder where the plugin files will be installed - if you don't do it only the standalone versions will be installed by default. I believe you missed this step. Follow the instructions on this video. Pay attention to the section that starts at 0:40s where James click the "+" button to add a custom folder to where install the plugin files. This folder must be created manually by you. James has created it on his desktop and called it Plugins but I advise you to create the folder inside the Applications folder on your Mac and call it Photoshop Plugins (or whatever you see fit). Then, when you click the "+" button (as in the 0:40s in the video) point it to that folder you just created and continue following the rest of the instructions in the video. The Nik installer will create a new folder named/labelled DxO inside the folder you created - this is where all plugin files will be placed - and its the folder you have to browse to/add to the Plugin Search Folder section in Affinity Photo Photoshop Plugins Preferences. The folder where you are currently pointing to in your screenshot above is where the standalone versions are installed by default - not the plugin files. Thanks for the reply. Thought I did that.... but I'll do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fisher Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 MEB, Thanks for sparking my memory. I forgot that I had originally pointed to a different folder where my Nik Plugins (not the standalones) are living. I'll detail to help others who might have the same issue. During the installation of the Nik Plugins, I noted that the installer recognized I had a version of Photoshop. Then I remembered, I originally had Affinity Photo look at the plugins folder for Photoshop Elements: I told Affinity Photo to look there... Restarted Affinity Photo, and voilà: Nik Plugins working again! It appears the installer was putting the plugin files in the Photoshop directory, and the standalones in the "/Applications/Nik Collection" directory. Maybe it would be different if I had chosen a different directory name. In error I assumed I should tell the Nik Installer to install the plugins into the "/Applications/Nik Collection" directory. Mea culpa. Again, thanks for jogging my memory. I may not be as sharp as I once was, but I'm as sharp once as I ever was. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted May 18, 2020 Staff Share Posted May 18, 2020 Glad to know you've sorted it out already. If the installer detects any supported host it does install the plugins in the respective host folder automatically and you can point Affinity to that folder to use them as you did otherwise the plugin files must me installed manually as described above. Jim Fisher 1 Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFam Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 On a Windows 10 Pro Affinity Photo upgrade to latest 1.8.3 resulted in the loss of my NIK Collection (older version "Color Efex Pro 4, Viveza 2 etc.. " that was working before the update of AP to ver 1.8.3.xxx) filters as well. when I added the reference to the standard C:\Program Files\Google\Nik Collection\ ... area, it accepted it but the filter options are all greyed out when a Photo was actually being edited. Is this a bug in latest release ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted May 19, 2020 Staff Share Posted May 19, 2020 Hi KFam, Check if you are working with a 32 bit image. If so convert/change the Colour Format to RGB 8 or 16 going to menu Document > Convert Format /ICC Profile (first dropdown). Most plugins only support RGB 8 or 16 bit images. In the case of Nik Collection only the HDR Efex Pro supports 32 bit images. Also make sure you have a pixel layer selected (check the label between parenthesis after the layers name in the Layers panel). If you are working with an image layer type you have to convert it to a pixel layer right-clicking the image layer in the Layers panel and selecting Rasterise. To learn more about pixel versus image layers check this video tutorial. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) Hi, newbi here, Is there any way to install NIK COLLECTION without having to reinstall and create a new folder for that second installation or it is mandatory to reinstall?. I have not been able to install them locating where the folder is now Regards Edited June 1, 2020 by Sagitario1964 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted June 1, 2020 Staff Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hi Sagitario1964, Welcome to Affinity Forums If you already installed Nik Collection previously (and didn't uninstalled it) and only want to add it to Affinity Photo again you only have to set it up in Affinity Photo Preferences, Photoshop Plugins section again. No need to reinstall the plugin itself since it's already installed. What OS are you using and where did you create the Nik Collection plugin's folder the first time you installed it (so i can give you more precise instructions)? Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Thanks for your lightning reply. I Have the Nik Collection folder in the Applications folder on Catalina 10.15.4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted June 1, 2020 Staff Share Posted June 1, 2020 That's the folder where the Nik Collection installer places the standalone apps. During the installation you usually have to create another folder (manually) to where the plugin files will be installed (unless the installer detects a supported host application - like Photoshop - in this case it installs the plugin files automatically in the Photoshop's plugins folder). If you do not have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements installed the plugin files must be somewhere else... (see the screenshot below for reference - i've installed the plugin files to a folder i created manually labelled "Nik Collection Plugin Files". Is this folder i need to know the path (it contains a a bunch of .plugin and .config files as shown below for Analog Efex Pro 2). It's this folder/path (in my case "Nik Collection Plugin Files") that must be added to Affinity Photo Preferences, Photoshop plugins section in the Plugin Search Folders area on the right. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 22 minutes ago, MEB said: That's the folder where the Nik Collection installer places the standalone apps. During the installation you usually have to create another folder (manually) to where the plugin files will be installed (unless the installer detects a supported host application - like Photoshop - in this case it installs the plugin files automatically in the Photoshop's plugins folder). If you do not have Photoshop or Photoshop elements installed the plugin files must be somewhere else... (see the screenshot below for reference - i've installed the plugin files to a folder i created manually labelled "Nik Collection Plugin Files". Is this folder i need to know the path. I found it. What do I have to do now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted June 1, 2020 Staff Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hi Sagitario1964, 1. Go to Affinity Photo Preferences, Photoshop Plugins section, click the Add button in the Plugins Search Folders area on the right and browse to that folder: Macinstosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC/DxO Click the Add but button in the Finder dialog to add that path to the Plugins Search Folders. 2. Then in the Plugin Support Folders area (below the previous one) click Authorise Global button then press the Authorise button again in the Finder dialog that will open. 3. Make sure Allow "Unknown" plugins to be used is ticked. Restart Affinity Photo. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 21 minutes ago, MEB said: Hi Sagitario1964, 1. Go to Affinity Photo Preferences, Photoshop Plugins section, click the Add button in the Plugins Search Folders area on the right and browse to that folder: Macinstosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC/DxO Click the Add but button in the Finder dialog to add that path to the Plugins Search Folders. 2. Then in the Plugin Support Folders area (below the previous one) click Authorise Global button then press the Authorise button again in the Finder dialog that will open. 3. Make sure Allow "Unknown" plugins to be used is ticked. Restart Affinity Photo. Thanks a lot but, something fails because the plugins are grayed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted June 1, 2020 Staff Share Posted June 1, 2020 You must have a pixel layer selected (check the label between parenthesis after the layer's name in the Layers panel). If it says Image there you have to rasterise it right-clicking on that layer and selecting Rasterise. The filters should then become available. If only the HDR Efex Pro 2 becomes available you are probably working with an RGB 32 bit image. In that case go to menu Document > Convert Format / ICC Profile and convert the image to RGB 8 or 16 bit (first dropdown). Most plugins only support those image formats. Let me know if you still have trouble. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 1 minute ago, MEB said: You must have a pixel layer selected (check the label between parenthesis after the layer's name in the Layers panel). If it says Image there you have to rasterise it right-clicking on that layer and selecting Rasterise. Thank you so much indeed. Your kind help has been awesome !!!. One last question and I don't bother you anymore. I am new to Affinity photo. Is the book Affinity sells worth buying (it is not cheap) or you consider enough surfing the internet to learn?. Any particular site to start off with this gorgous app? I repeat my most sincere thanks Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted June 1, 2020 Staff Share Posted June 1, 2020 You're welcome Sagitario1964 😊 Yes, i think it worths its price - there's a lot to learn from it as it goes through several projects step by step (also includes alll sample files required to follow them). With that said there's also a considerable amount of websites/tutorials/courses/channels/forums out there dedicated to Affinity apps now, starting with the official ones in our website (video tutorials), The Affinity Spotlight website (articles/written tutorials) and the Lockdown 2020: Affinity Creative Sessions on YouTube. You may also want to take a look at Simon Foster's training on Udemy (on promo now). It covers quite a few subjects you may be interested in. Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitario1964 Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Thank you MEB 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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