Monday, September 17, 2012 at 10:41 AM by Joseph Linaschke Google Acquires Nik Software
The morning news shows that Google has acquired my favorite plug-in company, Nik Software.
Everyone is asking "what does it mean?!" (and I don't think the answer is "double rainbow", but I've been wrong before!), and while I don't know anything more about the announcement than anyone reading this right now, what I do know is this. The folks at Nik Software are exceedingly passionate about one thing — photography. Everyone I know there is a pro or serious enthusiast and they are there because they love the art. So whatever does happen, I have to believe it can only be good. The team wouldn't have sold if it didn't mean great things for the future of the company, it's products, and most importantly, it's photographer customers.
I haven't spoken to anyone there yet this morning so this is just me taking here, telling what I believe.
-Joseph
Reader Comments (16)
Joseph, I hope so because Nik products are awesome and I certainly would hate to see that passion take a back seat. I recomend Nik prodcts all the time so I will stand by and see, hoping for the best... Can't wait to see what they might be able to come up with next...
I shared a post of someone else's fear of the future of Nik desktop plugins and got a response from Vic Gundotra which seems to say the pro plugins will continue: https://plus.google.com/u/0/109674480414473952661/posts/9xAwogyeohZ
My first thought when hearing this just about an hour ago was," uh-oh, I hope they (Google) don't screw up a great product." I hope NIK continues with their free instructional videos which led me to purchase a certain ApertureExpert's class on using NIK with Aperture, which taught me a whole new bunch of uses (love the "mask" reveal tip, BTW!). I hope you're right about the people at NIK continuing to do what they do. I'm sure you'll keep us posted should you hear anymore info.
Surely Google did not just buy Nik for Snapseed and the filters (which is what a ton of the tech blogs are saying). Seeing as so many people have figured out how to apply filters to photos (see all the filter apps in the App Store), if Google was trying to add simple filters to Picasa, it seems like they could have just hired one or two developers to do that. I think it must be that they're trying to make Picasa more full-featured to compete with Lightroom and Aperture.
I'm really worried that Google just bought NIK to acquire Snapseed. The rest of (my absolutely favourite) filters are of non particular interest for them and will disappear in the next foreseeable future.
Hope, I'm wrong.
Cheers, joerg
I think Google is looking for patents and the talent, not the applications. My biggest fear is that Google decide to sell off or discontinue development of the product line to protect the patents.
It's Google. They'll release an update that's FREE for everyone, but it will be littered with advertisements.
Agree with the above, but I'm also going to hope aloud that Google's interest in making sure that everyone knows everything won't result in relating what I photograph and where I send the photos to those who pay them to do so. A shorter sentence: I don't want my privacy compromised by Google messin' with Nik software.
The guys from NIK have to develop software for the Android market and that results in lesser development time for the core products. And it is filled with advertisements.
I have been using onOneSoftware for a while now, just like NIK. I will abandon NIK and completely go to the ononesoftware products. A new Suite (7) is coming in october, I'm looking forward to that, it looks very promising. I personnelly think their instructional videos and online webinars are much better than NIK's.
I think NIK should have let their longtime customers know they are now Google (by means of a newsletter or so)
I've used both Nik and onOne plugins and although they're both excellent, I do like the NIk ones best. I too hope they continue developing their plugins under Google, but I wouldn't count on it.
The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up...
Google is only here for the money and dont give any thoughts about the users. So...like other companies bought by Google, we cant expect anything good.
In my imagination i could have hoped for some kind of aperture-update where plugins could be used inside aperture instead of the way plugins works today. And my hopes could have been some NIK-tools to be used directly inside Aperture. I guess this hope is totally broken now when Google is included.
Well given how Google immediately killed Sparrow as soon as they bought it, I wouldn't hold my breath for Snapseed seeing any significant update ever again at the least. Not too hopeful about the plugins either -- Google's forte is web platform stuff (though Google Earth still amazes me), and a PS/Aperture plugin doesn't exactly fit their workflow.
My guess is they're trying to revamp either Picasa or Google+ and using their stuff as a "new" feature to compete with Instagram -- which is now owned by G+'s largest competitor.
So the big question, should I go out a buy the Nik Suite now before it gets all dorked up? Any thoughts?
I swear by the Nik plugins Mark, so if you really think they will change for the bad, then yeah go get 'em now. But I don't believe that will happen.
If you do buy, be sure to use the discount code ApertureExpert for a little bit off the top.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
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