Nik Collection 9 Mini-Review: What’s New, What Matters, and How to Save 15%
If you’ve been around here for a while, you already know that Nik is not just another plugin suite to me.
A long time ago, Nik helped put this blog on the map, and for a while it even helped generate real income for me. Those days are long gone, but I still pay attention when a new Nik Collection drops because this product has been part of my photography and editing journey for a very long time.
Today DxO officially launched Nik Collection 9, and rather than pretend I’ve already done a deep real-world review, I want to do something more useful: give you a practical first look at what’s new, what actually matters, and what I’m most interested in testing first.
TL;DR ⚡
My early take is that Nik Collection 9 looks less like a minor cosmetic update and more like a meaningful workflow release.
The biggest thing that jumps out at me is not just another creative filter. It’s the smarter masking and selection tools. If those work well in the real world, they could make several of the Nik tools a lot faster and a lot more useful than before.
The more stylized additions also look interesting, but those are the kind of tools that can either be used tastefully or abused very quickly. So for me, the real story here is control, speed, and flexibility.
Table of Contents
Quick Edits Using New Features
Video Review 🎥
What’s New in Nik Collection 9
DxO added a pretty healthy batch of new tools and workflow improvements in Nik Collection 9. Here’s the short version of what’s new:
- Depth Masks
- AI Masks
- Color Grading in Nik Color Efex
- Chromatic Shift
- Glass Effect
- Halation
- Blending Modes
- Workflow improvements and usability refinements
The Features I Think Matter Most
The two biggest additions for practical photographers look like AI Masks and Depth Masks. Those are the kinds of tools that can actually speed up real editing work instead of just giving you another flashy effect to play with for five minutes.
AI Masks should make it easier to isolate subjects quickly without the usual pain of tedious manual selections. That has obvious value for portraits, street photography, travel shots, and anything else where you want to guide the viewer’s eye without spending forever building masks.
Depth Masks also look interesting because they appear to let you target adjustments based on distance from the camera. If that works well in the real world, it could be very useful for landscapes, layered scenes, and images where you want the foreground, midground, and background to feel more intentionally separated.
I’m also very interested in the new Color Grading tool inside Color Efex. That feels like a smart addition because it gives photographers more direct tonal and color control in one of the most popular parts of the Nik suite.
The More Creative Side
![f/? for Unknown at Unknown ISO ? [Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown with Unknown]](https://photos.ronmartblog.com/img/s/v-10/p1424067570.png)
New Color Grading Filter in Nik Collection 9
Nik Collection has always had a creative side, and version 9 leans into that with Halation, Chromatic Shift, Glass Effect, and Blending Modes.
Halation is probably the one I’m most interested in because it has the potential to add a subtle cinematic glow around highlights without instantly screaming “cheap effect” if it’s done well. Used with restraint, that could be genuinely useful.
Chromatic Shift and Glass Effect look more stylized, and these are the kinds of tools that can either add a cool analog or experimental vibe or go off the rails fast depending on how heavy-handed you get. In other words, the potential is there, but so is gimmick territory.
Blending Modes may end up being one of the sleeper additions in this release. Advanced users could get a lot of mileage out of having more control over how different effects and filters interact with an image.
What I Want to Test First
![f/? for Unknown at Unknown ISO ? [Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown with Unknown]](https://photos.ronmartblog.com/img/s/v-10/p1424357162.png)
Depth Filter in Nik 9 seems very promising
Once I get more time with Nik Collection 9, these are the things I want to test first before drawing any serious conclusions:
- How good AI Masks really are on difficult subjects like hair, edges, and busy backgrounds
- Whether Depth Masks feel genuinely useful or just look impressive in a demo
- Whether Color Grading in Color Efex is fast and intuitive enough to become part of a normal workflow
- Whether Halation can be used tastefully without turning every image into an overcooked cliché
That should tell me pretty quickly whether this is just a flashy launch or a genuinely useful update for real photographers.
Pricing and availability
- When: Nik Collection 9 is available now as a perpetual license.
- How Much: $179.99 for a new license and $99.99 for upgrades from Nik Collection 7 or 8.
- Discount: YES, 15% off - use code RONMART when placing your order
Closing Thoughts
Nik has a long history, and for a lot of photographers it’s one of those products that carries a little nostalgia along with the actual "must have" functionality.
For me, Nik matters because it was part of the early story of this blog, and because some of the tools in this ecosystem have been genuinely useful for photographers who care more about results than hype.
Nik Collection 9 looks promising at first glance, especially on the masking and control side. I’m cautiously optimistic, and I’ll follow up once I’ve had a chance to put it through a real-world test.
If you’re a longtime Nik user, this looks like a release worth paying attention to.
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