Hi,
I originally purchased and updated my Nik Software plugins from… Nik Software. Then, Google made them free, released a few updates and eventually stopped maintaining them. Now the Nik Software by DxO are announced and available for purchase. What about current owners who already paid for the whole package ? Is there an upgrade price ? I don’t see any information about this.
Thanks in advance.
Why should DxO care about a version, which they did not sell to you? As company they have not earned anything from previous sells of other companies so far. I do not understand this discussion. 50€ is a low price if you depend on NIK and expect further support and development. If it is not worth it for you, wait for further features until the price is justified.
Asser,
In similar circumstances, companies may make different decisions about the existing users. I’m just asking what DxO decided about this case. This is not a request and there’s no need to moralize or interfere.
Customers are not responsible for the decisions made by the successive owners of a product. They purchased it, period. So at least, they have a right to ask what policy the current owner will apply. Once the information is given (which is not exactly the case for the moment - and that’s why I’m asking), they make their own decisions.
I’m an early user of DxO products (since DOP version 1), I have invested a lot of money in these products and I think that my questions are legitimate.
Honestly at the moment there is no added value in the “new” DxO software, but that may change. I do not feel good purchased NiK and now shall buy it once again from DxO. At least I would have expected a special “loyalty” offer.
Currently, it has a value only for those, who were affected by bugs. About “loyality” I have written above. You were loyal to Nik Software Inc. in San Diego, but they can’t give you an offer, because they do not exist. I do not think DxO has the capacity to evaluate, who was a real buyer before the collection went free. I do not expect people at DxO to look at millions of old invoices or emails to verify that you are “loyal” and ensure that you are the one who bought something by using your identity card screenshot and comparing the name on the invoice. And this all just to offer it for 20€ less?
Of course I have to accept this. But honestly the value for the NIK collections compared to Photoshop and Lightroom is limited anyhow. So finally customer will decide to purchase on Value and Price, not DxO.
There is nothing to add.
Hello guys,
Actually for the customers who worked with Nik from Google DxO released a re-branded free version called Nik 2012 which is still supported. Nik 2018 is released with a bunch of critical and not only critical bugs fixed. This version will be further developed, fine-tuned and upgraded with new features. The license policy is the same with PhotoLab. So it’s up to you to decide whether upgrade to a paid version or not.
Regards,
Svetlana G.
OK. No problem. I just wanted to know the DxO policy about this.
I was hoping to see some kind of break for folk who have previously paid for this product. Addressing Asser’s point, we don’t know what liabilities or obligations have passed from Nik to Google to DxO, and DxO are unlikely to share that. So there’s no point in speculating.
Having originally spent ~$150 for a product that subsequently saw no real functionality improvements, and became increasingly hard to use as host platforms evolved, I do not feel like spending more. I am certainly not going to pay for ‘future development’.
The right thing to do here is fro DxO to provide licenses to users who have previously paid for the product, with the expectation we would pay further for upgrades to functionality. That would spread goodwill, and promote customer loyalty.
Until either that happens, or I see a substantial increase in investment into the Nik suite, it is to me at least a ‘meh’ moment.
My take is a little different, partly because I only started using the NIK Collection after it became free. I also have been using PhotoLab since it first became available last year, and it is my go to post processing software at this point.
With regard to getting special pricing for previous license holders who purchased the NIK Collection years ago at full price, I understand the frustration, But it should be aimed at Google who abandoned it, and gave it away for free, not DXO who is trying to save it. DXO is not in a position to track who paid for the original software and who downloaded it for free. They purchased the software not the licensed and paid user database. The expectation for special pricing is unfortunately not realistic, but in any case, how much less than $50 could anyone expect it to be?
I downloaded and purchased the DXO version of the NIK collection for selfish reasons. First the price of $49.99 USD is very low for what you get and will be going up to $69.99USD at the end of the month. I have been reading reports by individuals that the DXO version addressed issues that they were having and I think that what DXO delivered is a reasonable start when supporting software inherited from a different development team that hasn’t been updated in years.
I am willing to pay a small sum now for future enhancements and better integration into PhotoLab, and as a license holder of the NIK collection I will presume those updates will either be free or priced lower than for the general public. Its a leap of faith. As everyone should know, DXO Labs has run into financial difficulties and are in the process of rectifying them. I absolutely love using DXO’s software and am willing to trust and support their efforts to stay in business and keep delivering state of the art software solutions.
Mark
Like others, I purchased NIK Collection from Google at $150 a few years ago. However, my thinking similar to yours as to supporting DXO and future enhancements and lower priced upgrades. When I upgraded to PhotoLab Elite the pricing was reasonable and I expect the same will occur for NIK.
I also liked the idea from another comment that NIK would become a pack much like Viewpoint and FilmPack. That idea made good sense.
Pat91: Your question is a good and fair one. Special consideration for current owners seems like a reasonable approach for all parties. I understand Asser’s argument that they owe us nothing…he’s right. However, DxO certainly needs a large and stable installed base to make this acquisition work for them. Why not acknowledge that current owners are likely to continue to support the platform going forward? It’s very expensive to acquire new customers and far less expensive to retain existing customers. That’s a fact.
On the topic, I am thrilled to see that DxO acquired the Nik Collection. When Google announced the product was free, it was obvious the product would see no further development, so DxO’s acquisition should be a good thing. On the other hand, this first release could have been far more impactful with the addition of just one or two real enhancements. I understand that stability and compatibility are foundational, but I am now wondering if DxO will actually drive future feature enhancements. If so, I’m in!
It would make no sense to not deliver new features. At least the 4K support is in the backlog. And after DxO ONE is gone, there is only software left, which has to be improved.
So then … the advice for current Nik users with functional 2012 software is “Do not but 2018 version!”. Wait until some actual value is being offered and then buy in.
Hi Khurt,
There’s some discussion along these lines here: LifeAfterPhotoshop … in the comments section.
Regards, John M
I have been a Nik Software user since 2008. Ten years of “Niking”, I will still continue to support the software regardless of whoever acquired it. HOWEVER, how about giving your long-term supporters some incentives? I understand it is almost impossible to dig out every invoice… then how about WE show you our invoices? I still keep all of them by the way. I have invoices of both the retail box sets and downloaded versions.
Will I pay $69 for the current version? Yes and no. Yes if you fix some of the bugs regarding Photoshop CC 2018 crashes or we got some good deals from our continued support. No, if I still can use my old versions of Nik Software without disrupting my work in Photoshop.
Hello,
Probably this post is of help - About Updates\Upgrades, Pricing and the Development Roadmap
There is an official reply from Jean-Marc there.
Regards,
Svetlana G.
Boy… This is as good as kicking Nik’s current owners in the nuts. I think I will hold back my upgrade until later. And yes, I DID pay $500 for my old version. And no, I am not cheap. In fact, I am more than willing to pay for the upgrade if DxO can give us a better deal.
Well, the upgrade system I mean this one (you buy a main version and receive the intermediate updates during the year for free then when a new main version is released you’ll pay half price) is appreciated by our customers + there are discounts on some occasions. So could you, please, explain what do you mean under ‘better deal’? Your feedback is important.
Thank you
Regards,
Svetlana G.