I was running version 4.0, and the 4.1 update popped up. If you pull up any of the tools, you are alerted to an available update. One thing I don't like is the DxO update method. After working with it for many years I miss the feature when I work in other editors.

It has always worked well, and has been continually improved. U Point is a maskless selection of areas to edit. My most used tool, Color Efex Pro 4, hasn't been changed much, but the improvements to their U Point technology are universal throughout their apps. There are nice before/after buttons for side by side and split-screen to see the changes you are making. I didn't see anything dramatic in the update, but did notice speedier operations in the updated Nik Viveza and Nik Silver Efex tools.

Viveza 3 is a color adjustment plug-in with sophisticated local adjustments for 'dodging and burning' color images and applying global adjustments. Each tool is a separate app. Silver Efex Pro 3 is the latest version of one of the more popular plug-ins in the suite of tools, offering black and white image processing and darkroom effects. You can also use the software as a stand-alone editor. There are some specific changes to the user-friendliness of Nik Viveza and Nik Silver Efex (GUI tweaks) and the company claims improved compatibility if you are using the Nik Collection as a Photoshop or Lightroom preset, which most photographers do. The company also says there is better support for very high-resolution images and bug fixes.

Also, there have been significant improvements to U Point technology resulting in more responsive Control Points and adjustments. The tools have been improved in performance, and more specifically the overall responsiveness of the interface and options to preview the effects applied to the image, whether in fit or fill mode or zoomed in, has been speeded up. The Nik Collection has just been updated to version 4.1, only a few weeks after version 4 launched.

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