Several years ago, Google announced that they would be acquiring Nik Software and in the process, acquiring the various photo-related software with it, such as Snapseed. In fact things seemed to be going well and a while back, Google even made the Nik Collection a completely free download for all users.However it seems that Google might have had a change of heart as they have announced on the Nik Collection page that they will no longer be updating it. In a banner found on the top of the page, it reads, “The Nik Collection is free and compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.10; Windows Vista, 7, 8; and Adobe Photoshop through CC 2015. We have no plans to update the Collection or add new features over time.”
Note that Google isn’t killing off the software or removing it, but rather they will no longer be updating it which means that eventually it could lead to the apps breaking and losing compatibility, or there will be bugs that Google will no longer be addressing, and that there will no longer be any new features added to them.
It is unclear as to why Google has decided to abandon the Nik Collection, especially given how many photographers do rely on their plugins for their work, so if you do find yourself relying heavily on the Nik Collection, perhaps it’s time to start looking for an alternative.
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