Comments on: Viveza from Nik. Straight Dope Review!

By: Bard

Bard — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:52:01 +0000

For me the Viveza is not interesting due to it’s high price. Aperture is cheaper than this plugin and for anyone to say that a plugin with 3 buttons is worth more than the entire Aperture is crazy. It should be priced a bit less than Elements and it would sell much more.
I found on there website you can buy all the plugins in a package for 299.95 but I think that was Euro’s so still expensive, but way more interesting with all 5 plugins, and something I am considering now when the Euro has dropped vs the Dollar, it’s around 400 US$ or 80$ per plugin then, still expensive (>2X Aperture) but better than the over 1000 US$ for them if you buy them separately, which is the same as both Aperture and Photoshop CS4.
Hydra HDR plugin is much more realistically priced, and maybe some other companies hack out a plugin like Viveza maybe with a bit more control for a Hydra HDR price, then they would get a load of business.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:30:07 +0000

I tried it and I think it is a quantum upgrade in interface and the power/ease payoffs. Upon first downloading the plugin, I went directly to my most difficult images to see how they might be improved. While it is true I can do anything in CS3 that Viveza does, it takes so much longer that a working photographer will pay for this quickly if they value their time. I have combined the use of Viveza with HDR pictures and now I feel I have all the power I need to deliver images that I could only imagine earlier.

The one feature I would like to see would be to copy the very good masks created by the plug-in. This concern in comparison to the payoffs in speed and very rapid control in editing, made this purchase a no-brainer.

I don’t think any criticism related to batch processing makes any sense. This tool is about taking your images, image by image, to another level with ease. I use the plug-in in many different layers if I am going for real fine control, then I manipulate those layers.

I found the program for $209, shipping included. My experience to date is that I could rapidly salvage and dramatically improve images that were very good compo’s but lacked the nuances that made them great photos. I don’t have the time to “grind” an image for 5 hours in PS. With Viveza I
don’t have to. This program has resulted in more sales, and much less work for me. It would be a bargain at $300. I suspect in the very near term people who are using it a lot will learn how to use it in ways not anticipated.

Another way to think about the payoff of Viveza is what its speed means to harvesting many photos from your archives that were close, but given time, could be very good. Well, now I have time, and this not only saves me a huge amount of time in editing, this new-found efficiency permits me to get many images from old shoots. This means I am not only saving editing time, I am recovering shooting time. From this perspective alone, the plug-in is essential. This was clear to me in using it 15 minutes after I first installed the trial, that was how long it took me to decide. With Viveza you not only buy power with ease, you are buying time. Absolutely a no-brainer. Anything can be better, but this is a stunning innovation.

By: David

David — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:51:20 +0000

I’ve been using the Viveza trial version for a few days with Apple Aperture and I really enjoyed it, mainly for the easiness of use and the amazing results. It’s a fantastic tool! Nevertheless, I will not buy it because on my opinion a plugin cannot cost more than the hosting application (Aperture costs $199 only!).

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 31 May 2008 22:58:16 +0000

$249 for three buttons is an insult. I agree that we all need to be paid for our work. And that pay should be based on a fair price. A downloaded version of this product is really worth $49.

By: prophotoshow

prophotoshow — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:33:22 +0000

Dan this is a cool product but does not begain to tap into everything. It taps into color, brightness, and contrast. Powerful tools, but some of the most early and basic tools in PS. I realize the plugin is not stopping me, but what the point is it doesn’t do everything I need.

I realize the photo I used is nothing great, but it’s not relevant to the software. I used to as a test.

Lastly is does not pay for itself in a few hours for most. Must of was we need to do can be done in LR much faster. This is a tool for manually fine tuning a few images, and does not work for batching which is the key to many a photographers workflow. It costs nearly half of what Photoshop costs, and really does not do a lot.

I think the UI is brilliant, and it’s neat to see someone advancing, but it’s still limited, and costs too much to be practical for some. I realize it’s great for some, but it’s limited.

Gav

By: Dozzie43

Dozzie43 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:49:29 +0000

I wouldn’t call this a “review”… It’s more like a general and quick head-up. Ok, I agree with you on the serial number, which is a bit silly…

You want to control curves and levels? Dude… The software is tapping in to everything that is Photoshop with a different and much better UI. If you feel you need to touch curves and levels - do so, in addition to the software… The plug-in is not stopping you.

Your “after” photo is better, but it still looks like any given snapshot, taken by any given grandma. It’s a brilliant tool - you just need to learn to use it. Starting with a great shot and making it amazing, is what the tool is all about. Don’t waste your time with grandma snapshots.

Expensive? You are kidding right? It pays for itself in a few hours saved post-processing one ‘crazy’ wedding, or fashion shoot.