Nik’s new SilverEfex Pro plug-in is designed to overcome some of the time-consuming challenges and control limitations of converting color images to black-and-white.

Starting from a neutral conversion of your image, you can make one-click adjustments from a choice of over 20 preset styles, ranging from nostalgic processes such as ambrotypes and tintypes to classic artist renderings, trendy high contrast, soft focus or grainy images. You can choose to stick with any one of these 20 styles, or further modify your image by applying color filters, vignettes, or variable toning controls, including sepia, selenium, split-toning, or user-defined colors.

Because the software uses Nik’s patented U-Point technology, Silver Efex Pro gives you direct on-image control of tonality, contrast, and structure. You don’t need to create complicated selections and layer masks to precisely control specific areas of your image.

The software’s advanced imaging algorithms protect against unwanted artifacts and enable you to emulate 18 different black-and-white film types, including the grain, color sensitivity and tone curve for each. A new grain engine that mimics the silver-halide process can be used to help achieve the best-quality reproductions of scanned photographs.

SilverEfexPro retails for $199.95 and installs as a plug-in for either Adobe Photoshop or Apple Aperture 2.1.  It is available for Windows and Mac operating systems, including Vista and Leopard.

For video tutorials showing the software running within Photoshop and Aperture and a free, 15-day trial version, visit www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro.com, or contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.