You may remember that back in the dark ages of technology (six months ago), Google purchased Nik Software. The reason many guessed at the time was because of the Snapseed app that Nik had developed. Heck, I even wrote Three Big Reasons for Google to Buy Corel and Some Small Ones. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that Corel and Google have listened to my advice, but there was some great news for users this week.

Remember, the whole premise of Google buying Nik was to drive users towards the Google+ social network. So it should come as no surprise that an announcement about the Nik Collection bundle came in a Google+ post.

Now let’s break down the announcement and what it means to you. Nik makes six high-end plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. The last time I tested them, they did not work in Corel PHOTO-PAINT. You can certainly test them for free if you want to know for sure. It used to be $499 to buy the entire collection of six plug-ins and even more if you bought each one separately.

If you have purchased any one of them in the past, you will be receiving the whole collection as a free upgrade. Google/Nik claim you will receive an e-mail with instructions for getting the whole collection. If you want to buy the entire collection now, it is only $149. Keep in mind that some of the plug-ins sold separately for more than than in the past so this is a great deal.

Let’s now look at the six plug-ins in the collection with a very brief description of what they do.

• HDR Efex Pro 2: From natural to artistic, explore the full potential of HDR photography.
• Silver Efex Pro 2: Master the art of black-and-white photography with darkroom-inspired controls.
• Sharpener Pro 3: Bring out hidden details consistently with the professional’s choice for image sharpening.
• Color Efex Pro 4: A comprehensive set of filters for color correction, retouching, and creative effects.
• Viveza 2: Selectively adjust the color and tonality of your images without complicated masks or selections.
• Dfine 2: Improve your images with noise reduction tailored to your camera.

To either buy your copy of the collection or try it free for 15 days, go to the Nik Software page. If you are into digital photography, this collection is a must-have!