Nik 8 Silver Efex: The Best Black & White Photo Editor?

Silver Efex is a familiar name to many photographers, especially those passionate about black and white photography. It’s been considered the go-to software for black & white editing for well over a decade.

Photographers of all levels, from beginners to professionals, have long trusted it as part of their post-processing workflow. But does it still deserve that reputation in 2025?

In this Nik 8 Silver Efex review, you’ll learn what makes it so popular, how it works, what’s new in the latest version, and whether it’s worth adding to your editing toolbox.

Bonus: DxO has provided CaptureLandscapes readers with an exclusive discount on all Nik Collection products. You’ll find the details and discount code at the end of this review.

Let’s dive in.

What is Nik 8 Silver Efex?

Silver Efex, formerly known as Silver Efex Pro, is widely regarded as the go-to plugin for black and white photo editing. It’s considered one of the most powerful monochrome editing plugins available, trusted by photographers looking to create powerful, dramatic, and timeless black and white images.

It’s part of the popular Nik Collection 8 by DxO (you can grab a free 30-day trial with full access). Along with Nik 8 Color Efex, it remains one of the most valuable tools in the collection for creative photographers.

At its core, Silver Efex is designed to help you convert and process black and white photos. While the concept sounds simple, a surprising level of control and creativity is available under the hood.

You can apply one of the built-in presets, fine-tune the adjustments manually, or combine both approaches. Most photographers find the sweet spot in doing a bit of both; starting with a preset to build a base look, then adjusting the sliders to match the mood and style they’re after.

Silver Efex can be used in two ways:

• As a plugin for Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Affinity Photo, or DxO PhotoLab.
• As a standalone application, if you prefer to work outside your main photo editor.

Either way, you get the full feature set and the same powerful tools to bring your black and white images to life.

Recommended Reading: A Comprehensive Introduction to Black and White Photography

What’s New in Silver Efex 8

If you’re already familiar with Silver Efex, you might wonder what’s new in version 8. Does it bring enough improvements to justify an upgrade?

The answer is yes. This latest release brings the most significant improvements of any plugin in the Nik Collection, bringing both usability enhancements and new creative features.

Color Reference View (View Original in Color)

One of the biggest frustrations in earlier versions was that you couldn’t see your original color image while editing in black and white. That’s now changed.

Silver Efex 8 introduces a Color Reference Image, letting you view the original color version while applying black and white effects. This is particularly useful when using Color Filters or adjusting the Sensitivity sliders, as you can better judge how those changes affect specific colors in your original photo.

Streamlined Interface with Improved Filter Management

Silver Efex 8 now uses the same streamlined interface layout as Color Efex and Analog Efex, making navigating easier if you’re familiar with those tools.

Filters stay on the left-hand side until you apply them, keeping your workspace clean and focused. When you apply a preset, only the relevant filters appear in the right-hand panel, helping you understand exactly what’s been applied.

New Local Adjustments: ClearView and Selective Tones

The Local Adjustments panel has been expanded with ClearView and Selective Tones, letting you apply these popular global adjustments locally using Control Points, Lines, Polygons, or Color Masks.

This gives you finer control over contrast, haze removal, and tonal balance in just the areas that need it.

New Filter Looks

Each filter in Silver Efex 8 now includes multiple pre-defined looks that you can apply with a single click. This speeds up your workflow and helps you explore different creative variations without starting from scratch every time.

Brand New Photoshop Panel

Like the other plugins in Nik Collection 8, Silver Efex now benefits from the new Photoshop Panel. This panel gives you one-click access to Silver Efex, your recent edits, and your favorite presets, all without breaking your workflow in Photoshop.

Nik 8 Silver Efex Interface and User Experience

If you’ve used Color Efex or any other Nik Collection plugins before, the Silver Efex interface will feel instantly familiar.

The workspace is built up of six sections:

1. The Menu Bar
2. The Upper Toolbar
3. The Image Display Area
4. The Left Panel
5. The Right Panel
6. The Lower Toolbar

I won’t go into every single button and menu here (check out the user manual for the full breakdown), but there are a few key areas worth highlighting.

What You’ll Find in the Left Panel

In earlier versions, the left panel was mainly used for browsing presets. That’s still true in version 8, but it has been expanded to give you more control and faster access to your workflow tools.

Here’s what you’ll now find in the left panel:

• Presets – As before, all the built-in presets are displayed as thumbnail previews. Clicking one applies the look instantly to your image.
• Filters – New in version 8, you can now browse the available filters directly in the left panel. This brings Silver Efex in line with Color Efex and Analog Efex, making the workflow more intuitive across the Nik Collection.
• Last Edits – Quickly jump back to your most recent adjustments without starting from scratch.
• History – Access your edit history to step back through previous changes.
• Original Image (Color Reference) – View your original color image alongside your black and white conversion. This is incredibly useful when applying color-based adjustments like Color Filters or Sensitivity tweaks.

This streamlined layout not only makes Silver Efex more intuitive to use, but it also speeds up your workflow by keeping the tools you need within easy reach.

Fine-Tuning on the Right Panel

The real power comes when you start fine-tuning those settings in the right panel. Every adjustment you make updates your image in real-time, allowing you to build on the preset or start from scratch to create your own custom look.

Whether you’re applying global adjustments or jumping into the new local adjustments introduced in version 8, the live preview ensures you always know exactly what you’re getting.

Using Presets in Nik 8 Silver Efex

Presets play a big role in Silver Efex, perhaps more than they do in any other photo editing plugin. In fact, many photographers find they can achieve great-looking monochrome photos by simply applying one of the built-in black and white photo presets.

As of writing this, there are 64 unique presets to choose from. These range from neutral monochrome conversions to high-contrast, grainy, or sepia-toned effects. There really is something for everyone.

That said, you probably won’t use all of them. Most photographers quickly find a handful of go-to presets that suit their style. You can click the star icon next to any preset thumbnail to mark it as a favorite, making it easy to find later.

Tip: You can try all of these presets for yourself using DxO’s free 30-day trial of Nik Collection 8.

How to Create Your Own Presets in Nik 8 Silver Efex

If you find yourself applying similar adjustments across multiple images, it’s a good idea to create your own custom preset. Here’s how:

1. Apply your chosen filters and adjustments in the right panel.
2. Click the “Save Preset” button at the bottom of the panel.
3. Name your preset something descriptive so you’ll recognize it later.
4. Check “Save with Control Points” if you want to include your local adjustments.
5. Click “Save”.

You’ll find your new preset in the Custom section of the left panel. You can rename it or favorite it by clicking the star icon.

Remember, presets are just starting points. It’s always a good idea to fine-tune the adjustments for each individual photo to get the best result.

How to Import Presets in Silver Efex

Purchasing presets for Lightroom is quite common, and there is an abundance of providers (both photographers and companies) out there. While preset packs are more common for Lightroom and Photoshop, you can also import custom presets into Silver Efex:

1. Go to the Presets section in the left panel.
2. Click on the three horizontal lines (menu icon) and choose “Import Preset”.
3. Navigate to the preset file on your computer and click “Open”.

Your imported presets will now appear in the Imported section. You can also rename or favorite these for quick access.

Create Local Adjustments Using Control Points and Masks in Nik 8 Silver Efex

Many photographers are familiar with Layers and Masks in software like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo. While these traditional layer-based tools aren’t part of the Nik Collection, Nik 8 Silver Efex has its own powerful ways of making selective adjustments.

Local Adjustments in Silver Efex include:

• Control Points
• Control Lines
• Polygon Tool
• Luminosity Masks
• Color Masks

These tools allow you to target specific parts of your photo, giving you the freedom to apply or protect adjustments exactly where you want them. Whether you’re adding contrast to the sky, brightening a subject, or applying a vignette effect to the edges, Local Adjustments make it possible. With tools like Control Points, Lines, Polygon Masks, Luminosity Masks, and Color Masks, you get full control over your black-and-white editing workflow. They might take a little practice to master, but they are what set Silver Efex apart from simpler black-and-white editors.

Recommended Reading: Global vs Local Adjustments in Post-Processing

How Control Points Work

Control Points have long been a core part of the Nik Collection. In Silver Efex, they let you apply adjustments only to the selected area without affecting the rest of the image.

Here’s how to use them:

1. Open a filter and click the Control Point icon in the right panel.
2. Click on the area you want to adjust. A circle appears, marking the mask area.
3. Resize the circle by dragging the radius slider. This changes how much of the image is affected.
4. Refine the mask using the sliders under Color Selectivity and Selective Tones.

Control Points intelligently analyze the tone, texture, and brightness of the selected area. This allows you to make localized edits without harsh edges or manual masking. You can move, resize, or duplicate Control Points at any time.

How the Polygon Tool Works

The Polygon Tool is perfect when you need to define custom shapes for your masks, something Control Points can’t always do precisely.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Apply a filter, then click the Polygon Tool icon.
2. Click around your subject to add points and form a custom shape.
3. Close the shape by connecting the last point back to the first.
4. Refine the mask by adjusting the shape or adding local sliders.

This tool is ideal for selecting buildings, mountains, or other geometric subjects where circular masks fall short.

How Luminosity Masks Work

Luminosity Masks let you target adjustments based on brightness, perfect for applying changes to just the highlights, midtones, or shadows.

Here’s how it works:

1. Click the Luminosity Mask icon in the right panel.
2. Use the numbered buttons (0–10) to choose which brightness range to target (0 = darkest shadows, 10 = brightest highlights).
3. Refine the mask range using the sliders below the scale.

This is ideal for creative effects like applying a subtle vignette only to the shadows or adding brightness only to the highlights.

Recommended Reading: An Introduction to Luminosity Masks

How Color Masks Work

The Color Mask allows you to target a specific color range in your photo, even in a black-and-white workflow. This is especially useful when combined with the Color Reference Image feature.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Activate the Color Mask tool from the right panel.
2. Click on a color in the Color Reference Image (your original color photo).
3. Refine the color range using the mask sliders.

This is great for targeting color-specific adjustments that impact the luminance or contrast in your monochrome image.

Who Should Use Silver Efex?

Nik 8 Silver Efex is, in my opinion, a must-have plugin for anyone interested in black-and-white photography.

It’s beginner-friendly thanks to its built-in presets, which make it easy to convert your photos to monochrome with just one click. But it doesn’t stop there. The real power comes from its customizable filters and local adjustments, giving more experienced photographers complete control over the final result.

It’s also worth mentioning that Silver Efex isn’t limited to just one type of photography. Whether you’re working with landscapes, architecture, street photography, or portraits, you’ll find tools here that help you create stunning black-and-white images.

If black-and-white photography is something you enjoy, or want to explore more seriously, Silver Efex is absolutely worth having in your toolbox.

Are you unsure whether to get Nik 8 Silver Efex? I strongly suggest downloading the free 30-day trial to see if it fits your needs.

Conclusion: Is Nik 8 Silver Efex Worth It?

Nik 8 Silver Efex remains the industry’s leading tool for black-and-white photo editing, and for good reason. It offers an impressive combination of simplicity and advanced control, making it a valuable addition to just about any photographer’s workflow.

While Lightroom, Photoshop, and other editors include black-and-white conversion tools, they often lack the specialized features, creative filters, and intuitive local adjustments that set Silver Efex apart.

The only real downside? You can’t buy Silver Efex on its own. It comes bundled as part of the full Nik Collection, which includes seven other plugins. Luckily, DxO offers a free 30-day trial, so you can explore Silver Efex and the rest of the collection risk-free.