DxO Nik Collection 9 for Mac is a professional photo-editing and creative effects suite designed for photographers, retouchers, digital artists, and image editors. Released in April 2026, Nik Collection 9 is the latest major generation of DxO’s Nik Collection and combines seven dedicated plug-ins/external editors for color correction, analog effects, black-and-white conversion, noise reduction, sharpening, HDR processing, and local image adjustments. dxo.com

The suite includes Nik Color Efex, Nik Analog Efex, Nik Viveza, Nik Silver Efex, Nik Dfine, Nik Sharpener, and Nik HDR Efex. These tools can be used individually or as part of workflows with supported applications such as DxO PhotoLab, Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom Classic, and Affinity Photo. Nik Collection can also be used in standalone mode. userguides.dxo.com

Nik Collection 9 introduces significant AI-assisted editing capabilities. AI Masks provide automatic subject selection, while Depth Masks create depth-based selections without requiring embedded depth information. These tools work alongside DxO’s U Point technology for targeted local adjustments, helping users make precise edits without manually creating complex selections. dxo.com

Version 9 also introduces a new Color Grading tool in Nik Color Efex and new creative effects including Halation, Chromatic Shift, and Glass Effect. Expanded blending modes, mask overlays, preset hover previews, copy/paste of local adjustments, and the ability to move masks between plug-ins further improve professional editing workflows. dxo.com

Key Features

• Seven professional photo-editing plug-ins
• Nik Color Efex for color correction and creative effects
• Nik Analog Efex for analog-film and camera effects
• Nik Silver Efex for professional black-and-white processing
• Nik Viveza for selective color and tonal adjustments
• Nik Dfine for noise reduction
• Nik Sharpener for image sharpening
• Nik HDR Efex for HDR and high-dynamic-range processing
• AI Masks for automatic subject selection
• Depth Masks for distance-based local adjustments
• DxO U Point local adjustment technology
• New Color Grading tool
• Halation effect
• Chromatic Shift effect
• Glass Effect
• 18 blending modes in Color Efex and Analog Efex
• Color Masks
• Mask overlays
• Preset hover previews
• Copy/paste local adjustments
• Transfer masks between plug-ins
• Extensive presets and customizable recipes
• Standalone and plug-in workflows
• Non-destructive workflows with supported host applications
• Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic integration
• DxO PhotoLab integration
• Affinity Photo integration
• macOS Apple Silicon support
• Up to three activated computers per license userguides.dxo.com

What’s New

• Nik Collection 9 released April 2026
• New AI Masks for fast, precise subject selection
• New Depth Masks for targeting adjustments according to image depth
• New Color Grading tool in Nik Color Efex
• New Halation effect for film-style highlight glow
• New Chromatic Shift effect for color-channel displacement
• New Glass Effect for glass-inspired distortion and refraction
• Added 18 blending modes to Nik Color Efex and Nik Analog Efex
• New mask overlays for easier visualization of local adjustments
• Preset hover previews
• Copy/paste local adjustments between images
• Ability to move masks between compatible plug-ins
• Additional interface and workflow improvements dxo.com

Professional Applications

• Professional photography
• Portrait and wedding photography
• Landscape photography
• Fine-art photography
• Commercial photography
• Architectural photography
• Black-and-white photography
• HDR photography
• Photo retouching
• Creative color grading
• Film-look creation
• Analog-style image processing
• Noise reduction and image cleanup
• Advertising and editorial photography
• Digital publishing
• Fine-art and large-format printing
• Creative image manipulation

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• OS: macOS 15.7 Sequoia
• CPU: Apple M1 or newer
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 16GB available disk space
• Display: 1280 × 768 minimum
• GPU: Apple Silicon graphics
• Internet: Required for activation and installation
• Supported hosts: DxO PhotoLab, Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom Classic, and compatible Affinity Photo versions userguides.dxo.com

Recommended Requirements

• OS: macOS 26 Tahoe
• CPU: Apple M2 Pro or newer
• RAM: 16GB or more
• Storage: 50GB available disk space
• Display: 1920 × 1080 or higher
• GPU: Apple Silicon GPU
• Professional workflow: Fast SSD recommended for large photo libraries and host-application caches
• AI Masks/Depth Masks: Apple Silicon hardware recommended for the best experience