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Aperture 3 and NIK- plugins, problems...

I wonder whether others like me have experienced problems after rendering a photo in NIK's HDR EFEX Pro, and returning to Aperture 3....the latter crashes rather often? Any comments about this issue would be most welcome. Mamster 37

Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on May 16, 2011 6:05 AM

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99 replies

May 16, 2011 6:32 AM in response to mamster37

In the past when I tried Hik's plugins in trial mode HDR Efex was the only one that id give m some problems similar to what you are reporting.


One thing to check do you have the latest version of HDR Efex? Nik was in the process of upgrading all their plugins to 64 bit so i you;re still using an older version you should look into upgrading.

May 16, 2011 9:28 AM in response to mamster37

If you have the latest version of the Nik plugin then I'm afraid I don't have any other concrete suggestions.


Of course the library troubleshooting steps (specifically repairing the library) and moving the preferences file out might be something you'd want to try. Also just for a test you could try Aperture in 32 bit mode and see if that makes any difference (find Aperture in the applications folder, highlight it and click Get Info. set 32 but mode check box) but those are all long shots.


Have you tried getting in touch with NIK support? The few dealings I had with them were good. Maybe they have some idea.


regards

Jul 12, 2012 12:41 PM in response to mamster37

I have a pertinent answer regarding the use of Nik HDR EFEX Pro v2.0 and it is directly from Nik. I own all of the Nik plugins and received notice of an upgrade to Nik HDR. I took advantage at an upgrade price and was excited at the new possibilities only to be sorely disappointed. There is a substantial problem in the split view with the thumbnails strung horizontally. Therefore, the preview is in the primary window. Consequently, I did much testing and contacted Nik support. And now, for your reading displeasure, I shall post Nik's response:



Thank you for contacting Nik Software. I asked to see if your system information would be helpful to our engineers, but they have said that the issue has been identified as an issue within Aperture itsself, and unfortunately your system information would not help. What is happening is your system is running out of Graphics Memory, which is causing the scrambled previews in Aperture. On the Mac system, once video memory is used (for example, for the processing with HDR Efex Pro 2 which uses a large amount of GPU processing and memory) it is not "released" even after you stop using the program, so your system runs out of the GPU memory which is what is used to update the Aperture previews.

Unfortunately at this point, it does look like the work around is to click on a different image, and then go back to the first image. Again I apologize for the inconvenience, please let me know if you would like to return the product for a refund.

Aug 2, 2012 9:45 AM in response to CorkyO2

Will look for it! Then I will report back to you. However, this is also a feature that Nik should be able to answer. Frankly, it's the first time that I've been sorely disappointed by Nik's lack of viable support. Furthermore, I have sent Nik many, many letters containing accolades. There products, in my opinion, are the best in the market today.


Now, if that new spectacular firmware for the Canon 7D would only be released!


Thanks Corky!


Paul

Aug 2, 2012 9:54 AM in response to Paul Klenk

Just ran a trial and found the GPU setting. Then, I disable it before selecting an HDR. Processed fine and the plugin saved and quit as it should. However, the preview in the thumbnail string was white . . . blank, in essence. Nik recommends to select another image and then return to the HDR. Tried it and this process failed as well. Simple no reason for it particularly considering my machine: 3.8 GHz, 16 GB of RAM and a 2GB Video card. For that matter, I run BF3 using Windows 7 (sorry for the cursing) on BOOTCAMP without any problems and that certainly stresses the machine.


Summary: Nik thrusts the blame at Apple. Well, why not work with Apple instead?


Corky, I do appreciate that attempt and suggestion.


Paul

Aug 2, 2012 2:22 PM in response to Paul Klenk

Hi.

I just happen to have the same problem. I reported it to Nik Technical Support and was given this advice :

"...

HDR Efex Pro 2 takes advantage of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) of the computer system. The GPU is also sometimes referred to as the Display Adapter or Video Card, in any case they are all the same. Sometimes certain video cards will not handle this additional processing. You will note this when opening an image into HDR Efex Pro 2 and one or more of the following happens: 1.) HDR Efex Pro 2 will crash right away, or 2.) if it opens the imported image will sometimes not be displayed correctly (solid gray, black or white image), or 3.) the buttons will not display correctly, or 4.) the responsiveness is simply very slow.
In order to resolve this, the first measure would be to update the Display Adapters or GPU driver.
Mac Users: Generally the video card that comes with your Mac will be updated automatically. The exception may be when there has been an additional video card added. In that case the user may need to go to the video card manufacturer's website to download an updated driver for their secondary GPU. If you are using Mac OS Snow Leopard (10.6) ensure to update to 10.6.6 or higher as this can affect performance. If this does not apply to you, please go to the next section below.Windows Users: Locate the manufacturer of the GPU as well as the model number.Once this is determined, it is then recommended to go directly to the GPU manufacturer's website (best option) or if that is not possible to go to the computer manufacturer's website (secondary option) to obtain an updated video card driver. It is NOT recommended to use Windows Update as in general we have found that these drivers are not updated as frequently. To identify which video card you have please do the following:

  1. Click on Start >Control Panel>System & Security >System >Device Manager and then click on the plus next to Display Adapter, this should display the make and model information.
  2. Go to the manufacturer's website (you may need to search for it via Google) such asNvidea.com and with the model number you should be able to search for the latest driver. If you are unable to locate the driver you may need to contact the manufacturer of your computer to obtain an updated driver.
  3. Once the latest GPU driver is located,download and install the new driver.
  4. Restart the computer and try HDR Efex Pro 2 once again.

If after following the above steps, you are still experiencing the same issue, the next step will be to either disable the GPU (if possible) or force HDR Efex Pro 2 to not use the GPU (safe-mode). If HDR Efex Pro 2 states your GPU is not in use, the following steps may still be necessary to improve performance. In order to disable the GPU in HDR Efex PRO 2 please do the following:

  1. If you are able to open HDR Efex Pro 2 and can see part of the interface, see if you can click on the"Settings" button in the lower left.
  2. In Settings locate the section "GPU" and expand it, in this section you will see a check box "Enable GPU Processing", uncheck this so the GPU will be disabled, then close the settings window.
  3. Close out of HDR Efex Pro 2 (click Cancel), quit out of any and all host applications (Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture), and then relaunch HDR Efex Pro 2 to see if this corrects this issue.

If you are unable to disable the GPU via settings (e.g. HDR Efex Pro 2 crashes or the buttons are not displaying correctly), please try the following steps below after quitting out of all host applications (Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture):
Mac Users:

  1. Open a finder window (or double click on the Macintosh HD on the desktop) and navigate to:
    Macintosh HD : Users : <user name> : Library :Preferences : Nik Software :
    HDR Efex Pro 2
  2. Locate the file, HDREfexPro2.cfg and right-click and choose "open with..." and then click "Choose" and then locate the applications, "TextEdit" to open this file.
  3. At the very beginning (before all the text) of the configuration file, paste the following code below verbatim:<configuration>
    <group name="INTERN">
    <key name="UseSafeMode" type="bool" value="1"/>
    </group>
    </configuration>
  4. Now save the file, close it and relaunch HDR Efex Pro 2 and see if the issue has been resolved.

..."


I have follwed all the recomendations but with no results. I talked to Nik's Support today and together we have verified that the tiff stored by Nik HDR Efex Pro 2 inside the Aperture Librarty is fine. The problem is with Aperture graphic memory management. As a matter of fact, if you experience the problem, you will also see that not only the image edited with HDR Pro 2 can be affected, but also any other you open in your strip after it has occured the first time.

Below is a typical result.

User uploaded file

Aug 5, 2012 7:57 AM in response to Christian Barrette1

Christian:


Had already disabled the GPU feature within the plugin. Then followed your suggestion with respect to the cfg file changes verbatim. Results: precisely the same . . . failure and an image precisely as your post.


None of the other, and I have them all, Nik plugins have ever created such a problem. Yes, it certainly may be the way Aperture handles files and ths information has been relayed to Apple by me and to someone at Apple who can make direct contact with the developers.


I am still angry with Nik for knowingly releasing a product that will not work correctly. It is a deceptive practice and, as an attorney, I have taken them to task.


Apparently, the customer service representative did not take me seriously enough and I was referred soon after my complaint to Dino Danner. He's the one who oversees the so-called "customer experience" division. Oops . . . another politically correct designation.


All and all, Nik still produces the absolute best plug-ins available and I have them all. However, I consider the release of this product a gigantic blunder. In a flundering economy, this is not the time to make such mistakes.


However, Christian, I appreciate your research and informative input!


Paul

Aug 6, 2012 5:14 AM in response to Paul Klenk

I had another trouble first with Nik HDR Efex 2 and have mailed with Nik support few times: One of the biggest new steps in HDR Efex 2 is the better gosth reducing the version 1. But if you use gosth, you get often a HDR image which grayes out in areas with trees and leaves. I was told to set gosthing to lower value or better switch it to off. Hmm, that was my first reason to upgrade to version 2.

Aug 6, 2012 10:58 AM in response to ajgw

Precisely . . . and a great observation. This still begs the question why Nik released a product for Aperture KNOWING that issues exist. I don't mind Nik making money on good products. They take much research and development. Consequently, they should be paid whatever the market will support. However, I do take vehement exception to a product that does not meet the most rudimentary expectations of the end user. In fact, it violates an Implied Warranty of Merchantability.


Very simply put . . . To be "merchantable", the goods must reasonably conform to an ordinary buyer's expectations. ajgw, I suspect that your reasonable expectations are that Nik HDR Efex 2 should produce a better gosth as you described, correct?


With respect to Christian, I have a question about the file modification file. Did you remove the word "configurations" that already exists? I'll provide the example so that you are informed.


<configuration>

<group name="Language">

<key name="Language" type="string" value="en"/>

<key name="Region" type="string" value="us"/>



At the very beginning (before all the text) of the configuration file, paste the following code below verbatim:<configuration>
<group name="INTERN">
<key name="UseSafeMode" type="bool" value="1"/>
</group>
</configuration>



Aug 6, 2012 11:51 AM in response to Paul Klenk

Thank you Paul for your suggestion. I initially edited the file so that there would be only one <configuration> opening and closing. But, if this what you implied, I now have re-edited it with a first <configuration> ... </configuration> containing the added SafeMode code.

I have to check how HDR Pro 2 in Aperture will fare under these new conditions. I will keep you informed.


-- Christian (B->

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