Google has announced its plans for the distribution of Nik Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture plug-ins. The company acquired Nik software in September 2012, and was widely criticized for removing the Snapseed desktop app. Perhaps in response to this, Google has announced today that it will sell the Nik Collection by Google which includes HDR Efex Pro 2, Color Efex Pro 4, Silver Efex Pro 2, Viveza 2, Sharpener Pro 3 and Dfine 2 for an international price of $149. There is also a free 15 day trial of the suite available and if a user has purchased one or more Nik plugins in the past five years, he or she will be upgraded to the full suite free of charge.

From Google+:

Today, and for all the professionals out there, we’re bundling the complete set of Nik plug-ins as the Nik Collection by Google. We’re especially excited about three things:

1) It’s more affordable. The entire set of plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture only costs $149 (versus the previous $499).

2) It’s really powerful. The Nik Collection by Google gives you tools for everything from noise reduction and HDR imaging to creative effects and image sharpening (and lots more).

3) It’s free to try. You can visit niksoftware.com for a 15-day free trial of the Collection.

If you’ve already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In fact: we’re going to upgrade you to the entire Nik Collection by Google for free. Just keep an eye out for emailed instructions in the next few days.