Alien skin Exposure 4, or Silver Efex Pro 2?

[OLE.M]

Hi.
I am going to convert to BW and add some film grane.
Who is the best plug in of "Alien skin Exposure 4", or "Silver Efex Pro 2"?
Which one has the best interface?
Thanks for any input.

[johnbeardy]

Don't they both have trial periods? "Best" is such a subjective decision, so you could decide on the interface yourself.

One's answer would also depend somewhat on your starting point. What is the main editing program that is involved? That said, I don't think you can beat Silver Efex, particularly because it works with Photoshop smart objects. Also, remember you don't need plug-ins to do great B&W, and great B&W does not mean you must have a grainy look.

[BigBadWolfie]

Silver Efex is probably the most popular BW plugin out there for professionals.  Some people like using Alien skin to add grain, beyond that, try both.  I think you'll find Silver Efex to be better for BW.

[MikeB55]

I would agree. Having tried both, Silver Efex Pro 2 is the one that I eventually bought because of its versatility over and above the grain effects - particularly control points. I find the interface very intuitive once you view the video tutorials.

Mike

[sniper]

Another vote for silver effx.