What is the correct workflow for Nik collection (with free tools only)

Question

Google has recently released for free the Nik collection.

I downloaded it, and noticed that it does not work directly with raw files. However it seems to work with tiff files.

I am thinking that I can

1. Shoot in RAW with my camera (Canon 700d)
2. Use a free RAW converter (Canon DPP/Rawtherapee etc)
3. Save a tiff file (to get the best quality as an intermediate format)
4. Open image in Nik collection and make edits
5. Save the resulting JPEG file

Is my assumption correct?

Update: I am not a pro photographer. I prefer to use my images SOOC. Doing any kind of post-processing in the exception and not the usual case. I have no problem with launching manually the Nik collection tools for a single image.

Answer 1

Your assumption is mostly correct. The Nik tools have what could most politely be described as an 'awkward' workflow when used without Photoshop and Lightroom.

The key difference is that any changes are saved back to the TIFF which you opened, there aren't other save options in most of the plugins (if any). So keep a note of the settings needed to recreate the TIFF if your choice of raw tool doesn't do this for you, or copy the TIFF before opening the image in the Nik software.

There is a step-by-step guide to using the plugins in Michael Clark's answer to Can the Nik Collection be used without Photoshop or Lightroom? which is detailed and has good references.