Many thanks for this essay. I've been trying to decide whether to upgrade from PSE 6 to PSE 8, mainly because I wanted the ability to process 16-bit TIFFs. My primary editor is NX2 and it saves 16-bit-ers. Virtually the only reason I'm interested in PSE is because it allows a Silver Efex pro plug-in. I cannot understand Nik's rationale for not making a plug-in for NX2. Anyway, I've been searching for days for the answer to PSE 8's 16-bit capability. Now I know. I think I'll hold off an upgrade.