DxO Press Release

DxO PhotoLab 6, the RAW photo editing software, redefines industry standards for denoising with groundbreaking AI technology.

In addition to its brand-new DeepPRIME XD denoising technology, this major new version introduces advanced color management featuring a vast working color space, powerful new retouching tools, and refinements to its elegant library system.

DxO Labs, the company which kick-started modern RAW processing and lens correction, today announces the immediate availability of DxO PhotoLab 6, its flagship RAW image editing and workflow software. The latest version features DxO DeepPRIME XD, an AI-powered RAW conversion technology that pushes the boundaries for noise reduction and detail enhancement; a new color management system with an extended working color space; new retouching tools that redefine what photographers should expect from their software; and an upgraded library system that allows easy organization and quick access to images.

DxO DeepPRIME technology gets even better

Experts have long rated DxO’s DeepPRIME technology as the world’s most effective denoising and detail enhancement tool. Now, DxO PhotoLab 6 introduces the new DeepPRIME XD (eXtreme Details) mode which adds further quality to photographers’ RAW files. Ideal for high-ISO images, it removes noise, retrieves previously unseen details, and restores vibrant, natural color.

DeepPRIME XD uses a neural network trained using billions of image samples and routinely gives photographers improvements of more than 2.5 stops. For example, an image shot at 4000 ISO will more closely resemble an image captured at 500 ISO in terms of noise, color, and clarity. And because it is fundamental to the RAW conversion process,

DeepPRIME XD can even increase dynamic range, providing photographers with greater flexibility when shooting in low-light situations. The original DeepPRIME mode is also still on board for faster enhancements or for images that simply need less adjustment.
“We were thrilled by the response to DeepPRIME in DxO PhotoLab 5, but we knew we could do more” explains DxO’s VP of Marketing and Product Strategy, Jean-Marc Alexia. “The new DeepPRIME XD has been a year in development and the AI has literally been teaching itself how to do its job better. The results speak for themselves.”

More accurate color for better images

DxO PhotoLab 6 introduces re-engineered color processing algorithms that push the boundaries of color management, and a new, extended working color space. These are complemented by a Soft Proofing mode to ensure accuracy throughout the entire workflow, allowing photographers to make adjustments according to how their photographs will be reproduced for display, whether it’s on a high-definition screen or as a fine-art print.
The upgrades allow authentic reproduction for even the most saturated colors, and ensure that photographers can harness the full potential of the latest monitors and printers.

New tools for more powerful retouching

DxO PhotoLab 6 adds the new ReTouch tool that extends the capability of healing and cloning well beyond that of other RAW processing software. Photographers can now transform the source through mirroring, rotating, and scaling, or use brushes to fine-tune the area they’re editing into a more accurate shape. The new tool ensures fewer trips outside of DxO PhotoLab for complex cloning and healing tasks, and speeds up workflow while ensuring that editing never moves away from the original RAW file and therefore remains non-destructive.

A refined library system for smarter workflow

Building on its simple but powerful PhotoLibrary system, DxO PhotoLab 6 extends its range of Exif and IPTC tags, adds nesting for Projects, and introduces color labels for easier organization and management of files — all without clumsy, time-consuming catalogs.

Comprehensive and precise lens and camera profiles

Core to DxO PhotoLab 6 are DxO’s pioneering Optics Modules. Almost 20 years ago, DxO patented the concept of lens corrections and since then, the analyses performed in its purpose-built laboratory have set the standard for the digital photo editing industry. The quality and precision of DxO’s Optics Modules remain unmatched by its competitors, partly because lenses and cameras are tested in combination, giving photographers profiles that are tailored specifically to their equipment. With all the latest modules automatically downloaded to DxO PhotoLab 6, you’ll be assured of the best quality results every time.

Price & availability

The ESSENTIAL and ELITE editions of DxO PhotoLab 6 (Windows and macOS) are available to download now from the DxO website at the following prices:

DxO PhotoLab 6 ESSENTIAL Edition: £ 129

DxO PhotoLab 6 ELITE Edition: £ 199

Owners of DxO PhotoLab 4 or 5 can take advantage of a special upgrade price:

DxO PhotoLab 6 ESSENTIAL Edition upgrade price: £ 65

DxO PhotoLab 6 ELITE Edition upgrade price: £ 89

The DxO PhotoLab does not require a subscription. The ESSENTIAL version can be installed on up to two computers and the ELITE version can be installed on up to three.

A full one-month trial of DxO PhotoLab 6 is available from the DxO website

We all have our preferred ways of working when processing our RAW files by developing a consistent and logical workflow you can,

• Speed up your processing.
• Exploit presets.
• Be consistent in how you process your RAW files.
• Develop your own style.

My preferred RAW file processor and photo editor is DxO Photolab, why? Because DxO’s main thrust is the development of RAW files and correcting lens defects found in specific lens/camera combinations. DxO Photolab optic corrections address; chromatic aberrations, distortion, vignetting, and lens softness!

I like to breakdown my processing workflow into the following;

1. Camera and lens flaw corrections.
2. RAW file processing.
3. Creative enhancements, photo edits.

DxO Presets (step 1)

Presets simply allow you to apply a set of corrections to one or more images at the same time. DxO Photolab comes with a number of ready made presets to help you get started. When you first load your images into DxO Photolab uses a default preset that does the following;

• DxO Smart Lighting on Slight.
• Color rendering unchanged for JPEGs, camera default rendering for RAW files.
• Protection of saturated colors on Auto.
• Noise reduction on Auto.
• Distortion on Auto.
• Vignetting on Auto.
• Cromatic aberration on Auto (and lateral chromatic aberration correction activated).
• Lens softness activated, Global slider on 0, and both the Details and the Bokeh sliders set to 50 (or Sharpness Maskdefaultsettings, if a DxO Optics Module is not available).

But I have created my own preset that applies the following corrections;

This first preset takes care of camera / lens like; chromatic aberrations, distortion, vignetting, and lens softness!

RAW File Processing (step 2)

Once I have taken care of any camera / lens defects that might affect my image I then go onto processing my RAW file using a custom made Workspace in DxO Photolab that allows me to work with the following, and generally in the order you see.

The idea here is to create a balanced RAW file for either further editing or as a final image.

Below is a JPEG output from a non corrected RAW file that I will be working on using my default workspace.

Local and Global Adjustments

When assessing and processing my RAW files, I am always thinking in terms of local and global adjustments. I use global adjustments to even out or balance the image (see below).

Creative enhancements, photo edits (step 3)

And finally, for me, the secret sauce to any image processing is to apply local adjustments, in terms of colour, contrast, highlight, and shadow adjustments to enhance and bring the photo to life.

I think the final image is shows how by following a good workflow you can achieve excellent results when editing your images.

You can get a free trial of DxO Photolab here

It seems that DxO has once again won the TIPA category for best imaging software (professional).

DxO PhotoLab is an advanced RAW photo editor. When processing and editing my RAW files, my first step without exception, is to run my RAW files through DxO PhotoLab. DxO’s advanced corrections and use of AI (artificial intelligence) make it one of the best solutions for preparing RAW files for editing.

The key difference between DxO PhotoLab and other imaging software is that DxO’s primary function is to process RAW files and to optimise these files for further editing, either within DxO PhotoLab or another photo editor.

For over 15 years DxO’s laboratories have been analysing millions of images to develop software that

• Greatly improve digital noise when demosaicing RAW files (DeepPRIME AI)
• Automatically applies optical corrections tailored to specific camera lens combinations
  • lens distortion
  • vignetting
  • chromatic aberrations
  • lens softness

Nearly all corrections can be applied automatically and then fined tuned as necessary.

If you shoot RAW and want best RAW file to use when editing your images then you can trust DxO PhotoLab to do the job for you.

And for those of you who may not want all of the functionality of DxO PhotoLab but still want to have the best RAW file to edit, then DxO have just introduced DxO PureRAW. DxO PureRAW provides you with an easy way to get the best from your RAW file before editing your files in other applications.

To celebrate getting the TIPA award DxO are offering a discount on some of their products.

You can check out the new DxO PureRAW here

And here is a link to DxO PhotoLab trial

There is no better programme for processing your RAW files than DxO Photolab. Currently DxO are offering a 30% discount ob DxO Photolab but this offer ends on the 19th Nov.

If you have not ordered a copy now is the time to do so!

DxO Photolab is my 1st choice when processing m y RAW files.

For me processing images means doing two key things

1. Correcting and enhancing your RAW files.
2. Applying creative edits to your images to create a desired look or feel to the final image.

My two goto programmes for this are DxO Photolab for alll my RAW processing needs and the DxO Nik collection for adding creative effects to my images.

From the 3rd September until the 20th September, the DxO Nik Collection is on sale with 30% off of the normal retail price!

Here is what EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) had to say

“Nik Collection 3 by DxO is a suite of eight powerful photo-editing plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and DxO PhotoLab, that helps photographers take their images to the next level. Together the plug-ins allow a wide range of effects to be applied quickly and easily to images, such as great black & white conversions, attractive colour adjustments and creative treatments, and new in this version, comprehensive geometric corrections. A new non-destructive mode allows you to export images as TIFF files and tweak your edits, while keeping your original images safe and your adjustments reversible.”

To take advantage of this great offer just follow this link, Nik Collection 30% discount.

Example before and after

Feeling excited! DxO have just updated DxO Photolab as follows

• 7 new cameras supported: – Panasonic Lumix TZ90/ZS70/TZ91/TZ92/TZ93 – Panasonic Lumix GF9/GX800/GX850 – Panasonic Lumix DMC G9 – Apple iPhone 8 Plus – Apple iPhone X – Canon EOS 200D / Rebel T7 / EOS Kiss X90 / EOS 1500D – Sony A7 III
• Local adjustments user experience enhancement: – New option to display U Point mask. – Hue and Selective tone are now available in local adjustments. – Local adjustments design has been updated with correction categorization.
• Minor bug fixes.

This may not seem like a big change but it is a game changer when applying local edits within DXO Photolab. You can get a quick overview here.

NIK 2018 plugins

They have also just released NIK 2018 plugins (which work with their software too, you just have to use the export to application function in DXO Phtolab).

Read all about NIK 2018 here.

I also managed to find from within their support pages an overview of the Colour Efex Pro4 NIK filters. Which is an interesting read.

Both DxO Phtolab and Nik 208 come with a 30 trial so why not try them out.

Before and After Alleyway

Sometimes, we are not in the right place, at the right time and with the right lighting conditions. But are subject matter or content may be good. What do you do if you cannot get back to the location? Take the shot anyway…

Seeing potential in the scene below, I shot this picture with an idea in my mind for post processing the image. I imagined a strong shaft of light illuminating the wall and pots on the right.

Using DXO Photolab and ON1 Photo RAW I was able to bring the image to life.

I basically used DXO Photolab for my RAW edits and ON1 Photo RAW 2018 to create the effects seen here, using tone controls, local masking and colour enhancements.

Here is a before and after for comparison.

I think you will agree that the result was worth the shot even though the time of day and lighting conditions were not perfect.