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| Lead image by Kelvin Chan |
DxO has announced the latest version of its all-in-one raw photo editor, DxO PhotoLab 6. The French company has also announced a new version of its geometric correction software and plug-in, DxO ViewPoint 4.
DxO PhotoLab 6
Looking first at PhotoLab 6, it includes numerous new improvements to image quality, editing tools, workflow and performance. PhotoLab 6 includes the new DeepPRIME XD denoising technology to improve image quality. XD stands for eXtreme Details. Compared to DeepPRIME, DeepPRIME XD promises better sharpness, color and less noise. It’s ideal for high ISO images and promises an improvement in image quality of about 2.5 stops. This means that if you captured an image at ISO 4000, it would look similar to an image shot at ISO 500, all else equal, in terms of noise, color and clarity.
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DeepPRIME XD, like the regular version of DeepPRIME, performs raw demosaicing and denoising simultaneously, which promises better sharpness and less noise than competing software solutions. DeepPRIME XD uses a neural network trained using billions of images and samples.
‘We were thrilled by the response to DeepPRIME in DxO PhotoLab 5, but we knew we could do more,’ said 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.’
DxO PhotoLab 6 also includes new color processing algorithms and a new extended color space called DxO Wide Gamut. The new working color space expands colors far beyond sRGB and Adobe RGB. It also promises a better representation of natural colors than Adobe ProPhoto RGB. To ensure good color no matter what your final output is, DxO PhotoLab 6 includes a Soft Proofing mode. You can see how your images will be reproduced and then adjust them accordingly.
The software also includes a new ReTouch tool that ‘extends the capability of healing and cloning well beyond that of other raw processing software.’ You can transform the source using mirroring, rotating and scaling. You can use brushes to fine-tune your editing area to create a precise shape. The tool should reduce the need for photographers to use other software like Adobe Photoshop for complex cloning and healing tasks. Further, if you stay inside PhotoLab 6, you ensure a non-destructive workflow.
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While not new, DxO PhotoLab 6 incorporates DxO’s U Point technology. It allows users to perform precise local adjustments without creating custom masks or using a brush. You add a control point and then adjust its size and position and use sliders to make adjustments to your image. It’s a potent tool, especially when you utilize luminosity and chrominance sliders and create groups of control points.
On the workflow side, PhotoLibrary 6 includes nesting for projects, better support for Exif and IPTC tags and adds color labels. You don’t import images into PhotoLab, but rather keep your images in their original locations and point the software toward them. There aren’t any catalogs. The color labels are included in .xmp sidecar files so that other apps can also read them.
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DxO has also announced new lens support. DxO’s lens profiles are tailor-made for each camera and lens combination using DxO’s sophisticated lab testing. The profiles, which are part of the DxO Optics Module, assess 100% of the pixel area and correct for sharpness, vignetting, geometric distortions, and chromatic aberrations (longitudinal and lateral). New support has been added for the Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM, Nikkor Z 28-75mm F2.8, HD Pentax-D FA 21mm F2.4 ED Limited DC WR, HD Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 Limited, HD Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited, HD Pentax-FA 77mm F1.8 Limited, Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN C, Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN C, and Sony E 11mm F1.8. In total, Optics Module supports more than 77,000 camera and lens combinations.
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‘We’re committed to giving photographers the best possible results from their gear, and we’re delighted to add these nine new lenses,’ said Marie-Catherine Fargnoli, DxO Product Owner and Laboratory Manager. ‘DxO has never used off-the-shelf lens corrections and no other software company matches the quality that we’re able to achieve through the work carried out in our laboratory.’
As for performance, DxO PhotoLab 6 promises more speed and stability. Further, it’s now fully native for Mac Silicon users. DxO PhotoLab 6 is available for macOS and Windows.
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DxO PhotoLab 6 is available now in Essential and Elite editions. The Essential edition is $139 for new users and $75 as an upgrade for DxO PhotoLab 4 or 5 owners. The Elite edition, which includes the new DeepPRIME XD denoising technology, X-Trans sensor support and more, is $219 for new users and $99 to upgrade. DxO doesn’t offer subscriptions, so you purchase a lifetime license for its software. You can download a fully-featured 30-day free trial for PhotoLab 6 by visiting DxO.
DxO ViewPoint 4
DxO has also announced ViewPoint 4. Available as a plug-in, standalone app or as part of PhotoLab 6, ViewPoint 4 delivers extensive geometric corrections. The software fixes geometry and perspective errors and provides users creative control.
Significant control is provided by the new ReShape tool. With ReShape, you can warp and repair individual parts of an image using control points on a customizable grid. You can use it to fix nagging issues like crooked buildings or broken patterns.
‘We created ViewPoint 4 as the next step in DxO’s continued pursuit of optical and imaging perfection. The ReShape tool is the best solution out there for warping local details, and provides a truly powerful solution for photographers,’ said Fabrizio Dei Tos, Product Manager at DxO. ‘ViewPoint 4’s other upgrades expand and refine its usability, so whether you’re perfecting architectural images, ensuring distortion-free landscapes, or improving group portraits, this is the software you need.’
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Other upgrades and improvements include Apple Silicon support, automatic geometric corrections, improved crop and horizon tools, and an improved user interface.
DxO ViewPoint 4 is available now for macOS and Windows. For new users, it’s $99. If you own DxO ViewPoint 3, you can upgrade for $59. A free trial is also available from DxO.
All images courtesy of DxO
Author:
Jeremy Gray
Source: Dpreview
