C O N T E N T S
•
Photo Corners headlinesarchivemikepasini.com
A S C R A P B O O K O F S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R
Enhancing the enjoyment of taking pictures with news that matters, features that entertain and images that delight. Published frequently.
DxO Releases PhotoLab 8
17 September 2024
DxO has once again delivered a fall update to PhotoLab 8, its image editing software. This update includes advances in denoising/demosaicizing that can add the equivalent of three stops of ISO, local adjustment hue masks and an enhanced tone curve among other improvements.
Product director Fabrizio Dei Tos Navalesi and chief products evangelist Nicolas Beaumont briefed us on PhotoLab 8 earlier this month. We did get a chance to try it out as well.
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of the new release include:
- DeepPRIME XD2s
- Improved lens softness compensation
- Preview Raw denoising and demosaicing in full quality
- New Hue Masks
- Enhanced Tone Curve with dedicated Luma control
- A smarter, faster workflow
We'll take a closer look at those below.
TEST DRIVE
We installed the press demo on an M2 MacBook Pro with 16-GB of memory running the latest version of Ventura (macOS 13.7).
Right off the bat, we noticed HEIC files from our iPhone were not recognized by the file browser. So this is really a product for Raw image editing.
DxO calls its noise reduction DeepPRIME and offers a separate produce called PureRAW that preprocesses Raw files with the same technology.
DeepPRIME, DxO says, draws on the power of deep learning from analyzing "billiond of image sample" to both denoise and demosaicize file data. The result removes noise and restores fine detail.
There are several levels of DeepPRIME available: PRIME, DeepPRIME, DeepPRIME XD/XD2s. On our M2, PRIME was instant, DeepPRIME took 2 seconds and XD2s took 3 seconds.
These edits dramatically increase file size but with XD2s it's feasible to shoot at an "three extra stops of ISO," DxO claims, without a loss in image quality.
The company has long been building its collection of Optics modules for camera/lens combinations. That hasn't changed.
But with PhotoLab 8, upgraded algorithms "amplify detail without adding fringing or artifacts in high-frequency areas.'
So with PhotoLab 8's lens softness correction, you can get sharper results from less expensive optics as well as more refined glass.
In the past this has been hard to appreciate on screen but PhotoLab 8 introduces a new tool, the Live Preview Magnifier, that opens a window at several magnifications up to 1600 percent and in two sizes so you can appreciate the revisions the software settings are making.
In prior versions masking by hue values created an uneditable global selection. But with PhotoLab 8, you can now adjust the fuzziness of the hue and then fine-tune the selection by erasing areas of the mask you don't want to affect.
Eight target colors help you set the hue range to begin with. From there you can expand or contract the masked hues.
Further down the Local Adjustments panel are the adjustments themselves, which will only apply to the masked area.
A separate floating menu offers more options like disable/enable mask, duplicate it, invert it, create a new mask, etc.
If there were an Olympic Even for Tone Curves, PhotoLab 8 would be in the lead after this round.
First of all, you don't have to nudge the curve itself to affect the image. Is a shadow area too muddy, losing detail? Just click on it and drag to lighten that part of tonal curve.
DxO has also added a Luma channel to the RGB channels to make tonal adjustments that protect color saturation levels.
PhotoLab does not required you to import your image files into a database. It works with the files where you have stored them.
Nevertheless, you can select, search and filter images as well as give them star ratings, color tags, keyworeds and more. You can create virtual copies, make projects, batch rename, copy and move files too.
There is also a Compare mode to set one image as reference image to match subsequent adjustments to other images in a set.
You an also get a live preview with a mouseover on Color Renderings, LUTs, Ton Curve Presets and other thumbnail lists of style changes.
We were more than a little hampered from our concussion to do a full review of PhotoLab 8. To focus on the screen a foot or so away, we're obliged to wear an eye patch over our right eye. In itself, that isn't much of an handicap, but using one eye is fatiguing, so putting in the hours we normally invest wasn't an option.
DxO said browsing and image loading is faster in PhotoLab 8, too.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The system requirements have increases substantially over PhotoLab 7, we learned after the release of the update. We've culled them from the DxO User Guide:
- 8-GB of RAM (16-GB recommended)
- 4-GB available disk space (6-GB recommended)
- 1280 x 768 display (1920 x 1080 recommended)
- Any CPU
- macOS 13.6 (Ventura), macOS 14 (Sonoma) recommended
- Graphics card with 512-MB of video memory for handling GPU acceleration
- For DeepPRIME and DeepPRIME XD/XD2s: Nvidia RX with 4-GM VRAM, Nvidia GX with 8-GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX000 with 4-GB VRAM, Intel ARC with 8-GB VRAM
Nvidia RTX 320080, AMD Radeon RS 6700, 8-G VRAM recommended
- Intel Core processor or AMD Ryzen with 8 cores recommended)
- Microsoft Windows 10 version 22H2 or Windows 22 version 22H2 (64-bit) recommended
- DirectX 10-capable system
- OpenCL 1.2-capable graphic card with 1-GB of video memory to handle OpenCL acceleration
- NVidia GTX 1060, AMD Radeon RX 5500 or better recommended for DeepPRIME (GPU acceleration is only supported from Windows 10 version 1903)
PRICE, AVAILABILITY
DxO PhotoLab 8 [WM] is now available for purchase on the DxO Web site at the following prices:
- DxO PhotoLab 8: $229, €229, £209
- DxO PhotoLab 8 upgrade from v6 and v7z: $109, $r109, £99
PhotoLab8 is also available in bundle with DxO FilmPack 7, the software that brings back "the timeless magic of film":
- DxO PhotoLab 8 and DxO FilmPack; $299, €299, £249
There is also a free, 30-day trial available for download.
CONCLUSION
We've given PhotoLab 8 all four corners, impressed most of all with the improvements to DeepPRIME, the new hue masks and that enhanced tone curve. But there are some smaller nice touches like the Live Preview Magnifier and faster browsing and image loading we're happy to applaud.
The enhancements DxO keeps making to PhotoLab year after year suggests the people designing the product actually use it. Which is about the best endorsement you can hope for.
DxO PhotoLab 8 Introduces Striking Upgrades for Passionate Photographers
The new version delivers ultimate noise reduction and detail extraction now with large live preview magnifier, Hue Masks, enhanced Tone Curve tool and much more.
PARIS, France -- DxO Labs has announced the release of DxO PhotoLab 8, its complete Raw image processing and correction software. Version 8 features the new DeepPRIME XD2s, the second generation of the most advanced noise reduction and detail extraction technology on the market. It now also includes an essential large live preview magnifier. In addition, it introduces Hue Masks for precise local adjustments and an enhanced Tone Curve tool that offers photographers unique features combined with an unprecedented level of control.
"This is the ultimate editing software for anyone passionate about photography. The noise reduction and detail extraction is like nothing you've seen before and its refreshed tools and new features give photographers more precision than ever before." -- VP of Product Strategy Jean-Marc Alexia.
DeepPRIME XD2s pushes the boundaries of Raw science
DxO has been at the forefront of Raw processing for more than 20 years, with its continuing research pioneered by the industry's leading scientists. DeepPRIME XD2s is the pinnacle of this technology, giving unprecedented levels of noise reduction and detail extraction. With it, photographers can use higher ISO settings with confidence, breathe new life into old shots and enjoy previously unseen image quality from even the latest cameras.
Improved lens softness compensation
Even the best lenses lose sharpness toward the edge of the frame. To rectify this, DxO PhotoLab offers a unique approach to optical sharpening. DxO Optics Modules are mathematical models developed from observing the performance of each lens across the entire field of view and focal range. These models ensure precise, incremental levels of sharpening depending on the characteristics of the lens. Software that uses global sharpening cannot compete with DxO's laboratory-based lens testing.
With PhotoLab 8, new exclusive lens softness algorithms reveal detail without adding fringing artifacts in high frequency areas, bringing a new level of performance.
Preview Raw denoising and demosaicing in full quality
PhotoLab 8's Raw processing now includes an essential new feature: a large live preview magnifier that shows photographers exactly how their images will be improved by the software's DeepPRIME engines, as well as all other adjustments. For example, as well as previewing DeepPRIME XD2s, it shows Exposure, ClearView, Smart Lighting, Tone Curve, etc.
The tool helps photographers to immediately assess the performance of noise reduction; for example, it's possible to see how far an image can be pushed when taking advantage of the extra stops of exposure offered by DeepPRIME. Offering a zoom of up to 1600 percent, photographers can visualize the benefit of class-leading demosaicing and denoising and it displays every aspect of the edit, creating the most holistic PhotoLab workflow to date.
New Hue Masks for peerless precision
Precise editing needs pinpoint masking, so along with its legendary U PointTM technology, PhotoLab 8 features new Hue Masks. Powerful and ultra-accurate, these masks let photographers pick out individual hues and hue ranges for targeted editing. For the smoothest, most photographic transitions, photographers can pick from eight predefined hues or sample directly from the image before fine-tuning the selected range, which they can accomplish by using either the Brush/Eraser tool or the micro input and output controls.
Unique and freshly enhanced Tone Curve with dedicated Luma control
One of the most powerful tools at a photographer's disposal, the Tone Curve in PhotoLab is now the best on the market thanks to a number of upgrades.
Version 8 adds on-image control whereby photographers can edit the curve by selecting the Tone Picker and then clicking and dragging on the part of the image that relates to the tones they wish to adjust.
The brand-new Luma channel sits alongside the Red, Green and Blue channels and lets photographers make tonal adjustments without impacting color levels, avoiding unwanted or unexpected color shifts when modifying brightness.
Four more improvements were made to increase usability. First, it now displays the histogram to guide adjustments. Second, photographers now get a visual cue when making changes to the RGB channels thanks to bi-color tints in each graph using the relevant colors. Third, each point on a curve has an editable number value allowing photographers to dial in very precise changes. Finally, photographers can save their own presets.
A smarter, faster workflow
Making editing more precise than ever, PhotoLab 8 introduces a new Compare Mode, letting users set an image as a reference from which to match their adjustments. The main viewer also has a new Correction Rollover that delivers a live preview of effects when the cursor hovers over rendering settings (for example, Color Renderings, LUTs, Tone Curve Presets) making corrections more fluid. And to boost workflow speed, browsing and loading images are accelerated across the board.
Price and availability
DxO PhotoLab 8 [MW] is now available for download on the DxO Web site at the following prices:
- DxO PhotoLab 8: $229
- DxO PhotoLab 8 upgrade from v6 and v7: $99
It's also available as part of a bundle with DxO FilmPack 7, the software that brings back the "timeless magic of film":
- DxO PhotoLab 8 and DxO FilmPack 7: $299
A free, 30-day trial is also available from the DxO Web site.