I examined quite a few uncooked digital camera recordsdata in several improvement packages to search out the perfect improvement instrument. This time it is DxO PhotoLab 6’s flip. Lightroom is sweet and Seize One is even higher. How does Photolab 6 evaluate and is it definitely worth the funding?
A fast abstract of DxO Photolab 6 Elite
DxO Photolab 6 is a very totally different program than any I’ve tried earlier than. It stands tall in its potential to supply superior picture high quality, with added energy from its lens profiles. How does it evaluate to Lightroom Basic?
It is a premium app. There is no such thing as a subscription, however its buy value is $219. That is $80 lower than the acquisition value of Seize One and half the value of the Adobe Photographer Plan. However with regards to your cash’s value, Photolab 6 additionally consists of a wonderful Nick Assortment. It additionally has extremely rated built-in noise discount.
Additionally, like Seize One I in comparison with Lightroom final time, I am new to PhotoLab 6. I discovered the catalog characteristic less complicated to make use of than Seize One, however it’s not as intuitive as Lightroom, and it would not have the identical digital asset administration. (DAM) performance.
Nonetheless, the aim of those articles is simply to take a look at unaltered uncooked conversions for various digital camera manufacturers. Nonetheless, I am calmly testing the flexibility to revive shadows and spotlight element, and the way correct the adjustment sliders are.
The straight-out-of-camera outcomes had been spectacular throughout the vary of digital camera uncooked recordsdata I examined. The produced photos had been additionally higher than something I might get in Lightroom Basic. The images appeared to be greater than these produced by Adobe’s uncooked engine. It was laborious to elucidate why, however they jumped extra. Colours seemed extra vibrant, pores and skin tones seemed more healthy, and pictures had been cleaner.
When growing uncooked recordsdata, the adjustment sliders had been essentially the most correct I’ve tried. Earlier than resorting to adjusting the tone curve, the shadows slider may be pushed additional than Lightroom, permitting extra room for adjustment.
Lens correction in PhotoLab 6
Photolab 6 has entry to DxO’s intensive lens take a look at information. This makes a big distinction in the way in which profiles are utilized for cameras and totally different lenses. They declare: “DxO’s changes are distinctive and appropriate for each digital camera and lens mixture.” That is as a result of they’ve “analyzed a whole bunch of cameras and 1000’s of lenses in tens of 1000’s of mixtures utilizing essentially the most intensive testing protocols within the trade.” As compared, different packages use generic information. Why does this matter? For instance, when you take the brand new launch Canon 15-30mm STM, has heavy vignetting at 15mm. Different packages apply the identical product to take away it, not simply at 15mm, however throughout the whole focal size vary. So from the 16-30mm, a 15mm vignette crop correction is utilized, albeit redundantly.
The instance under, courtesy of DxO, exhibits the identical picture file with Lightroom on the left and Photolab on the correct. Lens profiles apply sharpening corrections solely the place wanted, not throughout the whole picture.
Discover how the picture on the left, shot at 16mm, was robotically cropped by Lightroom to take away the vignetting that was solely current at 15mm. The right model is from PhotoLab 6.
DxO PhotoLab 6 Take a look at Outcomes
DxO Photolab 6 and Nikon
With the Nikon photos, I discovered that the highlights are brighter, whereas the midtones and shadows are barely darker and extra saturated than in PhotoLab. Nonetheless, each had been recoverable.
By pulling again the Highlights slider, the main points of the sky had been restored and, not like Lightroom, the blues between the clouds had been clearly seen, though extra delicate than in Seize One.
There was no lack of element. Normal sharpening brings out high-quality particulars with out introducing ugly digital artifacts. As I discovered with Seize One, particulars had been higher outlined in PhotoLab than in Lightroom. Within the take a look at picture, the inexperienced pine needles on the tree had a transparent definition, higher than Lightroom and on par with Seize One.
The default AI noise discount settings from the DeepPRIME engine had been efficient and did not go away the picture muddy like Lightroom did.
DxO Photolab 6 and Canon
Likewise, Canon uncooked photos had been brighter and appeared much less noisy than Lightroom. This was on par with the outcomes of ON1. Spotlight particulars could possibly be restored and shadows had been lifted with out creating noise. Nonetheless, colours seemed extra vibrant on this app than in different apps I’ve examined. Likewise, colours had been extra correct than in Lightroom.
Particulars had been crisp and sharp, and pores and skin tones seemed pleasing.
DxO Photolab 6 and OM system
With the OM-1 uncooked recordsdata, the midtones and colours within the shadows in some images intently matched Lightroom. Highlights in PhotoLab had been barely darker, making colours seem barely extra saturated. The massive distinction was within the particulars. As with totally different digital camera manufacturers, the OM System’s images seemed extra spectacular than others I’ve examined on this app.
As you possibly can see within the picture under, as a result of Lightroom (left) persistently underexposed the photographs from the ON-1 and the Olympus digital camera uncooked recordsdata earlier than it, I persistently added in-camera publicity compensation to my images. be certain that they appear proper. You will not want to make use of PhotoLab (proper) as a result of the picture appears to be like brighter.
With PhotoLab, the picture was a lot sharper than with Lightroom Basic. Moreover, there have been no ugly oversharpening artifacts. Pushing the Shadows slider up offered clear element with out noise within the shadows. By comparability, Lightroom had an disagreeable purple solid within the shadows that grew.
My earlier take a look at utilizing Seize One confirmed that it could not take away the pale blues and reds mirrored within the water, whereas Lightroom Basic was capable of. Not solely did PhotoLab 6 ship improved colour element over Lightroom at customary settings, it additionally reproduced that element with extra correct colour than Adobe’s providing.
You possibly can see this within the closely cropped picture instance under. On the left is a Lightroom conversion, growing the publicity by +2 EV to carry out the faint reflections on the left aspect of the display. On the correct is the DxO Photolab 6 model at default values. Photolab additionally has higher noise management.
DxO PhotoLab 6 and Sony
The outcomes from the Sony photos had been much like what I discovered with the OM-1. Photos obtained with PhotoLab had been clearer with higher colours than Lightroom or Seize One. Pores and skin tones are good. Images of individuals of colour had higher pores and skin tones, though there was a bit extra yellow solid in comparison with Lightroom. I attempted matching the white steadiness in Lightroom Basic with PhotoLab 6 and once more the topic’s face appeared extra yellow within the latter, however not as a lot as once I was utilizing Seize One. From the feedback within the earlier article, I be aware that different photographers haven’t skilled this downside. So there is perhaps one thing particular with my supply photos.
Virtually all photos in PhotoLab seemed brighter. This meant that images uncovered to the correct wanted publicity discount, whereas Lightroom previewed overexposed images as correctly uncovered. The publicity slider in Lightroom wanted to be elevated for correctly uncovered photos. The one under was additionally exported at default settings with Lightroom on the left.
DxO PhotoLab 6 and Fujifilm
I needed to wait to complete this text as a result of Photolab didn’t launch an optical module replace for the X-T5. I think the lengthy wait is as a result of important extra testing DxO is doing.
I began testing utilizing photos from the X-T3 and X-T4. On the default values, the photographs opened in PhotoLab 6 had been similar to these produced by Seize One and much superior to Lightroom. In PhotoLab, inexperienced foliage was higher outlined and crisper general.
Switching from the X-T5 to the picture I utilized in pre-programs, there was a drastic distinction in outcomes at default values. The grass within the shadows was brighter and the element within the leaves did not present the bizarre artifacts seen in Lightroom.
Sky spotlight element copy is sweet, and three stops can increase blacks and shadows with out creating noise.
What I like and what may be improved with DxO PhotoLab 6
Every program has its benefits and drawbacks, however with PhotoLab 6 I had hassle discovering many growing issues. At default values, it outperformed Lightroom in some ways and in addition barely outperformed Seize One. Nonetheless, the latter had a really slight edge with the Fujifilm photos, particularly when coping with inexperienced foliage.
I do know I’ve examined utilizing high-end cameras with silent footage. So, out of curiosity, I took an previous picture from 2007 utilizing a ten megapixel 4 Thirds digital camera. I used to be capable of restore the shadows in Lightroom, however the consequence was very noisy. Nonetheless, PhotoLab 6 produced cleaner leads to comparability. Moreover, whereas Lightroom wants 2.9 stops of correction utilizing the publicity slider, DxO PhotoLab 6 solely requires 1.3 stops to disclose element.
This comparability primarily appears to be like at one side of the apps: picture high quality. There are some purposeful variations. For instance, in PhotoLab 6 I wish to zoom in whereas cropping. I shoot seascapes and this can be a godsend as I generally need a exactly degree horizon that may be a small a part of the body. Nonetheless, PhotoLab 6 can’t convert the picture. This performance requires the acquisition of ViewPoint 4 or opening the picture in an exterior editor.
However, its picture improvement outcomes are first-rate.
There are extra packages than them; I’ll proceed to take a look at the outcomes of different uncooked processing packages. Hardly ever do I overview one thing and agree to surrender what I am utilizing and settle for one thing totally different. The final time it occurred was once I reviewed the Benro Turtle Tripod and was so impressed that I purchased it. Most of my work is completed in uncooked improvement solely, and picture high quality is paramount. So DxO PhotoLab 6 is my best choice. I am going to nonetheless use Lightroom’s catalog characteristic or perhaps On1 Picture Uncooked, however PhotoLab 6 is now an important a part of my workflow.
As soon as once more, I wish to thank my fellow writers for generously sharing their characters with me to play with: Peter MorganCanon; Gary McIntyre, Fujifilm X-T5 and Nikon Z 7II; Andy DaySony a7 III and John Rickard, Sony A1 and Nikon Z6. Crop comparability picture courtesy of DxO.
