All DxO Photo Editing Software Reviewed & Holiday Sale! ep.389

I look at all five DxO Photo Editing Software and help you pick the ones that are the best value when you buy them together.
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[@patmat.]

Awesome summary, you've saved me hours of research. 🙏

[@RobTrek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RAH1861]

I liked your summary of all these confusing and overlapping products very much. But one thing I think you got a little incorrect is in the difference between the NIK Collections modules Color Efex Pro and Viveza. I took a really good online Udemy course in the NIK modules and the strong impression I got is that Color Efex is for just that - EFFECTS. In other words, for making often unrealistic changes to an image to achieve a special look (crazy colors in the sky, etc). In contrast, Viveza is mostly for making REALISTIC changes to an image. I find Viveza (with its control points, as you mentioned) a VERY powerful contrast modification tool for making realistic and often subtle changes to images. But after watching the Udemy segments on the uses of Color Efex, I quickly decided that it wasn't something I would use very often, since I usually want to leave my images looking realistic. Of course there is some overlap, but I think that is what people should consider the primary differences. As usual, a really good video! 😊

[@ianyorke2617]

Nice review. I think you may have missed a major advantage of having Filmpack with PhotoLab Elite. When you have Filmpack it unlocks the Fine Contrast slider and also gives you tonal contrast sliders for highlights, midtones and shadows. These are all located in the contrast pallete and significantly enhance PhotoLab.

[@RobTrek]

Thanks. I use the contrast sliders all the time. It didn't stand out to me as a difference since I don't regularly use the essentials version, but you make a very good point.

[@ianyorke2617]

@@RobTrek Sorry for not explaining properly. It isn't anything to do with the Essentials version. If you don't have Filmpack you don't have the 3 tonal contrast or the fine contrast, sliders. This makes the combination of PhotoLab Elite and Filmpack the best option if you can only have 2 programs.

[@RobTrek]

@@ianyorke2617 Sorry, I didn't read your first comment carefully. I bought the filmpack together with the elite, so didn't realize the extra contrast sliders were not part of the Elite already. Thanks for clearing that up. Would be nice if DxO consolidated their products a bit.

[@Eti1968]

Been working with Nik for a long time now, can only recommend it. Great overview Rob, you have the amazing capacity to always summarize in an easy and understandable way.

[@petermcginty3636]

Thanks Rob. I have been using the trial version of DxO Elite and I am happy will the results. I like how it is very quick, select a few options and get very good outcomes on the end result. Now, I will try the Nik program and see how that goes with some bracketed shots. Thanks, Rob

[@RobTrek]

Hi, Peter. I'm building up my Photolab 6 tutorials now, so be sure to check them out. Also, I have a few live stream editing sessions you can watch. Those are not tutorials but just images people send me to edit quickly. I will do a video on HDR soon, so I need to leave your latest comment unanswered so it stays in my que. Thanks!

[@caloyster]

Very helpful, thank you Rob!

[@RobTrek]

Happy to help!

[@janmartin4864]

Fantastic

[@RobTrek]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@oje101]

Nik 5 is redundant to what you get with PL 6 E.. I just got PL 6 E + FP 6 E.

[@oje101]

PL 6 E has better noise red. Than Nik 5, I see no benefit to getting Nik5 at all. Just get PL 6 E. + FP 6 E. And be happy

[@RobTrek]

I like the filmpack too. Nik5 has a couple of things like HDR and double exposure, but there is a lot of redundancy.

[@dominiquedrouin7816]

Thank Rob. I have been using Photolab for a few years and always wondered what the other packages were about. Now I know. Thanks! Now, what about a review of tools to manage my libraries, including Ai so that I can look, for example, for a particular person in my images, or a certain type of subject (like a football player, a cyclist, a mountain or a flower). Any suggestion for that?

[@RobTrek]

I haven't looked into Ai content management. I'm migrating to just using Adobe Bridge instead of Lightroom. I tried the face detect feature in Lightroom, but it slows down my computer so much since it seems to be running constantly. This is mostly because I have over 100k images, but I've turned it off. Currently, I'm working a blend of hierarchy and keyword management.

[@jonbarnard7186]

Thanks Rob. One question: Does Pure Raw work within Lightroom, or do you have to export a tif or jpeg back into lightroom? Does it maintain the raw file format?

[@RobTrek]

Pure Raw will open the raw file then export as a DNG raw. Technically a non-destructive workflow, but you'll have two raw files.

[@sallymally6892]

I love nik collection however can’t use it w LR have to export to PS and then I can use it…. Find myself juggling between that and Luminar…. Also I love deep prime …. If I get Photolab elite w nik how is the workflow between these two ?

[@RobTrek]

Hi Sally, you would typically export as TIF to NIK from Photolab. I have a video doing a double exposure which shows how I do it and will give you an idea of the workflow. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpSqp4CAqdiSY5o

[@FamilyofTech]

Excellent video!!!

[@RobTrek]

Thanks!

[@wombat-wu1vl]

I find Photolab really intuitive and suits me much better than other products. The only thing it doesn’t do well is managing photo library, anybody figured out how to do this not using Lightroom?

[@RobTrek]

Adobe bridge is free.

[@wayneemery5709]

Yes but keeps crashing om MacBook pro😢

[@12macevedo]

Hello. I only want to use the film simulations. Can I just buy the film packs or do I need to buy DXO photolab 6 as well?

[@RobTrek]

You can buy just the film pack. robtrek.com/dxo

[@philiptamburello5437]

Thank you.

[@RobTrek]

You're welcome!

[@oje101]

Good day. I've had pl6 since it came out. And I upgraded to pl7 got both with their respective fp pack .. With that said I've never used pure raw. So my question to you is ... Does pure raw do a better job than pl prime or prime xd.. please advise. Ide really need to know.. Thank you for your time. Great video ...

[@RobTrek]

PureRaw 4.0 has improved the denoising over PL7. I don't think it's enough to buy it separately at this point. Probably better to wait for PL8 black friday sale which will almost certainly get the same denoising engine as PR4.

[@oje101]

@@RobTrek thank you..

[@caloyster]

Thanks

[@RobTrek]

Thank you!

[@Gandalfsson1]

I am some fascinated about the cinematic film simulations in FP6 ( have it on trial) and I am not sure Nik Collection 5 has those ?? I have searched for it " Nik Collection 5 and cinematic presets" but did not get any answer. Do You know if this is the case?

[@RobTrek]

Nik 5 has several film presets, but not specifically for cinematic. At least not that I could fine. The Color Efex Pro module does give you a lot of control to make your own.

[@smkunder1]

So is Nik collection a plug in to Adobe products or is it a stand alone

[@RobTrek]

It can work as plugin to Adobe or stand alone.

[@belalang90]

Hi Rob, if I already have PL5 Elite does it really worth to upgrade to PL6 Elite. And I do really like like to add Nik Collection as my creative output but I did have Luminar Neo. But I think the workflow doesn't really feels smooth.

[@RobTrek]

I would wait until there is a promotion for individual products. Maybe next year on Black Friday. If anything comes out sooner, I'll be sure to make a video about it.

[@belalang90]

@@RobTrek Great. I will use whatever I have then. Thanks!

[@PaulFanMing]

Their pricing should be more friendly.

[@RobTrek]

That's kind of true for everything these days.

[@Icarus931]

Why is the whole topic so damn confusing … ??? a plethora of companies and each one has a variety of software… how can a person ever just decide on one product ?

[@RobTrek]

Choices. A blessing and a curse!

[@bamsemh1]

None of these work on phones/tablets. So, waste of money for me 😬 Adobe all the way 💪

[@RobTrek]

True statement!

[@ddsdss256]

@@RobTrek I can't imagine anyone editing photos on a tiny screen--even my 27" wasn't big enough so I went for a 32". I tried Adobe for three months and although it's OK, IMO, DxO blows it away and you don't have to "rent" it. To each his own...

[@emerana]

PureRaw2 is excellent and I might have to forgo the sale and just get ViewPoint. For dedicated sharpening - Topaz. The Nik Collection 5 has potential but the UI is.... awful. It does not scale for high DPI displays. Default scaling is either fuzzy and barely readable, or 'fixed' the font and controls are unusably small on my 2K monitors. Their support answer is to Just Change Monitor Scaling! Or Font Size! Or something. Except I use my computer for other stuff and changing font and DPI scaling screws up window layouts and usability for the vast majority of other software I use that is actually high DPI-aware. Reading their forums I am not the only unhappy camper regarding their archaic UI, but as Nik seems incapable of adapting after 20yrs I gave it the flick.

[@RobTrek]

Thanks for sharing you experience. I didn't know about the monitor scaling. I only have 1080p monitors and TV's in my house so the issue didn't come up for me.

[@georgemohring5348]

Topaz Sharpening produces super lower contrast results for me. Am I doing something wrong?

[@ianyorke2617]

I thought NIK V5 is 4K compatible for Perspective, ColorEfex, Analogue EfEx and Silver EfEx.

[@MedusaJellyFish300]

Very good video. The funny thing I own all the DXO software except for the new Viewpoint 4. I always buy my new software or upgrade on Thanksgiving or Black Friday deals to save a couple of pretty pennies. Thank you for your hardwork. 🪷🏵🌺

[@RobTrek]

Thanks. Smart move to wait for the sales.

[@oje101]

Hi. Hope all is well. Question? What software does a better job in noise reduction. PL or pure raw. You see I have DXO since the pL6 edition. I have pL6 elite than upgraded to pL7 elite, frankly I think I wasted $$ as PL7 isn't that much better than PL6 .. Anyway. I never got pure raw as I thought it's redundant because PLab had prime.. can you tell me? Does pure raw do a better job @ noise reduction? Thx for your time.