DxO PureRaw 5 is an outstanding photo noise reduction and raw conversion tool that polishes both clean and noise-ridden images to perfection. Yet, at US$119, it is more expensive than its rivals, and, as the name suggests, PureRaw can only process Raw files, not JPEG.
But, if you primarily work with Raw files and are looking for an automated route toward optimum image quality, DxO PureRaw is the way to go. Jump to Conclusion | Try DxO PureRaw Now – Free
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Table of Contents
- What is DxO PureRAW 5
- Watch DxO PureRaw 5 Review
- What is new in DxO PureRaw 5
- How much does DxO PureRaw cost
- DxO PureRaw Free Trial
- DxO PureRaw Features
- Alternatives to DxO PureRaw 4
- Conclusion
- About the Author
What is DxO PureRAW 5
DxO Pure RAW is a specialist raw conversion and noise reduction application for PC and Mac OS. PureRaw leverages DxO’s optics module technology, with each module profiling characteristics and flaws unique to specific camera and lens combinations. This insight enables DxO PureRaw to perform highly targeted corrections and enhancements to your image, resulting in superior image quality.
PureRaw also features DeepPRIME, the best noise reduction software I’ve tested. Unlike traditional noise-reduction techniques, which wash away detail, DxO PureRaw’s DeepPRIME noise reduction removes noise while enhancing detail.
Combining DxO PureRaw’s optics module-powered corrections with DeepPRIME delivers genuinely transformative results that can be considered equivalent to a camera or lens upgrade but at a fraction of the price. Moreover, PureRaw’s automatic mode is reliably excellent and can be trusted to deliver near-optimal results without your intervention, making it an outstanding option for processing large batches of images.
However, as the name suggests, DxO PureRaw is a raw conversion tool and is incapable of processing JPEG and other non-raw file formats. Moreover, PureRaw cannot be considered an alternative to traditional photo editing applications as it lacks simple features such as Crop, Whitebalance, and Tone Curves.
For this reason, you might consider DxO PhotoLab instead. Photolab is a full-featured photo editing application with Optics Module-powered corrections and DeepPRIME noise reduction. Read DxO Photolab Review
Watch DxO PureRaw 5 Review
What is new in DxO PureRaw 5
DxO PureRaw 5’s most significant update includes masking for local adjustments, allowing you to limit your enhancements to specific parts of your photo. Additionally, you can now store your favorite processing and export settings as presets, saving you the trouble of reentering them.
Meanwhile, PureRaw’s noise reduction has been upgraded to DeepPRIME 3. However, my testing has failed to reveal any improvement, reminding us just how good PureRaw 4’s DeepPRIME XD2s is. Furthermore, you can now use DeepPRIME XD3 to process your 1st-4th gen Fuji X-Trans file. However, users of 5th Gen X-Trans sensors will have to wait a bit longer.
How much does DxO PureRaw cost
You can buy DxO PureRaw outright for a one-time payment of US$119. Alternatively, you can buy DxO Photolab Elite, a full-featured photo editing application that integrates PureRaw’s features, for US$229. For US$69.99, ON1 NoNoise AI offers comparably excellent noise reduction for Raw and JPEG files. However, it is a less capable raw converter and batch processor.
DxO PureRaw Free Trial
You can download and use the full-featured version of DxO PureRaw for 30 days for free. No credit card is required. Download DxO PureRaw Now.
DxO PureRaw Features
- Optics Modules
- DeepPRIME Noise Reduction
- Process with Preview
- Presets
- Local Adjustments
- Batch Processing
- Advanced Batch Rename
- Smart Lighting
Optics Modules
Whenever you open a photo, DxO PureRaw will prompt you to download an Optics Module that profiles the unique characteristics and flaws of the camera and lens pairing you used to capture the image.
After this, PureRaw will use the insight provided by the optics module to apply highly bespoke corrections and enhancements to your image automatically. These include correcting lens softness, lens distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and geometric distortions such as those caused by wide-angle lenses.
The result is a superior level of image quality that you didn’t have to work for. Nonetheless, any or all of these automatic enhancements can be adjusted or turned off entirely. Currently, DxO has thousands of optics modules that support more than 500 cameras and their lenses. You can check whether your camera and lenses are supported via the DxO website. Check Compatability
Once you complete your adjustments, you can export your processed raw file as a DNG raw, an eight or 16-bit TIFF, or a JPEG. If you choose JPEG, you can set the compression level and apply Smart Lighting, an exposure balancer we’ll cover later in this review. I also like the improved Advanced Batch Rename tool, which lets you insert various Metadata fields, such as lens type, camera model, and location, into your exported file’s name.
DeepPRIME Noise Reduction
DeepPRIME Noise Reduction is a machine-learned AI photo denoiser that removes noise while enhancing detail. As a result, it is much better than the traditional noise reduction systems built into many photo editing applications and cameras.
New to DxO PureRaw 5 is DeepPRIME 3, which promises to improve upon PureRaw 4’s outstanding DeepPRIME XD2s. Yet, I have found that DeepPRIME 3 delivers slightly inferior results to its predecessor.
Fortunately, PureRaw 5 features both DeepPRIME 3 and the older and superior XD2s, so it remains one of the best noise-reduction software applications to date. However, owners of DxO PureRaw 4 may prefer to delay their upgrade until PureRaw 6.
Also new is DeepPRIME XD3 – X-Trans, a modern noise reduction solution for those taking photos with those Fujifilm cameras equipped with X-Trans sensors. Unfortunately, it is limited to 4th-gen sensors or older, and as a Nikon and Olympus shooter, I cannot account for its quality.
A key limitation worth repeating is DxO PureRaw’s incompatibility with anything other than raw files. Thus, you’ll need additional software to perform JPEG to Raw conversion. However, I recommend you skip this workaround and use ON1 NoNoise AI instead. Read ON1 NoNoise AI Review
Process with Preview
Using DxO PureRaw’s Process with Preview mode, you can observe the effects of your adjustments in real time, thus enabling you to fine-tune your way toward an optimal result. After you have completed your adjustments, you can apply them to a batch of images or move on to the next photo and begin another series of adjustments.
In terms of settings, PureRaw’s Process with Preview is no different from its batch processing. Once you’ve used the Process with Preview mode to visualize your favorite settings, you might save them as a preset and apply them via PureRaw’s faster batch-processing workflow in the future.
Presets
DxO PureRaw 5’s new Preset system allows you to save your favorite processing and export settings. For instance, you might create presets for different levels of sharpening and another that exports to DNG instead of JPEG. While Presets may not be DxO PureRaw 5’s most notable new feature, it may be the most welcome.
Local Adjustments
With DxO PureRaw 5’s local adjustments, you can limit the effect of your adjustments to masked areas of your photo. Moreover, you can apply multiple masks and unique settings to each. For example, you might use a range of settings for the entire image and additional enhancements for your photo’s main subject.
While DxO effectively implements local adjustments, it suffers from basic masking tools. Specifically, you only have a non-edge-aware resizeable brush and the means to invert your selection and change the layer’s transparency. In contrast, alternatives such as Topaz Photo AI and ON1 NoNoise AI have subject-aware automatic masking. Nonetheless, this is the first PureRaw that offers an alternative to global photo-wide enhancement.
Batch Processing
Before Process with Preview, DxO PureRaw was a super-fast batch raw conversion tool. While you could not preview the result, PureRaw’s reliably excellent automatic mode all but guaranteed optimal quality. Thus, you could queue up a hundred images and walk away confident of finding great results upon your return.
Furthermore, PureRaw’s batch processing is fast. In head-to-head tests, PureRaw could correct, enhance, and denoise a batch of images more than twice as fast as Lightroom could denoise them. Therefore, while DxO PureRaw may face stiff competition from ON1 NoNoise AI when denoising a single image, PureRaw is peerless when denoising large batches.
Advanced Batch Rename
PureRaw 5’s advanced batch rename allows you to create a structured file naming convention based on metadata such as camera model, location, shooting parameters, etc. Furthermore, you can save your favorite conventions as a preset for subsequent use.
Smart Lighting
Smart Lighting is an exposure balancing tool that brightens shadows while keeping highlights in check. Rebalancing exposure in DxO PureRaw is hugely helpful as you’re less likely to suffer the inconvenience of exporting your processed image into a photo editing application for a second round of processing.
Alternatives to DxO PureRaw 4
DxO PureRaw 5 vs DxO PureRaw 4
Regarding image quality, DxO PureRaw 5 is just as good as PureRaw 4, which is excellent. PureRaw 5 also adds localised adjustments, a practical preset option, and increased compatibility for Fuji’s range of X-Trans cameras. As a DxO PureRaw 4 customer, you even get a discounted upgrade. Login and Upgrade to DxO PureRaw 5
Overall, DxO PureRaw 5 is a nice, rather than compelling, upgrade to PureRaw 4. But if you’re still holding out on PureRaw 3 or older, PureRaw 5 is a significant step forward and well worth a look. Try DxO PureRaw – For Free
DxO PureRaw vs ON1 NoNoise AI
ON1 NoNoise AI is a compelling alternative to DxO PureRaw. It is at least as good as DxO PureRaw regarding noise reduction and can denoise raw and JPEG files. Moreover, ON1 NoNoise costs almost half as much as PureRaw, making it quite the bargain and the better choice for some.
Nevertheless, DxO PureRaw is a superior raw converter and the best noise-reduction application for autonomously processing large batches of photos. But if you need to denoise small numbers of JPEGs and Raw, the bargain-priced ON1 NoNoise AI is the way to go.
Read my ON1 NoNoise AI Review for more information.
DxO PureRaw vs Lightroom Denoise
Regarding noise reduction, DxO PureRaw is superior to Lightroom Denoise. While Lightroom is capable enough, it’s somewhat slow and relatively inflexible. Besides nose reduction, DxO PureRaw can leverage its Optics Modules for additional enhancements to image quality.
If you are already a Lightroom user, Denoise is certainly good enough. But if you want the best image quality and the means to denoise large batches of photos quickly, go with DxO PureRaw.
Read my Lightroom Review for more information and comparisons.
DxO PureRaw vs Topaz Photo AI
Measured purely as a noise reduction tool, Topaz Photo AI is slightly behind DxO PureRaw. However, Topaz Photo AI can upscale and correct blurred images, making it a vastly more capable image enhancement application overall. If you only need noise reduction, I recommend you spend much less and get DxO PureRaw or ON1 NoNoise AI.
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Conclusion
DxO PureRaw is an outstanding image enhancement tool. Its optics module-powered raw conversion is exceptional, while DeepPRIME is as good as noise reduction gets. With Process with Preview, you can observe the effect of your adjustments in real time, enabling you to fine-tune your photo to taste. Alternatively, you can queue up a hundred images and rely on PureRaw’s reliably excellent batch processing to produce great results in your absence. In other words, all roads lead to a well-processed image.
However, DxO PureRaw does have its issues. Specifically, it’s comparatively expensive and, unlike cheaper alternatives, cannot denoise or process JPEGs. However, PureRaw’s optics module-powered corrections and enhancements are well worth the premium if you primarily work with raw files.
While PureRaw 4 was a significant upgrade, PureRaw 5 is more incremental. I liked the Preset system, and I’m sure some will appreciate its Local Adjustment functionality. Unfortunately, DeepPRIME 3 appears to be a step backward from PureRaw 4’s DeepPRIME XD2s. Fortunately, PureRaw 5 features both DeepPRIME 3 and XD2s – not to mention DeepPRIME XD3 for Fuji X-Trans files.
Overall, DxO PureRaw 4 was already an outstanding photo enhancement application, and PureRaw 5 is a little better still. If you work primarily with raw files and are searching for an easy route towards exceptional image quality, PureRaw 5 is one of the first places you should look. Try DxO PureRaw – For Free
GET DXO PURERAW TODAY
pre-order dxo pureraw 5
US$119
and get dxo pureraw 4 free for today
About the Author
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