DxO PhotoLab 8 is a well-designed, responsive, and highly capable photo editing application with two exceptional features: Optics Modules and DeepPRIME noise reduction. Combined, these two features provide an effortless route towards outstanding image quality.
Unfortunately, DxO PhotoLab 8 ‘s moderately steep learning curve can be unwelcoming, and its photo management feature set is comparatively undernourished. Nonetheless, I consider DxO PhotoLab the connoisseur’s choice and an excellent option if you prioritize craft and image quality above all else. Jump to Conclusion
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DxO Photolab Review – Contents
- What is DxO PhotoLab 8
- What is new in DxO PhotoLab 8
- DxO PhotoLab Essential vs Elite
- How much does DxO PhotoLab cost
- DxO PhotoLab Free Trial
- DxO PhotoLab System Requirements
- Key Features of DxO PhotoLab
- Is DxO PhotoLab good to use
- Best Alternatives to DxO PhotoLab 8
- Conclusion
- About the Author
What is DxO PhotoLab 8
DxO PhotoLab 8 is an enthusiast-grade photo studio for PC and Mac that combines basic photo management with advanced photo editing. There are two versions of DxO PhotoLab 8 for you to consider.
At US$139, DxO PhotoLab Essentials is a stone-cold bargain, delivering Lightroom-esque photo editing features for a fraction of the price. Yet, despite costing US$229, Photolab Elite will be the better buy for many thanks to a broader feature set and its outstanding DeepPRIME noise reduction – the best photo-denoising software I’ve tested. Read Best Noise Reduction Software for more information.
But whichever version of DxO Photolab you buy, you’ll be rewarded with DxO’s Optics Modules. These Modules profile the characteristics and flaws specific to your camera-lens combination, delivering automated, highly optimized optical corrections and image quality enhancements the instant you open your image for editing.
Of course, you can turn off Photolab’s automation and edit your photo manually. This is where DxO Photolab 8 shines. PhotoLab is packed with all the usual adjustments and many more. Critically, its concise, highly responsive, and customizable interface is a joy to use.
Regarding photo management, DxO Photolab 8 falls short of its rivals. You can search for images, add keywords, and assign pictures to Projects, but you won’t find modern perks like Face Recognition and AI keyword tagging.
What is new in DxO PhotoLab 8
DxO PhotoLab 8 is not significantly improved over the already excellent DxO PhotoLab 7. Nonetheless, there are a few highlights that may tempt you to upgrade.
First, Photolab 8 has DeepPRIME XD2s (not currently X-TRANS compatible), an improved version of DxO’s top-tier photo noise reduction technology. Plus, a Hue Masking tool enables you to mask areas of your photo through color selection.
But my favorite addition is the new Loupe tool. Loupe works like a digital magnifying glass, which you can place over any part of your photo for an up-close view of your edit.
Moreover, Loupe also previews the effect of DeepPRIME noise reduction, a significant improvement over PhotoLab 7’s tiny and fixed preview window. Overall, Loupe is one of those features you’ll soon be unhappy to live without.
If you’re an existing Photolab user, you can upgrade to Photolab 8 for just US$109. Upgrade to Photolab 8 now
DxO PhotoLab Essential vs Elite
DxO PhotoLab has two editions: PhotoLab Essential and PhotoLab Elite. PhotoLab Essential costs US$139 and includes two licenses and everything most people need to manage and edit photos, including DxO’s outstanding Optics Modules.
In contrast, DxO PhotoLab Elite costs US$229 – $90 more than DxO PhotoLab Essential. But critically, DxO PhotoLab Elite includes DxO PureRaw’s world-class DeepPRIME noise reduction—a feature worth US$119 when bought separately. Read the DxO PureRaw Review for more information.
In addition to DeepPRIME noise reduction, DxO PhotoLab Elite gives you three licenses rather than two. You also get access to a hugely helpful Color Wheel, support for Fuji X-Trans files, DxO ClearView, and a number of discrete features. Check out this comparison for more information.
In summary, DxO PhotoLab Essential is excellent for its price, but I consider DxO PhotoLab Elite to be of better value overall.
How much does DxO PhotoLab cost
A lifetime DxO PhotoLab Essential Edition license will cost you a one-time payment of US$139. In contrast, a lifetime DxO PhotoLab Elite Edition license will set you back US$229. For the sake of comparison, you can buy ON1 Photo Raw for US$99 or ACDSee Ultimate for US$149. Alternatively, you can subscribe to Lightroom for US$9.99 a month.
DxO PhotoLab Free Trial
You can download a fully-featured version of DxO PhotoLab and use it free for 30 days. No Credit Card is required. Try DxO PhotoLab for free
DxO PhotoLab System Requirements
| System Requirements | Windows PC | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 Core AMD or Intel Processor | M1 |
| Memory | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 X 1080 |
| Operating System | Windows 10 and 11 | MacOS 12.6.8 |
| Graphics (For DeepPRIME) | Nvidia RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600 | M1 or Radeon RX5700 |
Key Features of DxO PhotoLab
- Photo Management
- Photo Editing
- Optics Modules
- Presets
- DeepPRIME Noise Reduction
- DxO Smart Lighting
- DxO Clear View
- Control Points
- Auto Masking
- Hue Mask
Photo Management
Photo Management in DxO PhotoLab is comparatively basic. Specifically, you can rate your photos, tag them with keywords, and assign your images to Projects. When looking for images, you can browse your library via the folder view or use the well-implemented search option to list any images with matching keywords or metadata. For example, you could search for all photos taken on a specific date or with a particular camera and lens.
Otherwise, photo management in DxO PhotoLab lags behind the competition. For instance, Photolab lacks Face recognition and AI-powered automatic keyword tagging. On the upside, DxO PhotoLab 8 leverages your existing file structure, which is to say it doesn’t import and hold your photo collection hostage behind a propriety file format.
However, if you like the look of PhotoLab but crave advanced photo management, you could augment PhotoLab with a dedicated photo management tool. One of my favorites is Mylio Photos. Read Mylio Photos Review
Photo Editing
Photo editing in DxO PhotoLab is a delight. The interface is well presented, and the application responds to your adjustments immediately. Regarding adjustments, DxO PhotoLab features all the usual tools, including Exposure, White Balance, and Tone Curves, as well as more exotic features, such as selective masking, color rendering, and LUT grading. Make no mistake, DxO PhotoLab is a serious photo editing tool but not necessarily a complicated one.
For example, DxO PhotoLab includes many helpful automatations such as Presets, image-enhancing Optics Modules, and tools such as DxO Smart Lighting and DxO Clear View. In other words, you can do a lot of photo editing with Photolab while knowing little about editing photos.
That said, DxO PhotoLab’s busy but well-presented interface can be overwhelming and unwelcoming to beginners. However, such difficulties are short-lived, and once you’ve ascended its short learning curve, you’ll find editing photos in DxO PhotoLab 8 straightforward enough.
Optics Modules
Optics Modules profile specific camera and lens combinations and are used to correct the image quality deficiencies inherent to each camera lens pairing. For instance, PhotoLab 8 will use one optics module to process photos taken with an OM-1 paired with an Olympus 17mm F1.8 and another for images captured with a Nikon D750 and a 50mm F1.8.
As a result, DxO Photolab 8’s corrections are highly optimized and extremely specific, resulting in superior image quality when you open an image. Moreover, downloading and applying optics modules is entirely automatic. But, if you prefer, you can turn off these automatic corrections and apply them manually yourself.
Presets
DxO PhotoLab has more than 30 presets, enabling you to process your photo with just one click. You can also save the sum of your edits as a preset, so you’ll never have to repeat your best work.
By default, DxO PhotoLab automatically applies the DxO Style—Natural Preset whenever you begin editing a photo. Thanks to DxO’s Optics Modules, the results often look excellent. You can change the default preset or deactivate it entirely by visiting Edit > Preferences > General Tab.
If you crave more presets, I strongly recommend you look at DxO’s wonderfully nostalgic Film pack. Read DxO Filmpack Review for more information, samples, and comparisons.
DeepPRIME Noise Reduction – Elite Edition only
DxO’s DeepPrime noise reduction is exclusive to PhotoLab’s Elite Edition and is one of the best photo denoisers I have tested. Unlike traditional noise reduction, which removes noise and detail, DeepPRIME removes noise while enhancing detail.
Photolab 8 features an improved version of DeepPRIME – XD2s. Better still, Photolab 8’s new Loupe tool makes previewing the effect of DeepPRIME better than ever. You should note that DeepPRIME only denoises Raw files – not JPEGs. Plus, this latest version, DeepPRIME XD2s is not yet compatible with Fuji X-Trans files. Thus, X-Trans files will be denoised using an older version of DeepPRIME instead.
DxO Smart Lighting
Smart Lighting automatically improves your photo’s Lighting by balancing your image’s under and over-exposed elements. Practically, it’s an automated alternative to manually pushing shadows and pulling highlights.
You can apply Smart Lighting evenly across your image or prioritize (spot meter) a specific tone or subject. To this end, Smart Lighting can also detect and prioritize faces. Smart Lighting works well. If required, you can adjust its intensity, and if all else fails, you can still independently adjust highlights, midtones, and shadows.
DxO Clear View Plus – Elite Edition Only
ClearView is an automatic sharper, which can cut through haze-obscured details and boost clarity. It’s almost like wiping your lens – after taking the photo.
Control Points
One way to apply a localized adjustment to your photo is to drop a control point on whatever part of your photo you wish to edit. Whatever lies beneath the point defines the color and tones you want to edit.
Next, you adjust the control point radius – thus containing your tone-sensitive adjustments within a specific area. Afterward, you can adjust the mask’s sensitivity to color and light variance by adjusting Chroma and Luma. You may add multiple control points to a single mask and even add control points that work to exclude elements from your adjustments.
It’s an unusual approach that takes some getting used to. Yet, once mastered, you may appreciate this method’s speed and precision.
Auto Mask
Auto Mask lets you quickly brush a mask onto part of your photo, and DxO PhotoLab tries to guess what your sloppy, ill-defined brush strokes intend to cover. It works well, particularly if your masked subject is well-defined and separated from its background.
Hue Mask
With the Hue mask, you can select and adjust specific colors within your image. In the example above, I used the Hue Mask to select my photo’s over-done red tones and then reduced their saturation, luminance, and exposure.
Is DxO PhotoLab good to use
DxO PhotoLab’s busy-looking interface can be unwelcoming at first. However, once you’ve spent time with it, you’ll appreciate its deceptively simple workflow and attractive, well-presented, and highly responsive interface.
If you are new to photo editing, DxO PhotoLab is a better choice than it first appears. Thanks to its photo-enhancing Optics Modules, Presets, DxO ClearView, and Smart Lighting, you can achieve good results regardless of your photo editing experience.
But critically, DxO Photolab will continue to accommodate you as your skills grow, thanks to its wide range of advanced photo editing tools. You’ll also appreciate how you can customize PhotoLab’s interface to list only your most frequently used tools.
However, if you are looking for the fastest, most effortless route towards a well-processed image, it’s hard to beat Luminar Neo. But if you care about crafting your way to a perfectly edited photo, DxO PhotoLab is well worth a try.
Best Alternatives to DxO PhotoLab 8
DxO PhotoLab vs Lightroom
DxO PhotoLab is a more capable photo editing application than Lightroom thanks to its Optics Modules and advanced feature set. That being said, Lightroom is still very good, and its Face and Object recognition-powered photo management system is leagues ahead of DxO PhotoLab 8’s.
However, the main difference between DxO PhotoLab and Lightroom is that the latter leverages the Cloud like no other photo editing application. This means two things.
First, Lightroom’s cloud integration untethers your photo collection from your computer, enabling you to view and edit your photos on almost any computer or smart device. Second, because your photos are in the cloud, it’s a breeze to share them with family, friends, and clients.
As you might expect, none of this comes for free. Specifically, Lightroom costs US$9.99 a month for a 1TB plan, and you will never own it outright or ever stop paying for it.
In contrast, DxO PhotoLab has no Cloud-driven perks whatsoever. But, as a result, you can make a one-off payment and own it outright.
In summary, Lightroom is a good photo editing application and an outstanding all-in-one photo studio that you’ll never stop paying for. On the other hand, you can own DxO PhotoLab outright, take advantage of its outstanding photo editing capability, and tolerate its poor photo management.
Read my Lightroom Review for more information, samples, and comparisons.
DxO PhotoLab vs Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is the best photo editor for beginners and experts in a rush and is packed with labor-saving tricks and tools. In other words, Luminar Neo is better than DxO PhotoRaw if you want to achieve great results with minimum effort and skill. Regarding photo management, DxO Photo Raw and Luminar Neo are equally undernourished.
Compared to Luminar Neo, PhotoLab is faster, more responsive, and offers more precision, thus, more control over the result. Furthermore, PhotoLab Elite’s DeepPRIME noise reduction is lightyears ahead of Luminar Neo’s Noiseless AI, and Neo has no answer to PhotoLab’s gloriously efficient Optics Modules.
Overall, DxO PhotoLab and Luminar Neo are made for different audiences. Luminar Neo is a great choice if you just want the result. But if you crave the best possible image quality and are willing to put in the work, you’ll prefer DxO PhotoLab.
Read my Luminar Neo Review for more information, samples, and comparisons.
DxO PhotoLab vs ON1 Photo Raw
ON1 Photo Raw is a feature-packed all-in-one photo management and editing studio that is, in many ways, superior to DxO PhotoLab. For instance, ON1 Photo Raw’s photo management includes AI-powered keyword tagging, Geotagging, a companion app for iOS and Android, and Cloud integration.
Regarding photo editing, ON1 Photo Raw offers more presets and labor saves, such as Brilliance AI. Moreover, Photo Raw’s NoNoise AI noise reduction tool is very good and even includes an AI-powered deblur tool in Tack Sharp and Resize AI, an AI-powered upscaler. You can also apply adjustments and effects as layers, enabling you to blend multiple adjustments together for unique compound effects DxO Photolab cannot match. Yet, despite its absurdly large feature set, ON1 Photo Raw costs just US$99.
However, ON1 Photo Raw’s extensive feature set does get in the way, and the user experience and photo editing workflow aren’t as smooth as they could be. Compared to ON1 Photo Raw, DxO PhotoLab’s photo editing workflow feels minimalist despite its more advanced photo editing toolset. If you want an all-in-one photo editing studio that does everything and a little more, try ON1 Photo Raw. But, if you are looking for a precision photo editing tool, stick with DxO PhotoLab.
Read my ON1 Photo Raw Review for more information, samples, and comparisons.
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Conclusion
DxO PhotoLab 8 is a highly responsive, well-presented photo editing tool that combines labor-saving ‘smart’ tools with high-precision manual adjustments.
Thanks to its bespoke Optics Modules, DxO PhotoLab can overcome the deficiencies of your specific camera and lens pairing and apply highly optimized corrections and enhancements. The result is optimum image quality by default, and you may be happy with your edit before you’ve applied a single adjustment. And, speaking of image quality, DeepPRIME is as good as photo noise reduction gets.
Regarding photo management, DxO PhotoLab 8 remains functional but undernourished. For instance, many applications now feature advanced photo management tools like AI-powered keyword tagging and face recognition. In contrast, DxO PhotoLab 8 has none of these almost-standard technologies.
The most obvious alternatives to DxO PhotoLab are Lightroom and ON1 Photo Raw. ON1 Photo Raw packs more features than PhotoLab 8 despite costing significantly less. In contrast, the subscription-only Lightroom costs more but features superior photo management and a Cloud-based ecosystem that makes your photos accessible to the Internet of Things. Moreover, Photolab 8 offers a little over the already excellent Photolab 7 – though you might be tempted to upgrade to the Loupe tool alone.
Yet, despite its formidable competition, DxO PhotoLab 8 stands out for its DeepPRIME noise reduction and Optics Module-powered image enhancements and corrections. Moreover, thanks to its concise, highly responsive, and customizable interface, DxO PhotoLab 8 feels great to use. Thus, if you prioritize image quality and user experience over everything else – DxO PhotoLab 8 is well worth a try. Try PhotoLab 8 Now – for free.
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About the Author
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