DXO CLEARVIEW--Any good??

[mdijb]

I recently learned about the Clerview optin in DXO raw processing software.

What is the opinion of the community about this feature--worth a purchase?

MDIJB

[Stephen G]

I've found that it has value in adding local contrast, but at the lower end of the slider settings. 5-10.  At the default setting it is much, much too strong for my taste.

Have you tried it yet? Download the free trial and all that...

[Redcrown]

Just spent a few hours with the new DXO OpticsPro 10 trial. Looked at the older version about a year ago and rejected it for a number of reasons, primarily the price (and discrimination against FF cameras).

The new pricing scheme is certainly more attractive, but at $200 it still has to offer a significant advantage over Photoshop+ACR or Lightroom. I don't see that much advantage. The only advantage I see is in the lens correction functions. That's the main DXO claim to fame, and they probably do the best job of anybody. But it's not that big of a concern to me. I'm satisfied with Photoshop's lens correction. And I'm very impressed with the "Upright" feature in ACR plus the "Adaptive Wide Angle" filter in Photoshop.

With respect to the new "Clearview", I found it does some interesting and attractive things. It's definitely better than the Clarity slider in ACR. However, when I compared DXO Clearview with the Topaz Clarity plugin, it came up short. The DXO Clearview has only one "intensity" control. Topaz Clarity has 7 control levels.

That amount of control requires a longer leanring curve, and can be intimidating for those who want a "one-click" tool. (Although there are several one-click presets in Topaz). But the range of results is far better. I found it easy for Topaz Clarity to duplicate the results of DXO Clearview, but impossible for DXO Clearview to duplicate Topaz Clarity.

If you want to avoid full Photoshop, then DXO OpticsPro may be a good alternative. But if your main goal is local contrast enhancements, like DXO Clearview, look at the much cheaper Topaz Clarity.

[mdijb]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply regarding the comprison to Topaz Clarity

MDIJB

[Redcrown]

It's rare that one global clarity (or clearview) adjustment works well for an entire image. Landscapes are examples. The amount you like on mountains and trees may be way too much for sky and clouds. So local application (masking) is usually needed.

That's another big weakness of DXO. No masks, no way to apply local adjustments on anything. So you have to do multiple conversions, load those as layers in Photoshop and do the masking there. DXO conversions are slow, and multiple conversions clutter your folder and need to be cleaned out.

As a Photoshop plugin, Topaz works on a layer which can easily be masked. I think there is even masking within Topaz, but I never use it. Masking is much easier inside Photoshop.

And a tip on Topaz, if you are interested. Shop around for discount codes. They are common. Or, register on their site, sign up for e-mail alerts, sit back and wait for sales. Sales happen frequently.

[Damon Lynch]

I use Topaz Clarity pretty extensively. And Nik's contrast tools. I also use LR, DxO and even Canon's DPP. Each have the strengths and weakness, and with particular images one can safely say one tool is clearly best for the job. Clearview is good and can save a lot of time. Sometimes we don't need the complexity of Topaz Clarity, and just want to get the job done.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

As a Photoshop plugin, Topaz works on a layer which can easily be masked. I think there is even masking within Topaz, but I never use it. Masking is much easier inside Photoshop.

Hi,

Yes, masking is included in Topaz Clarity, and it is pretty good as well. It's very useful to be able and constrain the adjustment to a smaller area, or exclude a smaller area from a more general adjustment. In combination with its HSL controls, it also allows to locally correct things like Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration which varies with (de-)focus distance, but that's a subject for another thread.

And a tip on Topaz, if you are interested. Shop around for discount codes. They are common. Or, register on their site, sign up for e-mail alerts, sit back and wait for sales. Sales happen frequently.

Indeed, and they usually give away for free a license for a specific product that's the subject of their free webinars.

Cheers,
Bart