DxO Photolab 6 is out

[Rajan Parrikar]

Here is a comparison with the earlier version -

https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/why-upgrade/#version=16-elite

The new release features DxO DeepPRIME XD which is the latest version of the already spectacular DxO DeepPRIME noise reduction technology. More here -

https://www.dxo.com/technology/deepprime/

[Rhossydd]

It will be interesting to see how the new NR works. Initial reports elsewhere suggest it may only be a subtle increase in quality and may not run very quickly on less capable hardware.

Other new bits may be useful for those running it in isolation though.

[francois]

I'm also interested in the improvements over version 5. In addition to the DeepPRIME XD noise reduction engine, there's a few more tools compared to version 5. DxO ViewPoint has also been updated although I didn't use the previous versions.

[Rajan Parrikar]

I did some preliminary testing of the new DeepPRIME XD. There is a definite improvement over the earlier DeepPRIME. You have to zoom to 200% and more to see it clearly. The transitions are smoother, with better removal of Luminance noise.

One wrinkle is that you have to export to Photoshop to clearly see the comparison. The preview in DxO Photolab is only limited to the magnifier view as explained in their user guide.

[Rhossydd]

There is a definite improvement over the earlier DeepPRIME..... You have to zoom to 200% .... you have to export to Photoshop to clearly see the comparison. The preview in DxO Photolab is only limited to the magnifier view...

This is where they get it wrong. A fractional improvement in end result, but no effort put into the usability of the existing options.

I would have preferred a good scrollable 100% view of what's been set and allow you to fine tune DeepPrime, rather than another 'set it, hope, output and review' of what's on offer.

I'm also a little wary of anything AI that claims to recover detail, some times it's no more than guess work and wrong.

[Chris Kern]

I'm also a little wary of anything AI that claims to recover detail, some times it's no more than guess work and wrong.

Indeed: it's one thing to apply rigorously-measured optical corrections to an image file and quite another to use machine learning to "recover detail" or "enlarge" a source photograph.  The former approach adjusts the actual image.  The latter two create a new target image based on the visual components in the source that the neural network learned to recognize during its training phase.  It's a great technique when it works well enough that a human viewer can't detect the inevitable artifacts.  Not so good when it doesn't work well enough for the defects to remain below the threshold where they are noticeable.

I use several of these "artificially intelligent" tools (Lightroom's Enhance, Topaz Gigapixel, DxO DeepPRIME, and, on occasion, some online variants.  In my experience, there's no substitute for critical examination of the results.

[Rajan Parrikar]

In my experience, DxO's DeepPRIME/XD is the best noise reduction technology right now. I have tested it against both Topaz and ON1 products. I can live with some of DxO's annoyances.

[Rhossydd]

In my experience, DxO's DeepPRIME/XD is the best noise reduction technology right now.

No argument there.
In an afternoon’s practice I haven’t found the new DP XD process much more demanding of the system than DP and the results are better.
For supported camera and lens systems the optical corrections can also be best in class too.
BUT
As a ‘one stop shop’ it still falls short. If you don’t use high ISOs or have poorly supported cameras, other packages like LR and CO are still better overall.

For me PhotoLab is just an add-on to my Lightroom workflow to use when necessary.

[Rajan Parrikar]

No argument there.
In an afternoon’s practice I haven’t found the new DP XD process much more demanding of the system than DP and the results are better.
For supported camera and lens systems the optical corrections can also be best in class too.
BUT
As a ‘one stop shop’ it still falls short. If you don’t use high ISOs or have poorly supported cameras, other packages like LR and CO are still better overall.

For me PhotoLab is just an add-on to my Lightroom workflow to use when necessary.

I agree with you. I bought DxO Photolab primarily for the DeepPRIME noise reduction technology and for DxO's RAW conversion pipeline. After passing the RAW file through DeepPRIME, I bring the dng file into Adobe ACR & Photoshop and take it from there. Virtually every RAW file, high ISO or not, benefits from DeepPRIME, making it more robust for further adjustments.

[Rhossydd]

Virtually every RAW file, high ISO or not, benefits from DeepPRIME, making it more robust for further adjustments.

Not seeing any benefit on putting base ISO images through DeepPrime here. I've tested that on all my old DSLR and compact images going back to the Canon 10D.
The only exception is for supported DJI drones which use tiny sensors.

More worthwhile if the camera+lens are supported with a good optical correction profile, but just DeepPrime ? not worth the effort and space the extra files take up.

[Rajan Parrikar]

Not seeing any benefit on putting base ISO images through DeepPrime here. I've tested that on all my old DSLR and compact images going back to the Canon 10D.
The only exception is for supported DJI drones which use tiny sensors.

More worthwhile if the camera+lens are supported with a good optical correction profile, but just DeepPrime ? not worth the effort and space the extra files take up.

The added value of DeepPRIME is especially salient on files derived from my older Canon bodies (5D, 5D Mark II) where if you push files made at ISO400 and above, noise visibility can be an issue. Sony changed the game with their Exmor sensor. Even with my current Canon 5DS, files with ISO800+ show noise with even modest exposure adjustments; I have a lot of those made during photo flights. And as you mention, the drone images benefit significantly from DeepPRIME.

[Rajan Parrikar]

A comparison of DeepPRIME and DeepPRIME XD -

https://feedback.dxo.com/t/deepprime-xd-doing-nothing/28759/4

[Wolfman]

When I have an image from my Sony a7r4 that I want to upsize I put it through DXO 5 Deep Prime with whatever noise reduction is needed and some sharpening and it is a much better file to upsize than not using Deep Prime. I agree with Rajan...... more benefits.