DXO Optics 9 - skintone challenge

[Redcrown]

A long term ACR user here, trying out DXO Optics Pro 9. Since I do a lot of portraits I'm focusing first on skin tones. So far I'm not having much luck. ACR has won every test I've done (to my personal taste). But DXO OP9 has so many unfamiliar options I expect I'm not finding the best combinations.


So I request a favor from DXO veterans. Please consider downloading the following raw file (Canon 5D3) and giving it your best base conversion. Since I'm focusing only on tone and color, noise reduction and sharpening are not important. However, please leave all lens distortion correction turned off so your version can be overlayed on an ACR version.


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/62166185/Italy2013-138v0.CR2

The main problem I'm having is that DXO OP9 compared to ACR appears to give lower saturation in highlights and higher saturation in shadows and midtones. That means harsher transitions, which are not as pleasing to me as the smoother transitions of ACR. Specifically, the lack of saturation in DXO's skintone highlights renders pale, washed out colors. But again, I probaby don't know what I'm doing.

Thanks in advance.

[Vladimirovich]

Thanks in advance.

did you try DxO's U2U forums too ?

[Redcrown]

did you try DxO's U2U forums too ?

Never heard of it. Google can't find it. What is it, where is it?

[Vladimirovich]

Never heard of it. Google can't find it. What is it, where is it?

come on !

http://forum.dxo.com ( no, this is not DxoMark forum - this is for raw converter, etc )

that will be the place to ask

[Redcrown]

OK, you got me Vlad.

In my defense, I had looked for a forum on the DXO home page. Didn't find it where I expected, at the top menu bar, or under "support" where most folks put it. On second look I see it now, buried in the fine print at the bottom of the page.

And believe it or not, "U2U" is a term I've never heard. So I Googled "U2U forum" and was led down a bunch of blind alleys.

Anyway, I registered a couple hours ago. Still waiting for my "activation link."

[Vladimirovich]

"U2U"

parroted from Adobe forums @ http://forums.adobe.com ... "user(s) to user(s)"

Still waiting for my "activation link."

I don't recall if they use a human (real human) activation - but don't forget to check your spam folder.

[kirkt]

Can you post or PM me the XML of the ACR version, so I know what you are trying to achieve, look-wise?

kirk

[robgo2]

I would like to send you a Photo Ninja rendition.  To my eyes, and in my hands, the skin tones are far superior to ACR's and DxO's, both of which I have also tried on your image.  PM an email address, so that I can send the file via Dropbox.

Rob

[Redcrown]

Rob, I responded to your PM yesterday. Went to an address at earthlink.net. Just re-sent the msg.

re-post here if you don't get it. But in it I said why not post the dropbox link here so everyone can see it?

[Vladimirovich]

Rob, I responded to your PM yesterday. Went to an address at earthlink.net. Just re-sent the msg.

re-post here if you don't get it. But in it I said why not post the dropbox link here so everyone can see it?

because he is always, if you didn't notice, afraid to post the results from his beloved noinse ninja 

[robgo2]

Rob, I responded to your PM yesterday. Went to an address at earthlink.net. Just re-sent the msg.

re-post here if you don't get it. But in it I said why not post the dropbox link here so everyone can see it?

Redcrown,

Sorry, but I have not received your emails or a PM.  But you have a good suggestion re posting the link for others to download as well.  I processed your file using Photo Ninja's Portrait preset.  No other adjustments were made, so what you see is right out of the box.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qyq3oj6xmk8l6is/Italy2013-138v0_v1.jpg?dl=1&token_hash=AAHNk6M_G7iqqpU5D8WOXP_UwVydYTyY1IiYvl-P5JbQmg

Rob

[robgo2]

because he is always, if you didn't notice, afraid to post the results from his beloved noinse ninja  

Afraid to post my results from Photo Ninja?  Not at all, and I have just done so (see above post).  Check it out.  It is an example of Photo Ninja's Portrait preset with no additional adjustments whatsoever.  I'm sure that I could have improved the overall image with a few tweaks, but I wanted to show how the software renders with default settings.  BTW, I do not see you or anyone else responding to the Redcrown's request for examples of skin tone rendition for his portrait.  He wants to know if other programs can do better than DxO 9 or if DxO 9 is capable of better results than he was able to get.  And for the record, I have also run his file through ACR and DxO 9, so I know how they compare to PN--not favorably.  

Rob

[BernardLanguillier]

And for the record, I have also run his file through ACR and DxO 9, so I know how they compare to PN--not favorably. 

Rob,

Did you try using the DxO 9 portrait profiles?

Cheers,
Bernard

[robgo2]

Rob,

Did you try using the DxO 9 portrait profiles?

Cheers,
Bernard

Bernard,

Yes, and they were not very pleasing to my eye.  Perhaps others can do better with them, but I would have to see examples in order to judge.

Rob

[Vladimirovich]

BTW, I do not see you

I am not using DxO, so I directed him to the place where he has a good chance to get his question about DxO answered   ... as for the skin tone I am simply picking lab (A/B) values from the photos that I like (be those mine or not) and drive the color (skin) in my raw converter to those (in RPP or ACR, now that I have Lab readouts in ACR) readouts... I do not care much about clothing (if the color of the clothes suffers somewhat vs the "original" colors when I get my the skin that I want)... very simple.

[robgo2]

I am not using DxO, so I directed him to the place where he has a good chance to get his question about DxO answered   ... as for the skin tone I am simply picking lab (A/B) values from the photos that I like (be those mine or not) and drive the color (skin) in my raw converter to those (in RPP or ACR, now that I have Lab readouts in ACR) readouts... I do not care much about clothing (if the color of the clothes suffers somewhat vs the "original" colors when I get my the skin that I want)... very simple.

RPP was my main raw convertor for about two years.  It is a great program that excels at white balance, but its functionality is very limited, thereby requiring extensive further editing in a secondary program.  That is why I switched to Photo Ninja.  I am very enthusiastic about PN, because it produces superior results with relatively little effort.  Those who are skeptical have, for the most part, never given it a serious trial.

Rob

[Vladimirovich]

Those who are skeptical have, for the most part, never given it a serious trial.

what about silkypix, why not throw some exotics in the mix = http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5907/1jmr.jpg

[robgo2]

what about silkypix, why not throw some exotics in the mix = http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5907/1jmr.jpg

For those who want to see a comparable screenshot from Photo Ninja.  For this example, I boosted shadows very slightly.  No other adjustments.  I'm not sure why it displays as a large thumbnail, but click to see at full size.  Better yet, download the complete file from Dropbox.

Rob

[Vladimirovich]

I have too much sharp and you too much NR 

[robgo2]

I have too much sharp and you too much NR  

Doh!  I had not even noticed that I had Photo Ninja's luminance NR on by default.  Here is another screenshot with it turned off.

Rob

Edit:  And here is a link to the download from Dropbox of the newer version (no luminance NR and slight boost of shadows):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkuhkzdqwulw0tp/Italy2013-138v0_v2.jpg