DXO launches PhotoLab 6 with next-level noise reduction and AI technology

[Jethro]

£69, as opposed to £44.50 last year. I might give it a miss this year.

I've read some good things about the new 'DeepPrime XD', otherwise I would probably have taken the same approach. I'll let you know what I think, but my first quick look at an image from the other day actually looks pretty impressive. Not a great image below (I always struggle to resize into this site), but the detail in the stamens (of this Grevillea) were much less defined before:

 

[koenkooi]

I was on the fence for upgrading since PL6 gave me very weird results, huge purple or green splotches and stipple patterns. I decided to file a bug report and did some searching to see if someone else has run into it, and they have3: https://feedback.dxo.com/t/deepprime-xd-introduces-purple-overlay-chromatic-aberration/29191

TL;DR: On MacOS Ventura, don't use the Neural Engine, use the GPU.

It is a bit slower, the degree depends on your GPU. On my M1 Ultra with 48 GPU cores, setting parallel export to ‘12’, DeepPRIME XD and optical corrections:

• Neural Engine, 16 images: 289 seconds
• GPU, same 16 images: 358 seconds

 

[AlanF]

I've read some good things about the new 'DeepPrime XD', otherwise I would probably have taken the same approach. I'll let you know what I think, but my first quick look at an image from the other day actually looks pretty impressive. Not a great image below (I always struggle to resize into this site), but the detail in the stamens (of this Grevillea) were much less defined before:

View attachment 206483

I tried PL6 and agree it is marginally better than PL5. But, I think the AI is old generation. Here is your image automatically processed in Topaz AI. It chose to "enhance" and upsize it 4x. This latest AI is frightening. If I need the extra detail, I think I'll put my money into updating Topaz until I need a new version of PL for a new body. Aplogies for using your image, but it's the best way of demonstration.

 

[AlanF]

Here are some extreme cases of my own, a Stonechat at 33m distance, iso1000, R5 + RF 100-500mm. The image of the bird is only 350px by 350px. The straight images from PL6 with XD above and PL5 with DeepPrime below. The XDhas a definite edge.

 

[AlanF]

One round of Topaz AI in enhance, the PL6 has more apparent detail but the PL5 looks more natural. This AI has revolutionised the use of telephoto lenses: here it is the equivalent of a 3xTC on the 500mm lens, shooting at 1500mm.

 

[Jethro]

I tried PL6 and agree it is marginally better than PL5. But, I think the AI is old generation. Here is your image automatically processed in Topaz AI. It chose to "enhance" and upsize it 4x. This latest AI is frightening. If I need the extra detail, I think I'll put my money into updating Topaz until I need a new version of PL for a new body. Aplogies for using your image, but it's the best way of demonstration.

View attachment 206484

Wow - that is genuinely frightening! I seriously downsized (and cropped) that image - and it looks like full size, with added detail. I may be forced to trial Topaz.

 

[Jethro]

I've downloaded a Topaz trial (and there is a big Black Friday discount on bundled software from them - "$159 for Topaz Photo AI, DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI until 12/2"). You just upload a photo and it does it's magic ...

But how much software does a person really need?

 

[Kit.]

I've downloaded a Topaz trial (and there is a big Black Friday discount on bundled software from them - "$159 for Topaz Photo AI, DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI until 12/2"). You just upload a photo and it does it's magic ...

It seems to me that the discount is not that big if you consider that Photo AI is just conveniently repackaged DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI.

Still tempting, though.

 

[AlanF]

It seems to me that the discount is not that big if you consider that Photo AI is just conveniently repackaged DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI.

Still tempting, though.

It seems to be more than just a simple combination of the three separate components in practice. You can treat it as such and choose Denoise, Gigapixel or Sharpen In side it. But the enhance mode has added functionality and gives better results.

 

[AlanF]

I've downloaded a Topaz trial (and there is a big Black Friday discount on bundled software from them - "$159 for Topaz Photo AI, DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI until 12/2"). You just upload a photo and it does it's magic ...

But how much software does a person really need?

Ideally one package to do everything. But, the current packages are all limited in different ways. I use DxO as my basic RAW converter, and can use that alone for most things. Topaz when I need to push the image more, and PhotoShop for manipulations.

 

[Jethro]

It seems to me that the discount is not that big if you consider that Photo AI is just conveniently repackaged DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Gigapixel AI.

Still tempting, though.

It's a big discount off the list price (which they show separately for all 4 apps being >$400). It's a seductive product though ...

Is Software Acquisition Syndrome (SAS) a thing?

 

[AlanF]

It's a big discount off the list price (which they show separately for all 4 apps being >$400). It's a seductive product though ...

Is Software Acquisition Syndrome (SAS) a thing?

SAS Rogue Heroes is the latest BBC series! I’ve succumbed and upgraded DxO and Topaz. Topaz does genuinely upgrade continuously to an annoying extent as they improve the software. DxO has relatively minor changes.

 

[Kit.]

It seems to be more than just a simple combination of the three separate components in practice. You can treat it as such and choose Denoise, Gigapixel or Sharpen In side it. But the enhance mode has added functionality and gives better results.

I mean that the deal is more like "20% off the list price for Photo AI, and then add Denoise, Sharpen, and Gigapixel for free".

 

[neuroanatomist]

For those still on the fence about upgrading from PL5 to PL6, one more consideration is that the perspective correction tools that were formerly only available with the ViewPoint plugin have now been built into PL with v6. In particular, I often use the volume anamorphosis correction when there are people near the periphery of a wide angle shot. I posted an example of that here.

 

[AlanF]

I would want to know that the improvement to the Deepprime functionality is VERY good indeed ...

That is a decision you alone can make for yourself, and it's free to download and try it out.

 

[john1970]

My workflow is the use DXO Photolabs for all RAW conversions and image manipulations. I then use Topaz AI if I want to sharpen or resize the image. Honestly, I tend not to do a lot of manipulation to my files and therefore do not use Photoshop.