DxO Labs has released the latest version of its Optics Pro image-processing software with some significant enhancements.
DxO Optics Pro 9 is a major new version, which introduces PRIME (Probabilistic Raw IMage Enhancement) denoising technology, which analyses the structure of RAW images in depth in order to differentiate between noise and fine details, providing a claimed gain in image quality of up to one full stop over the best noise reduction algorithms currently on the market.
It also includes improvements to the DxO Smart Lighting feature, which optimises the overall contrast of an image by intelligently adapting to its contents. In DxO Optics Pro 9, highlight details that once were thought lost are revealed, even when the information is missing in the original RAW data, and colorimetric errors are minimised. A new colour rendering, DxO Portrait, preserves skin tones and naturally-saturated colours.
DxO Optics Pro 9’s library of presets has been completely redesigned. Portrait, Landscape, Black & White, Single-shot HDR presets are supplemented by ‘Atmospheres’, a new set of creative renderings. A new visual presets window makes it easier for users choose which preset to apply to their images by letting them preview thumbnails of the rendering effects prior to application.
New export tools include an Export to Disk feature that lets users generate and save JPEG, TIFF, and DNG images in just a few clicks. The new Export to Application feature groups both processing and opening images in an external application into a single transaction. Finally, the Export to Flickr feature enables users to process and publish their photos directly online in just one step. The DxO Optics Pro interface has a new workspace that highlights essential correction tools, optimises vertical space and reorganizes toolbars and palettes in a more logical fashion. Users can access context-sensitive help directly in the correction palettes.
The Standard and Elite editions of DxO Optics Pro 9 for Mac and Windows are now available in the DxO Labs line store (shop.dxo.com) for US$99 and US$199 respectively. Photographers who acquired a DxO Optics Pro 8 license on or after September 1, 2013, are entitled to a free upgrade to version 9. A fully-functional trial version of DxO Optics Pro 8, good for one month, is available on the DxO Labs website (http://www.dxo.com/intl/photography/download).
