DXO Optics Pro 11

I can't find any recent conversations on DXO software here. Does anyone use it? I am just starting to try to branch out from Lightroom. No real purpose, just for fun and trying to see what else I can do with some of my images. Should I just stick with LR? I've frequently wanted to get more into the post processing part, but never really do.

Thanks for any thoughts!

I was playing with DxO 11 and the only thing I didn't like was sliders in Selective tone. They are far from ''selective''. The highlight slider affects midtones, shadows slider affects midtones and blacks, ...etc.
But on the other side I like all the other DxO features very much: Prime noise reduction, Auto lens correction, Smart lightning, ....etc
DxO would be a winner if they could sort out those weird Selective tone sliders - to make them work as sliders in Lightroom.
So at the end I was using DxO only for high ISO images (Prime noise reduction + Lens correction) and then I finished the job in Lightroom.
This is just my opinion and it is possible that I didn't understand the logic how to work with DxO, but I was looking the examples on the net and to me, most of the images processed in DxO just look like some sort of cheap HDR - there is something about midtones I don't like. Check the link below:
http://www.dxo.com …-shadows-dxo-opticspro-10

V. 11 has improved significantly in speed and performance and includes some worthwhile additions to the toolset, specifically the spot exposure Smart Lighting with face detection. This tool remaps the tonal range to balance shadows and highlights in a more natural way for higher contrast scenes. You can place multiple spot areas on the image to tell the application to consider those areas as important when tone mapping the image with the spot Smart Lighting control. You should experiment with the Intensity control as well, to make sure that you are not overdoing it - I often pair the spot Smart Lighting control with the Contrast controls to re-establish some global and local contrast that might get a little flat when redistributing tones with the Smart Lighting controls - you can also turn off the Smart Lighting if it is negatively affecting your image.

DXO raw conversion has always produced punchy, saturated images as a default look, and overusing Smart Lighting can change local contrast negatively, so some compensation is in order, usually backing off of the saturation and adding some protection to saturated colors in the Color Rendering tab. If you would like to recover highlights, try using the DxO Clear View control - the name implies that is a haze cutting control, but it can be used for more targeted recovery of highlights without the need to use the selective tone tool. A little goes a long way with the Clear View control, and the default value of "50" is often way too much.

As always, once you run several of your familiar test images through the application and get a sense of the look DxO creates versus the modifications to that look that you want, you can save the mods as a preset that is easily applied across a set of images.

Kirk

Thanks for the feedback. I've been playing around with the trial and in turn tried to duplicate the results with Lightroom and it is really pushing me in the right direction. Jury is out on DxO for now. The noise reduction is really good. Just need to spend more time with all of it. I was really just surprised there wasn't more of a discussion here about it...

Kirk, thanks a lot for the info.
I will try that and see, how it goes.

When you are experimenting with DxO, consider that it makes a lot of corrections automatically by default, on a per-image basis. Using the "No Corrections" preset will essentially turn off all of the adjustments and you can start making individual corrections and see how they affect the image. This will help you become familiar with DxO's processing and what each control does to affect the image.

Also, consider making your own Workspace and saving it - there are a zillion panels and controls and they are grouped in ways that may clutter your workflow. You can remove panels and items within panels, and make your own panels. Consider setting up a few panels with the controls in them that you use most frequently. Then save this set up as a workspace you can call up when you need a simple, uncluttered environment in which to work. Do not underestimate the ability to change the workspace!

kirk

Thanks for the answer, Kirk.
Yes; I know about presets from version 9 and 10 and I did adjust the workspace to my needs. I was hoping they sorted out Selective tone sliders in version 11. They are a little better then in version 10, but still far from Lightroom sliders.
Smart lightning and Clear view are doing fine job most of the time but they are not enough to adjust the photos to my taste. I would like better Selective tone tool.
I'm using DxO from version 9 and it just doesn't work for me for high dynamic scenes (recovering highlights and lifting shadows).
Lightroom is somehow simple - I hit Auto and from there it usually needs little work to adjust the photo to my leaking. If I put the same image in DxO it needs much more work but it still does not look as good as the same image from Lightroom. It needs lots of adjustments to get rid of that HDR look.
I'm not saying DxO is bad. Far from that. I'm using it almost every day.
I believe one software can not be perfect for everything.

Mathmans wrote in post #18099782
I believe one software can not be perfect for everything.

Amen to that!

I started using DxO Optics Pro 11 a few months ago and really like it. More complex then LR, so the jury is still out.

I have been using DXO since about version 4 and like it very much. It is a great RAW converter with good noise reduction, even without PRIME. But I do use PRIME, generally with pictures shot at ISO 6400 and above on my 70D. The ISO noise almost disappears. The software has customized lens corrections that automatically fix most of the flaws in my wide-range zooms: vignetting, distortion, etc.

I am in the process of trying multiple PP software myself. I am really liking DxO 11, another one I am fond of is Capture One. never got into LR, I do not try limiting myself either.