DXO Photolab 7 - Now THIS is their best update ever!
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- Yes, I know I said the same things last year... but it really is an excellent update. I go through the major updates in order of how much I love them. Feel free to let me know in the comments which ones you are happiest about.
I will add affiliate links once the new pages are up online.
00:00 Intro
03:18 number 1 favourite update
04:30 number 2 favourite update
06:10 number 3 favourite update
08:58 number 4 favourite update
09:44 number 5 favourite update
10:53 number 6 favourite update
11:11 wrap-up
Affiliate links:
PhotoLab 7 Free Trial: tidd.ly/3LVxz3Z
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ViewPoint 4 Free Trial: tidd.ly/46mS1mH
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Nik Collection 6 Buy: tidd.ly/48Qe06Y
#dxo #photolab 
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Thanks for the video. I'm already excited, especially about the local masking. It cleans up the screen nicely. Have a good one!
Thanks for watching. It is really great, isn't it.
First and foremost I was floor that Photolab 7 came out so early, very nice surprise and I was not excited about what I read in the DXO website but now that I finished watching your video I'm convinced now this is a necessary and exciting update. And, of course, thank you for sharing this wonderful video...🎉❤🎉❤🎉
Thanks for watching. I am glad I could give you a different picture of things. It is great software.
I updated yesterday and have not yet had a chance to try DxO Photolab Elite 7 out. Your video has really helped me to get up to speed with the improved and redesigned features. Thank you.
Very welcome. Hope you love it. Thanks for watching.
I was sitting at my desk, wrangling with a color chart and Xrite software. Had to check the web, saw that DXO had actually released EARLY with color calibrator built in. Bought my upgrade immediately!
Nice one.
Thanks. I just downloaded and am testing the software but so far I am really Impressed with the features.
Hope it is going well.
Great upgrade. Few features I had REALLY wanted.
Nice. Thanks for watching.
It's a shame the luminosity mask requires Fim Pack 7 (especially since I had FP6). But it is a great feature.
Yeah. Fair. Especially if that is the only bit of the upgrade you are after. Thanks for watching.
great review, thanks
Thanks for watching!
I'm a little confused why the luminosity mask feature needs film pack 7 as well, that's a shame and an additional cost that I baulk at. I would have thought they would have taken this opportunity to add features such as HDR blending of multiple images (of different exposures) and panoramic stitching to the software as well.
The additional cost is the whole point from DxO’s business perspective. It allows them a third, higher price level for Photolab. This product line is pricey.
Yeah... if the luminosity making is the only bit you need... that is a drag. As for the HDR they have something in Nik collection for that. I will be curious if they ever go that route right in photolab. I don't mind heading to Photoshop or affinity photo for that kind of thing personally... but I don't do it that much.
@@dxflow3271 Yeah, I use Luminar Neo for things DxO doesn't do, and can easily keep doing so.
I’m also confused, because not only luminosity mask is linked to Film Pack. Also, it is not possible to add vignetting and add a frame to the image. This surprises me a lot and prevents from buying this software.
@@asyukr Yeah... I am not sure what was tied up in the luminosity mask sitting in FilmPack - my best guess being that it is Zone system based and Zone system calls back to the Ansel Adams film days. To me, mostly FilmPack is about stylisation and I can see vignetting and frame sit well in that space. I mean they do have a vignette removal in Photolab via the lens corrections but adding it back in is a style choice (I do have a video on adding vignette in PL if you don't have FilmPack if you want to check my channel). But I mean ultimately they probably want to create a path. You can start with the basics for cheaper and based on your needs you can start to build that out by adding the bits that make the most difference to you? Just like the camera companies have entry level products and then you can add prime lens or an upgraded body as you need/ want. Just my thoughts. Thanks for watching.
These all seem like they should be free updates. DXO has adopted a bleed-em-dry model of charging on absolutely every angle while saying... well its only 100 bucks to upgrade. They're right but only for the core program, update the others and pretty much any other program becomes cheaper and includes the "addon" features (that includes Capture One, and they're considered expensive). I think I'm done with them until they wake up.
Yeah if you enjoy other software there are other choices for sure. And yes. If it is all about the dollars there are some cheaper options.
Agreed. Luminance masking? Film Pack required. Radial gradient? I believe that’s a View Point upgrade. There’s a whole range of things other offerings just build in. And no update to noise reduction this year? I’m just surprised by DxO’s insistence on making Adobe look like the budget play. Lightroom’s AI masking also saves me a ton of time.
DxO optical corrections are second to none, that much I’ll give them.
The masking diffusion slider that is in NIK would be on the top of my want list.
I am with you. I was quite surprised it didn't make an appearance in PL7
@@dxflow3271 they want you to keep buying Nik.
Helpful video, thanks. The feature that I would like the most is the ability to click on a person’s face and automatically correct the skin tone. That would save me many hours of work.
Do you mean something like the tool in Silkypix that let's you set white balance from a skin selection? Or just a skin selection that will let you then quickly edit only the skin? I find often a control point does a pretty good job of that... but of course it depends a little on the other colours and tones in the image. But guessing what you are saying is that you really appreciate the AI selection tools that can grab a face straight away. Fair enough. They are pretty solid selection tools especially for portraits.
@@dxflow3271 I mean the first one. In Apple Photos, you can click a dropper on a person’s face and it automatically sets the white balance for the whole photo, which sounds like the same process as Silkypix. I can look at a skin tone and judge that it is too orange, magenta, green…, but how do I know when it is right? I use a spreadsheet based on RGB ratios to help me, but it is rather a crude technique. Photos often gets a more pleasing result. DaVinci Resolve video editor has a line on a vectorscope to guide you, but photo editors don’t seem to be that sophisticated.
Thanks for the quick review. Good update, but why did they take away vibrance and saturation sliders from the color palette? I tweaked vibrance on most photos.
Still there but they consolidated it into the HSL area. Note you can only apply vibrance to the white dot... which is the whole image. If you choose a colour channel the vibrance will grey it. Thanks for watching.
@@dxflow3271 Yes. Thanks. I was able to figure that out. It was a global adjustment before anyway, and still available in the local adjustments. The local adjustments are very far superior with this layout. I found the old way extremely frustrating. Can't imagine people longing for the old way. On my wish list is smart subject recognition in the local adjustments module and more sliders under the DXO Clear View to control its individual components.
+100 for tone curve in local adjustments
Absolutely
Thanks for the video! Question...a simple 3 or 5 image AEB merge - DxO Photolab 7 can't do this still, or am I wrong?
Not right in photolab, no. But in Nik collection there is HDR efex... I don't use it much but you could test it out and see how it works for you. Just a 🤔 thanks for watching.
As a long-time user, I do wonder why. Why you can’t just select three images and blend. I tried the HDR in Nix, wasn’t happy with the result at all. Back to LRC for now 😔 …thanks for the reply!
@@wolfiemedia Totally understandable if that is a common part of your workflow. I haven't played with it in lightroom much but from watching videos on RUclips... it does look easy... and like it generally does it well.
I wasn't all that pleasaed with the PhotoLab 6 update. This one does look nice but until they add photo merge/stacking I have a hard time taking the software seriously.
Fair enough. Sounds like you are either exploring or using other software. There are lots of choices out there for sure. Good luck with the search.
Question.. How does the noise reduction in DXO Photolab 7 Elite stand up to Topaz's Noise AI?
I haven't done a comparison with topaz in a long time. My personal take away from comparisons I have done is that dxo is best while keeping it looking natural. Some others sometimes appear to have some another sections but then look a little plastic... Or painted to my eye. Or that they mess up the transition from in focus to out of focus. But always best to try for yourself... And see how it fits with your taste.
What about the edge sensitive masking brush - is it still not showing the result? Can the masking color be changed? Is it possible to refine the edges - let them bleed in?
Hi there. The Auto Mask brush still shows the mask in the same way (everywhere you painted rather than the result of the selection process). Yes the masking colour can be set to anything that works for your image, and yes we can refine the masks in all the same ways we could before. In fact the default values for the U-point tools generally bleed in just a little in my experience - it is one of the things I like about the U-point - it hides itself well. If you mean can the Auto mask bleed in - the behaviour with that tool does not seem to have changed.
@@dxflow3271 Thank you. I agree there are good improvements, so I was looking and could see that the upgrade price is good too - but not for me ;O) Thank you for the introduction though.
Why doesn’t automask use AI to help it find the edges of a painted object?
I love the new colour calibration feature and having HSL as a local adjustment. BUT I hate, hate, hate the removal of the sliders from the control points. Nik did this and fortunately realized the mistake and put them back(selectable to please both groups of user) But the controls on the right are such a pain when you have to keep moving the mouse up and down and scrolling the panel and all at the opposite side of the screen from where the action is. I much prefer the controls on the adjustment! (It might be OK on a small laptop screen but anyone working with a 32inch or bigger monitor is likely to hate it!)
I'm a bit disappointed that the luminosity mask is only via Filmpack - why? It's not remotely film-type related!
But frankly, I can do all of these things already in Nik or Affinity...except colour profiles, so that's the biggest one for me. I normally skip the odd-numbered versions, but I just might have to buy this one.
Yeah... it was always going to happen that it wouldn't suit everyone. I started using U-point when Nik made the nikon capture software (2006ish maybe)... and come to think about it... that was a long time ago... but they might have had both approaches available. Anyway I feel for you if you love it and it is now gone. I actually love the new way... but I know different things suit different people and situations. Hopefully you will come to dislike it less over time? :)
funny, I really did not like the adjustments on the screen. Specifically because they were often right in the way. What I would like to see however, is the sliders having a secondary, or a log scale kind of sensitivity. Too often the adjustment levels are too much and need to be refined more than the sliders really allow. Maybe an Apple key and option while on a slider to give an expanded scale where your slider is positioned...
@@qaz111111qaz111111 at least we can get at the numeric entry now when we want detailed adjustment. But good suggestion.
Would there be any advantage to using the B&W profiles if one were going to export to Silver Efex Pro? Also, Who wouldn't welcome that change to the local adjustments?! Clearly there are some improvements, but as usual, there's nothing earth-shattering and they charge way to much to existing customers for upgrades--it's almost cheaper to go for LR/PS over time (ironic, as one of the very reasons I chose DxO over Adobe was I hated the subscription model). So I guess I'll need to upgrade from FP6 as well to get the luminosity mask (even more $). BtW, do the 0-10 squares under the Opacity slider correspond to the Zone System? Bottom line: is it worth the upgrade from PL6 Elite or should we wait until 8 (maybe more intuitive AI-based masking/ReTouch selection à la Topaz--which also charges way too much for updates)?
My take? I've never tried sending a BW image to Silver efex, but I would have guessed it would impact the result. I think there is a lot of the look derived from how it converts the colours. If there are no colours to convert that might take the legs out from under it. But test it. Make a virtual copy and leave one colour and make the other B&W and then send them both to silver efex. See which you prefer and do a side by side. Experimentation sometimes leads to some unexpected outcomes in my experience.
Price is an interesting one. I have been thinking about this for a while and just took the time to look it up. Check this out and let me know what you think.
This is from Wikipedia, but it matches my memory well. In 2008 Nik software "The Complete Collection Ultimate Edition sold for $599.95 USD and the Complete Collection for Lightroom and Aperture for $299.95 USD." Mind you they didn't update as frequently, but I feel like current software prices (for all software companies) are not actually so bad as they feel sometimes.
Again 15 years ago DxO Optics Pro (the predecessor to Photolab)"Pricing and availability:
DXO Optics Pro v5 Standard version $169
DXO Optics Pro v5 Elite version $299"
Really compared to the rest of the items in the world... the prices have not really risen that much - even though every one of every companies costs will have risen substantially since 2008. Just some food for thought.
On to other topics - Luminosity masks - yes those are Zone system based selections. And it is a nice addition to the toolset.
Question to upgrade or not? Well for me it is a solid yes... but everyone has different preferences and needs, so why not do a free trial and see if it meets your needs? You can install 7 without removing 6. Also, I have finally sorted out my affiliate links and there is a link in the description now to free trials of PhotoLab and FilmPack.
Thanks for watching.
@@dxflow3271 Wow--thanks for the comprehensive response. Yeah--good experiment re exporting already converted files to SEP. It's very possible that you'd lose the ability to apply color filters plus it's generally better to have as "neutral" an image to start with to retain flexibility. I'd say converting in PL7 is the "easy button" approach (or only approach other than using FP presets, HSL, and all of the other tools in PL if you don't have Nik).
I agree that DxO's tools are worth the initial purchase price, as they'll powerful and relatively intuitive/easy to use, and versatile (especially compared to the darkroom). My problem is that it makes good business sense to give your customer more than expected and reward loyalty by giving existing customers relatively low-cost upgrades (in functionality, as bug fixes should be --and are--free). They're not the only ones--Topaz does the same thing. My year's worth of upgrades for the IQ bundle/Photo AI recently expired and I've yet to pay the US$99 for another year as I rarely use it. That may change as I plan to digitize decades worth of negatives/prints/slides (DeepPRIME unfortunately only works on RAWs and scans don't produce those), but re DxO upgrades, I plan to wait until Black Friday, when they've had their best discounts. I'm not cheap, but I prefer more value-for-money, and US$267 to upgrade PL, FP, and Nik seems a bit steep (especially as it's every year). That's US$22.25/month--over twice what LR/PL would cost to rent. Ironic, as one of the reasons I went to DxO was that I didn't like Adobe's change to a subscription basis (and they include bug fixes and functional upgrades for free). I also (rarely) use PaintShop Pro Ultimate (for those few things DxO can't do), but only upgrade every other year (and that's a lot cheaper anyway).
Disappointing “upgrade”, to say the least…staying with 6…
It's not for everyone I guess. Glad you will continue to enjoy 6. Saves you some money too.
Don't see anything that really gets me excited. I quit using DXO and go back and forth between Luminar Neo and ON1 Raw. They offer a lot more of what I need. Plus they're easier to use.
Fair enough. Software choice is a very personal thing. I just enjoy photolab more than the others... but totally understand that won't be everyone's experience.
@@dxflow3271 I did a test with the new Photolab 7 in comparing it to Luminar Neo. Photolab 7 has a better raw editor. I can get things looking cleaner and better in Photolab 7. But since I'm a landscape portrait photographer, I need to do things like smooth people's skin and add glow, teeth whitening and other things. I don't know how to do these things in Photolab 7. But it's a breeze to do in Luminar Neo and On1 Raw. So I could start out in Photolab 7. But I still have to use either Luminar Neo or ON1 Raw to really polish up things. I challenge you to try the same thing. Start out in Photolab 7 and then export your image to Luminar Neo and see how much better it looks after you're done. They're really a good combo.
It's really disappointing they decided to tie luminosity masks to Filmpack.
Split toning has been tied to it all along...
Yeah I understand it from a business point of view and giving people options to less expensive options if that's what they want... and having the upsell options... etc. Etc. Etc. And I do want DxO to be successful and have enough budget to make strides in new version ... But this one does feel a little like it would fold well into PL.
Grumble? So they should! At least give an option to have a choice between the new toolbar & the legacy controls...
Yeah. I feel for you. I suspect DxO will have a group of users asking for choice. And a group who love the new approach. Thing is I am not sure how they would implement making it optional given the HSL addition. What do you think? You going to stick with DxO? Or start looking around at other products? Or I guess stick with 6 for now?
The upgrade fee is way, way too high. Folks are much better to put the hundred bucks (with another twenty) onto an Adobe Photography Plan and get Photoshop (with generative AI) AND Lightroom for a year.
Seems to me the costs end up pretty similar in the end. I reckon finding the program you enjoy is the best idea.
What a shill.
Just offering my perspective. Buy or don't buy. I don't mind in the slightest. I like this software... That is why I use it.