DXO Optics Pro v6 Elite Software

What's New in DxO Optics Pro 6

Optics Corrections

• The largest library of optics modules: more than 2000 lens-body combinations calibrated in our laboratories to give you the best automatic correction of optical faults
• Even if they have not yet been calibrated in our labs, you can manually correct for sharpness, vignetting, distortion, and perspective for all lenses
• For calibrated lenses, a new cursor allows you to adjust the crispness of the smallest details

RAW Conversion

• Based on the unique principle of a calibration specific to each camera, the new DxO Optic Pro 6 RAW converter allows you to push your camera body one to two stops above its limits
• Shoot without flash and take successful photos under the most difficult lighting conditions

Optimized Exposure

• DxO Optics Pro 6 offers a new automatic exposure tool that is indispensable for photos taken under difficult lighting conditions -- under-exposure, backlit conditions, lack of contrast in shadows, etc...
• Let DxO Optics Pro bring out the details in shadows all while preserving highlighted zones, textures, and colors, to achieve well-balanced photos

Interface

The interface for version 6 has been entirely re-thought to facilitate easier handling by new users and to optimize the work flow for experienced users. You can more easily adjust the presets to automatically personalize your photos

Presets

• Thanks to DxO Optics Pro presets, you can quickly apply your preferred treatment to hundreds of images
• With just a simple click, you can apply variant final settings to your photo, including color, contrast, sharpness, etc...
• You can also easily create your own presets and apply them to your photos

Personalization

You can personalize your workspace to improve your productivity:

• Fix the on-screen position of palettes and save their settings
• Create as many personalized palettes as you want
• Make comparisons between virtual copies or compare them with a chosen image of reference

All XMP data is saved, permitting a better integration with, for example, Adobe Lightroom

Other New Features

For greater ease of use:

• A "first step assistant" to help new users get acquainted with the software
• A separate "Project" window in which images can be viewed in multiple rows
• Much more rapid application download and installation
• Automatic download of DxO Optics Modules during image upload
• Automatic saving of the current project (Windows only)

Optics Corrections

Lens Distortion Correction

DxO Optics Pro automatically corrects all types of lens distortion by taking into account such signification factors as the focal point and focusing distance. The focal range covered is extremely large, from ultra-wide-angle lenses, fisheyes, and optics kits all the way to super-zooms. In all, DxO Optics Pro covers more than 2000 lens-camera combinations. Even extreme and highly complex distortions (such as fisheye, for example) are corrected. Naturally, advanced control options are available when you need them.

Use DxO Optics Pro to correct:

• Barrel distortion
• Pincushion distortion
• Complex distortion
• Circular fisheye distortion

In case your particular combination of camera back and lens is not supported by DxO Optics Pro, you can nevertheless make manual corrections that will eliminate most if not all of the distortions present in your image

Vignetting (Edge Fall-Off) Correction

Vignetting -- sometimes referred to as edge or corner fall-off -- is at the core an optical phenomenon which results in a loss of light or a darkening in the corners of the image. DxO Optics Pro is able to automatically correct this issue with a high degree of behind-the-scenes sophistication. Of course, the correction can be controlled or even switched off if the vignetting is part of the photographic intent.

DxO Optics Pro's vignetting correction:

• Automatically eliminates vignetting taking into account all relevant factors -- type of lens, aperture, focal length, etc...
• Takes into account the specific issues linked to digital photography such as the in-camera tone-curve
• Ensures that the correction does not result in over-exposure (clipped highlights)
• Performs correction without color shifts and with strict noise control

In case your particular combination of camera back and lens is not supported by DxO Optics Pro, you can nevertheless make manual corrections that will eliminate most if not all of the vignetting present in your image

Color Fringing Correction

Color fringes, particularly noticeable at the edges of high-contrast photos, are principally caused by lateral chromatic aberrations, where the lens -- like a prism -- splits the visible light into its different color components. DxO Optics Pro analyzes each image and automatically detects and corrects these fringes or irisations, thanks to its precise characterization of the fault based on the specific lens-camera combination that you use

Lens Softness Correction

Lenses tend to introduce a certain level of softness in images; it is usually more pronounced on the edges of the photo than on the center. DxO Optics Pro automatically improves the sharpness of images, based on the DxO Optics Corrections Modules containing all the performance data of your particular camera and lens.

All relevant parameters are used to produce the best results -- aperture, location in the image, ISO, etc... With DxO Optics Pro, you'll start using your lenses in a different way and see sharpness in a new light

With DxO Optics Pro's lens softness correction you will:

• Regain lost details
• Harmonize sharpness from center to edge and from one image to the next
• Add micro contrast for more pop!
• Add sharpness based on a level determined by you

Volume Anamorphosis Correction

This correction is better understood with an analogy. We can think of volume (i.e. 3D) anamorphic distortion as the photographic equivalent of the problem that mapmakers have when trying to represent our 3D planet on a two dimensional sheet of paper. Mapmakers know that it is impossible to conserve all the properties of the earth's features (surface, distances, etc...) on a flat surface. Mapmakers choose the best trade-off for the objective they are trying to achieve. The same applies in photography -- 3D objects (people, faces, or columns, for example) can appear distorted when projected on the camera's sensor.

People appearing at the edge of a group, architectural shots or crowd close-ups can be vastly improved with DxO Optics Pro's unique feature. Simply choose the type of shape suffering from distortion (cylindrical, such as people in a group shot, or spherical, such as for heads in a news shot) and let DxO Optics Pro do the rest. The results are remarkable!

Keystoning/Horizon Correction

Keystoning is also referred to as vertical and horizontal linear perspective correction. Unlike the corrections described above, the keystoning and horizon corrections are not based on DxO Optics Correction Modules and have to be manually set by the user. With this feature of DxO Optics Pro, all of your lenses in effect become "shift" lenses, greatly widening your photographic possibilities!

Horizon correction is an easy-to-use image rotation tool

Use DxO Optics Pro to correct:

• The distorted perspective which sometimes appears in architecture photos
• A slightly sloping horizon

RAW Conversion

Why Shoot in RAW?

Only a RAW file, analogous to a silver hydrate negative, preserves all of the information recorded by a digital camera at the moment you take photo. The most exacting photographers shoot in RAW to obtain the greatest dynamic of tones and colors possible. Afterwards, they need to use a RAW converter that can optimally render all of their RAW file information, all while allowing them the freedom to choose the final rendition of their photos in terms of contrast, color, and detail. With DxO Optics Pro, you can shoot in RAW and let the software bring out the best in your images through a conversion process adapted to your photographic equipment and shooting conditions

The Possibilities of Extreme ISO

Many recent cameras allow photographers to shoot at very high ISO settings --12,800 or even 25,600 ISO. However, at such ISO sensitivities, the image files downloaded from the camera are often very poor because of high noise levels.

DxO Optics Pro's RAW converter has been designed to obtain beautiful photos from RAW files shot at the highest ISO levels. RAW conversion software is absolutely essential for processing the complex digital algorithms used to obtain these outstanding results, which today require the computing power of a laptop or workstation. The microprocessors in even the best digital cameras have neither the necessary speed nor memory.

DxO Optics Pro delivers outstanding results for noise removal, detail rendition and color fidelity up to 50,000 ISO and even 100,000 ISO! In fact, it is possible to gain up to 2 EV (two stops) over the quality obtained for images processed with competing RAW converters. In other words, a shot taken at 25,600 ISO and processed with DxO Optics Pro has the equivalent quality of the same shot taken at 6400 and treated with another RAW converter currently on the market

Outstanding Image Quality

DxO Optics Pro's RAW converter produces the best image quality available today at all ISO sensitivities:

• DxO Optics Pro produces even crisper images, bringing out the finest details while avoiding or eliminating the appearance of artifacts
• DxO Optics Pro brings out the all the dynamic content of the RAW file
• The "recover highlights" control can recover the details in burnt areas, while DxO Lighting can adjust the contrast to bring out the best from images taken in problematic lighting situations
• Noisy colors and particularly annoying patterns that can appear in shadows are strongly attenuated: the processed image achieves the darkest blacks while preserving fine details
• Further, DxO Optics Pro automatically and precisely corrects optical flaws such as lack of sharpness, vignetting, and chromatic aberrations

Respecting and Controlling Color

Color is a critical step of any RAW conversion workflow. With DxO Optics Pro, you have the most complete control of color rendition:

• Choose to target precise color fidelity, or choose a specific color rendering such as that for any supported camera or for any one of numerous classic films
• Import different color profiles, or create custom profiles
• Fine-tune color and contrast by using color controls such as Color Modes (portrait, landscape), Effects (B&W, sepia), SmartVibrancy, etc...

Automatic Mode or Full-Manual Control

Following the same principle as for optical corrections, DxO Optic Pro's RAW converter is based on precise digital noise and colorimetry measurements for every camera supported. This individualized calibration produces the very best results from RAW conversion in completely automatic mode, and batch processing means that hundreds of photo images can be converted with one simple click.

Photographers can still specify their particular processing preferences by using DxO Optic Pro's built-in library of presets, or they can manually control the processing parameters for treating one image or batches of images

More Flexibility Means More Creativity

Thanks to its unique technologies, DxO Optics Pro RAW converter opens new frontiers for photographers:

• Shooting against the sun without a flash gets more than silhouettes
• Flash-free indoor action photography is no longer an oxymoron
• No flash or dead batteries no longer mean missed opportunities
• Tones and colors retain their intensity undiminished in low light
• Hand-held macro can coexist with extra depth of field

DxO Presets

Rapid Batch Image Processing

All of DxO Optic Pro's corrections are based on what we call DxO Presets. A DxO Preset is a selection of correction parameters that is applied to all images to be processed. Thanks to DxO Presets, you can quickly and confidently process entire batches of photos according to the particular corrections or improvements you want to make, including color, contrast, sharpness, denoising, and optical corrections. And, too, you can apply your own personally-created presets as well

Optimized Settings, Thanks to DxO's Imaging Experts' Know-How

From the moment you start up the software, unless you indicate otherwise, the default DxO Preset is active and will be used to process all your photos. This DxO Preset has been perfectly calibrated by DxO Labs' imaging engineers and expert photographers to ensure optimal image quality for nearly all shooting conditions, including the most difficult. This DxO Preset brings together your camera's default color rendering and the entire spectrum of our corrections for contrast ("Lighting"), optical faults (such as distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberrations), a moderated reinforcement of sharpness, and optimal denoising. All of these corrections are perfectly adapted to your particular camera and lens. You can use this default DxO Preset with confidence for the vast majority of your images.

You can choose to apply a preset to one, several, or an entire batch of photos at any time

DxO Presets for All Tastes and All Shooting Styles

The notion of image quality can be highly subjective. Some photographers prefer saturated colors and strong contrast, while others prefer reproducing delicate nuances of color and softened contours and edges. To respond to this important aspect of photography, DxO Optics Pro offers different tools and modes of function that permit you to process your images according to your own tastes and preferences.

In addition to its principal default DxO Preset, the software comes with more than a dozen easy-to-use DxO Preset variants that can be applied to different kinds of images shot under all kinds of photographic conditions - high ISO, vivid color, softened contours, recovery of burnt highlights, recovery of detail in shadows, correction for anamorphosis, and more.

Last but not least, DxO Optics Pro allows you to create your own presets and save your own preferred setting parameters. Once you have experimented with settings and obtained photo results that please you, you can save the setting parameters in a personal presets file under a name of your own choosing. You can then re-apply this preset to one or more photos by selecting it from the updated list of available presets

Interface and Workflow

Select Images to Be Processed

Everything starts in the "Select" tab, where you select the images you want to process and drop them in the Project window. You can then simply click on "Process Now" and let DxO Optics Pro take care of everything painlessly and automatically -- this is the quickest and simplest way to start enhancing your pictures!

Customized Image Corrections

The "Prepare" tab is the place where more advanced users may want to take advantage of some or all of DxO Optics Pro's sophisticated correction adjustment possibilities, and/or make use of time-saving DxO Presets

At this stage it is also possible to:

• Edit images with a color code -- Green for images to be processed, Red for images not to be processed, Orange for images the status of which hasn't been decided
• Create virtual copies (snapshots) of images, in order to create several corrected versions of the same images

And much, much more

Process a Batch of Images

As soon as you are satisfied with the presets and settings you have applied to your selected images, you can move on to the "Process" tab where you specify where you want corrected images to be saved, under which format, at which resolution. Once this has been set, you hit the "Start Processing" button and DxO Optics Pro processes your images

View the Results

Naturally enough, once processing is finished, you will want to view your images, and the "View" tab will let you compare your pictures before and after correction. You can always re-process one or more images to see the effects of other settings

Exposure Optimization

Optimizing Exposure

Thanks to DxO Lighting technology that optimizes local contrast and dynamic range, DxO Optic Pro can resolve numerous exposure problems -- under-exposure, back-lighting, lack of contrast in shadows, and more.

In automatically replicating the technique of "dodging and burning" used in silver halide film processing to adjust the contrast on paper prints, DxO Lighting brings out the details in shadows, all while preserving the image's highlight zones, textures, and colors

Why Does a Photo Look Different from What One Sees?

Human vision is a complex phenomenon that involves mechanisms that are very different from those used in cameras to capture images. So it is essential to process a specified camera's digital images in such a way as to bring out the very best quality possible in terms of light levels, local and global contrasts, and colors.

Photography consists of capturing the variations in light and color intensity of a scene, and to reproduce them as precisely and in as aesthetically pleasing a way as possible. The human eye adapts very well to ambient lighting conditions and allows us to see equally well in a dark room as in full light outside. Our eyes can distinguish between a large number of nuances within shadows that are thousands of times darker than their immediate surroundings. Silver halide film and digital sensors cannot attain a similar level of adaptability with respect to the multitude of possible natural lighting conditions. And, too, the amplitude levels of color in the real world cannot be reproduced on screen nor on paper. So to obtain satisfactory results, contrast management tools are absolutely indispensible for restoring as much of the light spectrum of real scenes as possible.

Add to the intrinsic difficulty of reproducing the lights and colors of the real world numerous other problems that can affect photo exposure: light sources that are too direct or bright, diffuse lighting, or a poorly-regulated flash can overwhelm shadows, create glare, and lead to saturated highlights, or a lack of contrast.

DxO Optics Pro integrates the essential image processing that can reproduce a photographed scene with the best possible quality, even under difficult lighting conditions

Color Controls

Color Controls

The DxO Color Engine incorporated in this very latest version of DxO Optics Pro software revolutionizes color possibilities with a palette of color functions, from unique Color Rendition Profiles through Color Modes, to the innovative DxO Multi-Point Color Balance. Now DxO Optics Pro helps you achieve even better image quality with ever greater flexibility and control

• Color Rendition Profiles to easily switch from one camera body look to another, or between specific film looks, or to achieve color fidelity when developing RAW files
• Color Mode options to select your preferred "color ambiance" in RAW or JPEG
• Multi-Point Color Balance to exploit the full range of available color space for RAW or JPEG files

Additional Controls

DxO Optics Pro also includes:

• Easy controls to save presets and apply them to groups of images
• Camera custom ICC profiles to ensure absolute color fidelity or creative color rendering
• Seamless use of your monitor ICC profile to ensure proper color and contrast control on your monitor

All this now in addition to the existing range of color controls:

• White balance control of three parameters -- illuminant selection, color temperature & tint sliders, and grey point neutralization
• Slider-based Hue/Saturation/Lightness adjustment
• Tone Curve control via interactive tone curve editing
• Selection of output ICC profile

Dust Removal

Dust & Blemish Removal Tool

DXO Optics Pro 6 incorporates a tool to remove dust and blemishes from any digital image. This feature has been very often requested by our current customer base and leads.

How does it work?

• Click on dust spots or blemishes with the mouse
• DXO Optics Pro removes them automatically and provides a natural reconstruction of the scene
• Any number of images can be processed in batch mode with the dust and removal tool, leading to a significant productivity improvement

An advanced technology has been developed and implemented in DXO Optics Pro for reconstructing textured areas and suppressing blemishes in complex scenes