On 5th March, French software developer DxO released DxO PureRAW 4. In this article, we’ll give you a recap of what DxO is and what it can do for your images, we’ll cover the main new features and suggest a few different workflows.
PureRAW is a specialised piece of software that is developed by the French company DxO. You may know them as the company that acquired the popular Nik Collection plug-in suite a couple of years ago. DxO is also known for its DxO FilmLab film emulation software and the flagship DxO PhotoLab. While the latter offers a plethora of controls and is meant to be a full-fledged RAW converter, DxO PureRAW offers fewer (visible) controls and, although it can work as a standalone product, also works as a plug-in for Lightroom and can even be launched from the Finder.
PureRAW leverages DxO’s advanced optical corrections and noise reduction technologies to improve the quality of digital images. It focuses on the initial stages of the photo editing workflow and aims to provide photographers with a better starting point for their subsequent edits, which can then be done in the RAW converter of their choice. Or, as the company puts it: PureRAW wants to be the ‘indispensable first step in any photographer’s RAW processing workflow’. To make an analogy with the music industry: DxO is like a pre-amp that aims to get the best possible signal out to the rest of your hifi-equipment. In terms of pricing, DxO PureRAW 4 is reasonably priced: a completely new license will set you back €119, while an upgrade costs €79. DxO is still on the classical ‘perpetual license + optional upgrades’ path and does not force its users into a subscription, so that’s a good thing, at least in my book…
This is an excerpt from an article by Piet Van den Eynde in issue 97 of FUJILOVE MAGAZINE (April 2024). Subscribers, you can find this article by downloading this issue from your subscriber area.
You will find the remaining part of this article in FUJILOVE MAGAZINE.
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