DxO updates photo-editing software with enhanced noise reduction

By Hillary K. Grigonis June 3, 2016

oxo updates opticspro 11 en1 — DxO OpticsPro (2014 version)

DxO’s latest software update turns down the noise, ramps up the speed, and adds new automated tools.

While DxO OpticsPro 11 includes several updates across the board, the latest version’s biggest draw is the improvements to DxO Prime, a noise reduction tool considered by many to be an industry standard. The latest version keeps more of the detail, while still maintaining color and bokeh.

While the program will help rescue more high ISO photos than before, the company says it will also do it faster. DxO Prime’s latest update works up to four-times faster than the previous version. By applying a profile created from the camera and lens information inside the image’s metadata, the noise reduction algorithm can also be applied automatically.

The smart lighting tool isn’t new to DxO OpticsPro, but the automated results see some significant improvement in the latest version. The new spot metering mode allows users more control over the automatic smart lighting profiles by applying the effect to user-defined areas of the photo, creating the look of spot metering in post. The automatic face detection will also boost images by optimizing the light that falls on faces, the company says. The smart lighting tools are automatic, but they can be still be fine-tuned.

While the noise reduction and smart lighting tools are the most notable updates, the software includes several smaller overall improvements. Red-eye reduction can now be applied automatically with a new face and eye detection feature. Selective tone control aims for more natural-looking adjustments, while the new “microcontrast” adjustment enhances contrast without adding noise. A new screen mode also allows for full-screen editing.

Like with previous versions, DxO’s software can apply automatic corrections for distortion, chromatic aberration, and other lens quality issues by reading the image’s metadata. The update adds several of the latest lenses and cameras – bringing the number of supported combinations to over 28,000.

The program lists at $129 for the essentials version and $199 for the full version, with release specials running through the end of the month.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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