Because some Patrons want to avoid Adobe's subscription model, when choosing a post-production editing software, I created a 90-minute 'DxO PhotoLab 8 - Transitioning from Lightroom to DxO PhotoLab' video tutorial back in February this year. DxO have now announced Version 9 of the software that addresses some, but perhaps not all, of my reservations when choosing DxO PhotoLab over Lightroom. If you don't need the Lightroom features that DxO does not have, and don't use some of the file formats that DxO does not support, then DxO PhotoLab 9 might just be your best alternative option to using Lightroom Classic.
Purchase/Upgrade Links + 20% DISCOUNT CODE
Valid until 8th September 2025
PhotoLab Elite: https://tidd.ly/41Q7ETc
PhotoLab Essentials: https://tidd.ly/4mJt6kQ
PhotoLab Trail: https://tidd.ly/41KNfyT
DISCOUNT CODE: FathersDay 2025_20% (Valid until 8th September 2025)
New with DxO PhotoLab 9
Apple HEIC/HEIF and ProRaw files are now supported. Hopefully we now have support for Sony's HIF files.
AI Masks have been added (using artificial intelligence to create smart selections) making image adjustments faster and easier. This was one advantage of Lightroom over PhotoLab that I highlighted in my 'transition' video tutorial. It is now possible with PhotoLab 9 to select the sky or different objects within the image to make image adjustments. Photographers can also apply localised noise reduction and lens sharpness to their images to achieve great image fidelity. Something we have seen with the recent release of DxO PureRaw 5
DxO has an improved workflow, introducing image stacking, and direct access to the project palette in customise mode. With PhotoLab 9, you now get new batch renaming tools, giving control over image file names.
PhotoLab 8 Recap (Previous Version)
DxO PhotoLab 8 - Transitioning from Lightroom to DxO PhotoLab
The advantages and disadvantages (for some) that I noted in my PhotoLab 8 video are listed below:
ADVANTAGES
Class-leading Denoising algorithms
Lens Softness Compensation (achieve class-leading levels of sharpness)
Cutting-Edge Camera & Lens Profiles
One-off Purchase (no subscriptions but paid upgrades)
Enhanced DNG files not supported (Adobe Super Resolution & Adobe DeNoise)
DISADVANTAGES
Sony sRAW/mRAW not supported (Small and Medium Raw)
Adobe .psd files and .PNG files not supported
No AI Generative Remove or AI Lens Blur
No Cloud Syncing
No support for files that have been created using Adobe's 'PhotoMerge' feature (Panoramic, HDR or Focus Stitching).