DXO PhotoLab 3 released: DXO released PhotoLab 3 today. Among it's major enhancements is the new HSL color management system, the addition of a refined clone tool and updates to the...

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

DXO released PhotoLab 3 today. Among it's major enhancements is the new HSL color management system, the addition of a refined clone tool and updates to the existing repair tool There are also significant refinements to its local processing including a new opacity tool, the ability to selectively turn off and on different local adjustment layers and adjust the opacity of each layer mask separately, and the ability to invert local adjusted areas with the rest of the image. They also added metadata keyword support. On my mid-level Windows 10 machine I also noticed a significant improvement in performance. There are also additional smaller enhancements to some of their existing features, as well as the addition of number of new camera/lens profiles.

DXO, which had severe financial troubles in 2017, were criticised for not providing enough updates to the previous version of their software, DXO Photolab 2. However this time around DXO's updates to PhotoLab 3 have resulted in a significant new release.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

mwsilvers wrote:

DXO released PhotoLab 3 today. Among it's major e... (show quote)

Already upgraded!

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-615959-1.html

baygolf Loc: DMV

DXO PhotoLab 2, came with the NIK collection. Does DXO PhotoLab 3, provide access to NIK?

iamimdoc

If one upgraded to nik plus photolab 2 last week
and asked if any future upgrades were in the offing
and were told no
should one be frustrated/irritated this week?

Or was the nik upgrade and free photolab2 a different upgrade product/path and I should just be quiet?

CO

I have PhotoLab 2. I will upgrade it soon.

asaya Loc: Syracuse, NY

Not being a DXO user could someone explain what are the benefits of using this software does it replace "Lightroom" Photoshop" does it catalog?

BooIsMyCat Loc: Somewhere

asaya wrote:

Not being a DXO user could someone explain what are the benefits of using this software does it replace "Lightroom" Photoshop" does it catalog?

They provide a Trial version... check it out.
https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/

photoman43

I do not yet use DXO Photolab but I plan on trying it out once I get my new desktop. I love Control Points--U Point technology that are in the NIK plug ins and in the old Nikon Capture NX2 still available but not being updated by Nikon. As a user of NX2, I want to continue to use Control points as they allow for selective edits on a portion of the image without having to create layers, etc.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

baygolf wrote:

DXO PhotoLab 2, came with the NIK collection. Does DXO PhotoLab 3, provide access to NIK?

Actually, you have it backwards. The Nik Collection came with a free copy of PhotoLab 2 Essential, which is the basic version of PhotoLab, and still will continue to be sold that way for the present. PhotoLab 3 is compatible with the Nik Collection.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

iamimdoc wrote:

If one upgraded to nik plus photolab 2 last week
and asked if any future upgrades were in the offing
and were told no
should one be frustrated/irritated this week?

Or was the nik upgrade and free photolab2 a different upgrade product/path and I should just be quiet?

Since the Nik Collection will still continue to be sold with a free copy of PhotoLab 2 Essential for the time being, you are not entitled to a free upgrade to PhotoLab 3 Essential. However, you can upgrade to PhotoLab 3 Essential for $49.99 or to PhotoLab 3 Elite for $69.99. If you plan on upgrading I strongly suggest you spend the extra $20 and upgrade to the more powerful Elite version. So, to answer your question, no, you really shouldn't be irritated.

francwoods

mwsilvers wrote:

Since the Nik Collection will still continue to be sold with a free copy of PhotoLab 2 Essential for the time being, you are not entitled to a free upgrade to PhotoLab 3 Essential. However, you can upgrade to PhotoLab 3 Essential for $49.99 or to PhotoLab 3 Elite for $69.99. If you plan on upgrading I strongly suggest you spend the extra $20 and upgrade to the more powerful Elite version. So, to answer your question, no, you really shouldn't be irritated.

So I just upgraded to PhotoLab 2 Elite in September... I would hope to get a better break in price than another $49.99 to get to version 3! Slightly irritated :/

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

asaya wrote:

Not being a DXO user could someone explain what are the benefits of using this software does it replace "Lightroom" Photoshop" does it catalog?

It primarily replaces Lightroom's Develop functionality. It does not catalog images the way Lightroom does and there is no import required. The new version does support metadata keywords, but that is currently implemented for Macs only. Windows support for keywords will come in a month or so. If cataloging images is a prime reason for your use of Lightroom than PhotoLab is not for you. It is primarily a raw converter/processor. Its local adjustment are first rate, and its noise reduction is as good as it gets. You can download and test a full unrestricted version of PhotoLab Elite for 30 days to see if its right for you.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

francwoods wrote:

So I just upgraded to PhotoLab 2 Elite in September... I would hope to get a better break in price than another $49.99 to get to version 3! Slightly irritated :/

Actually the upgrade to PhotoLab 3 Elite is $69.99. I understand your irritation. Have you contacted DXO to see if they will grandfather you in for a free upgrade? I think they do that if the original purchase is within a few weeks of a new version being released. This is not an uncommon situation. Software publishers have various ways of handling it. But unfortunately those who purchase software a month or two before it's replaced by a new version are often left with a bad taste in their mouths when they have to pay for an upgrade.

francwoods

mwsilvers wrote:

... But unfortunately those who purchase software a month or two before it's replaced by a new version are often left with a bad taste in their mouths when they have to pay for an upgrade.

So how is this different that a PS/Lightroom subscription!?
BTW, I've mostly been using Affinity Photo but liked Photolab's RAW processing better. I'm sure when Affinity goes from their 1.x versions to the 2.0 I'll be sending them some $$'s.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

photoman43 wrote:

I do not yet use DXO Photolab but I plan on trying it out once I get my new desktop. I love Control Points--U Point technology that are in the NIK plug ins and in the old Nikon Capture NX2 still available but not being updated by Nikon. As a user of NX2, I want to continue to use Control points as they allow for selective edits on a portion of the image without having to create layers, etc.

PhotoLab 3 has updated local processing significantly from the previous version. They are handled much more like layers in other software, but much easier to use. Each local processing mask can separately have its opacity adjusted from 0 to 100% so you can overlay masks, individual masks can be turned on or off to check their affect, and there is a new invert function which is great for things like spot color.