DxO Optics Pro 10

I normally do not do reviews and this is not one, it is just an observation on one new feature that DxO Optics 10 provides.

I've just started looking at photo editors/workflow managers again since Apple is stopping Aperture.  I know that Aperture is supported through Yosemite but I have started noticing weird behavior in Aperture under Yosemite like taking a very long time to sync with its library.  So that just prompted me to move sooner.

So DxO Optics has this new feature called ClearView.  After reading about it, some people have really liked it and said it was spectacular, thus after coming back from Pt Reyes this last weekend and having the fog being its ever present self, I figured to give it a try against fog and not just haze.

This picture is the approach to the Pt Reyes lighthouse.  About 10AM in the morning with a good bit of fog.  The second picture is what ClearView did just with default settings.



This next picture was the walk from the lighthouse back to the parking area.  The fog has lifted some and again the first picture is the before shot.



So I have used it a couple of times now and really like it.  I'll say that I have seen people process shots without this feature and have probably done a better job, but with my skill level, I know that I'll be able to pull a few more picture to my liking.

Noise Test

I just finished taking pictures at a friends wedding and started to do what processing I know how to.  (I am bad at learning this part of the process.)  But one important thing that I noticed is since I was using auto ISO, which did help to get most of the shots in focus and without motion blur, I did end up shooting more shots at the max auto ISO setting of 6400.  This was not that bad but I did see much more noise and I would like to correct that.

With that being said, a friend of mine swears by Lightroom 5 at this point, we both started with Aperture 3.  I on the other hand have not migrated but I have collected a few other programs.  I found a promotional and was able to get the full version of Corel Aftershot Pro for free.  I figure why not and it has Perfectly Clear and Noise Ninja built into it.  I also picked up the Nik suite along the way to help out Aperture.  And finally I got DxO and am wanting to migrate to it since it also has a lot of lens and perspective corrections.  (So yes I guess I am trying everything else except Lightroom.)

So that is my setup.  From the desire to edit the wedding pictures, I figured I better do a simple comparison.  I say simple since I still do not know how to use any of these programs to their full potential thus I wanted to see what they could do on their own.  In that, I took a macro shot of a cactus flower that I had and just did noise reduction on the same RAW file and here are the results.

I only upload medium jpegs and hopefully that will be enough.  When I say default, this is basically enabling aka turning on that tool and allowing the default settings to do their stuff.  It is also interesting that the exports from Aperture did not transfer my Exif information.  Also the Aperture has a little dust repair work, but not exposure.

Coral (Perfectly Clear and Noise Ninja)

DxO (Prime default)

Aperture (Default)

NIK (Dfine default)

My conclusion: I like the DxO best.  But I really, really like the work-flow of Aperture.  I just wish Apple would update the tech in it.  (It has been nice though not having to buy multiple versions and getting pretty good update all along.)