DxO PureRAW 3: What’s New
Right on cue, DxO have released the latest version of their PureRAW software.
It’s called <insert drumroll> – PureRAW 3
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I run almost all of my images through either PureRAW or PhotoLab, so am very keen to check out what’s new, what’s better and if the new version of the software is worth the cost of upgrade.
Let’s take a look at what’s new:
Table of Contents
DeepPRIME XD Noise Reduction
The feature most photographers get excited about when using PureRAW 3 is the noise reduction technology.
DeepPRIME XD has been available in DxO’s fully featured RAW Converter for a while and it is a decent improvement on the already fantastic DeepPRIME. It is now available for use in PureRAW 3.
DeepPRIME XD will produce better detail in complex scenes (the XD stands for ‘eXtra Detail’) and will also produce better colours at the more extreme end of the ISO spectrum. The only downside is that it takes longer to process images.
The original DeepPRIME is also still available as an option if you want fantastic results in less time where the improvements in the XD version aren’t worth the wait.
Process Files Directly from From Finder or File Explorer
If you just want to process a batch of images without playing around with all the settings you can now just right-click on them in finder/file explorer and process them via a couple of preset options.
<callout> I think this was actually introduced in PureRAW 2 – but I’ve only just discovered it so I’m going to leave it in 🙂
Doing so will open PureRAW 3 and start processing them right away and save the images in a DxO subfolder alongside the original images.
Control Over Optical Corrections
Previous versions of PureRAW only let you turn on/off two options: Lens Softness and Distortion correction. Now you can toggle on/off:
- Lens softness
– You can also choose the amount of sharpening applied - Vignetting correction
- Removal of Chromatic aberration
- Lens distortion correction
– You can also choose how to crop the image post correction
Image Queuing System
Further Reading
DxO have a detailed tutorial on this. Give it a read if you’re interested as it’s a little too complex for this article.
PureRAW 3 has a new queuing system that allows you to start a batch of images, then, while still processing those images, setup a new batch that will run after the current one finishes.
You an also change the order that the images will be processed in the queue by dragging and dropping them.
Output .tiff files
PureRAW 1 & 2 would only allow you to export either a linear .dng (raw) file or a .jpeg. PureRAW 3 now adds .tiff files to that selection and will allow you to output a .dng, .tiff and a .jpeg (should you so desire).
I can’t really see how I would use this in my workflow. I guess a .jpeg in addition to my usual .dng might be helpful for a really quick preview of the results – but I will probably just stick to outputting a .dng file to process in Lightroom.
It’s always good to have the option though 🙂
New Camera, Lens and file Support
As with every DxO Release, PureRAW 3 adds a heap of new camera and lens combos to its database.
This means it is more likely to work with your new-fangled camera that you bought a couple of weeks ago.
I must say though, I don’t like how DxO forces you to update to the latest version to get the new camera support, especially when many of the cameras were released well before PureRAW 3 was available. I think DxO should keep support for at least one previous generation of software. This is obviously a business decision to help get people to upgrade, and I respect that – however it feels a little ‘money-grabby’ to me.
Check out the supported cameras and lenses at the DxO site.
Is PureRAW 3 Worth It?
Short answer: Yes, probably.
Why probably?
Well, if you want to apply noise reduction to non-raw files – You’d be out of luck with PureRAW 3 (the name kinda gives it away there).
If you already process your files in DxO PhotoLab 6 Elite, then you will get exactly the same (and more) functionality from your existing software and you probably should save your cash
If you already have PureRAW 2 then the image quality improvements of the DeepPRIME algorithm are decent enough that I would say it’s worth the upgrade price (currently US$79).
If you’re happy with your current raw conversion software but want to incorporate class leading noise reduction and optical corrections into your workflow with little fuss, then PureRAW 3 will serve you well.
If you’re completely happy with Topaz Photo AI or On1 NoNoise for your noise reduction needs, or use a camera/lens combo that isn’t compatible with PureRAW 3, then you probably won’t want to buy this software.
DxO PureRAW 3 Free Trial
The best way to see if the software works for you is to try it out for yourself.
Click Here to download the free trial for DxO PureRAW 3