DxO Optics Pro 8 and Its New Smart Lighting Feature— an Abbreviated Mini Review

© 2012 Peter Free

 

15 November 2012

 

 

Why I tried DxO Optics Pro 8 Standard

 

Until recently, I had been using Optics Pro 7 as a cross-platform RAW processer.  The main attraction of Optics Pro 8’s update of 7 was its advertised “Smart Lighting” feature.

 

 

Synopsis of my conclusions about Optics Pro 8

 

Three basic ones:

 

If you do not have Optics Pro 7, Optics Pro 8 is worthwhile as a cross-platform RAW processor.

 

If you do have Pro 7, 8 may not be enough of an improvement to warrant its even temporarily reduced cost.

 

If you are a Photoshop user and you already own Optics Pro 7, the upgrade to 8 is almost certainly not worth buying.

 

 

How I tested DxO Optics Pro 8

 

To test Optics Pro 8 and its Smart Lighting advance, I selected some underexposed and/or very contrasty RAW  micro four-thirds files (from an Olympus E-PL1) that I had previously processed using Optics Pro 7.

 

I figured that if Optics Pro 8 were significantly better than 7, the improvement would be obvious.

 

 

A huge caveat — the E-PL1’s not-so-good sensor may not an ideal test for Smart Lighting

 

My guess is that Smart Lighting would have done better with files from wider range sensors, especially full frame.

 

The problem with the E-PL1 (and all its pre-OMD/EM5 ilk) is not there was too frequently nothing for Smart Lighting to retrieve, either from the shadows or highlights.  Or both.

 

 

“Why no illustrating photos of your comparisons, Pete?”

 

The RAW test files I used are pictures of friends, whom I do not have model releases for.

 

The lack of illustrations in this review does not really matter.  Photographers always quibble over reviewers’ techniques.  In my experience, these quarrels are usually an exchange of ignorant air.  I say this because I find that the majority of allegedly visible differences between well-regarded sensors and processing software (of roughly the same era) are usually trivial.

 

DxO allows potential customers to try the software free for 31 days.

 

 

With the small sensor caveat in mind — my basic criticism of Optics Pro 8

 

Optics Pro 8 is not a whole lot different than Pro 7:

 

Still takes forever to boot

 

Still unintuitive user interface

 

Still have to drag files from the bottom tray into the processing area

 

Still too much uncontrollable automaticity

 

Still saves newly modified files into whatever folder Optics Pro last saved to — rather than saving into the folder that picture was selected from

 

And, for Photoshop users, the new Smart Lighting function may not be especially useful

 

 

In regard to Smart Lighting itself — it isn’t smart enough

 

Smart Lighting was not very smart in my test.  Left to its own (automatic) devices, it always underexposed. 

 

And, when I cranked the Smart slider to the right — to increase the exposure in shadow areas and decrease it in highlights — the process seemed to work similarly to Photoshop CS5’s shadows/highlight function.  But without equivalent control.  And without Photoshop’s ability to mask and layer.

 

Smart Lighting results were mostly bland.  In some examples, moving the slider changed colors in some portions of the picture.  That meant that I would have had to mask and layer in Photoshop, anyway.

 

 

My overall conclusions about Smart Lighting — which may not apply to full frame sensors

 

I’m of two minds about Optics Pro 8’s Smart Lighting:

 

For people who do not use Photoshop, Smart Lighting is probably a blessing.  It does work.  And it works with only one slider, which makes it a timesaver.  The results in contrasty lighting were decent, though usually boring.

 

However, for people accustomed to masking, layering and correcting in Photoshop, I do not think Smart Lighting adds anything worthwhile.

 

 

Optics Pro 8 user interface

 

DxO apparently felt compelled to make just enough unhelpful changes to Pro 7’s already mildly annoying interface to exacerbate the problem.  These modifications are mostly not for the better.  They are simply parallel-ly bad.

 

On the positive side, 8’s logic is enough like 7’s for former users to catch on quickly.

 

Irritating automaticity

 

One of the annoyances with Pro 7 (for me) is its automaticity.  Sometimes it goes off in directions that I don’t want, but I have not discovered a way to prevent this.  Optics Pro 8 is similarly bad.

 

Note

 

This is one area where I think Adobe’s ACR trounces Optics Pro 7 and 8.

 

Ever since I began using Photoshop CS5 (after years on CS3), I find myself using ACR in preference to Optics, simply because ACR is less of a hassle to use.  ACR is also transparent about what it is doing.

 

On the other hand, more often than not, Optics does process a wide variety of manufacturers’ RAW files in a pleasing way.  That is why I adopted it as a cross-platform RAW processer some time ago.

 

 

On balance, Optics Pro 8 is a very good RAW processor

 

If you want a RAW converter that makes poorly exposed files look a whole lot better, with just one slider adjustment, DxO Optics Pro 8 is an excellent choice.

 

Smart Lighting made all my trashy files look better.  My only criticism was that I could make them look better still using Photoshop, even without Optics Pro 8.

 

 

The moral? — Optics 8 is enough of an improvement that you will want to test it yourself

 

For me, the upgrade was not worth the $49 it would have cost me today.

 

But for others, especially those who don’t like spending hours on each frame, it certainly will be, even at a higher price.