Software:DxO PureRAW

DxO PureRAW

Developer(s)	DxO
Initial release	April 14, 2012 (2012-04-14)
Available in	English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Spanish (Spain)
Type	Photography
License	Proprietary
Website	www.dxo.com/dxo-pureraw/

DxO PureRAW is raw image preprocessing and noise reduction software developed by DxO which uses DxO’s proprietary denoising and demosaicing software engines and lens correction tools. It aims to address seven challenges encountered when converting raw files: demosaicing, denoising, moiré, lens distortion, chromatic aberrations, unwanted vignetting, and a lack of sharpness. DxO PureRAW aims to reduce noise and produce images with improved levels of color information and fine detail. DxO’s DeepPRIME engine uses a neural network trained with millions of images in order to perform demosaicing and denoising simultaneously which DxO claims will offer an advantage over more conventional methods that tend to use sequential, human-designed algorithms.

DxO PureRAW outputs raw files as Linear DNG files which can then be edited in other software such as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Capture One. DxO PureRAW can also output JPEGs.

DxO PureRAW is designed for Apple and Windows computers.

Functionality

Purpose

DxO claims that DxO PureRAW seeks to offer photographers better raw conversion than that offered by their existing software but without requiring photographers to make significant changes to their workflow. DxO asserts that the noise reduction and lens corrections offered by DxO PureRAW are superior to other photo editors, giving users improved image quality and greater flexibility when editing.

Interface and operation

Users select the files they wish to process by browsing or dragging and dropping into the PureRAW interface before choosing from one of three denoising engines: HQ, PRIME, or DeepPRIME.

As a second option, users can also process files from within Adobe Lightroom using the DxO PureRAW plug-in. Users can launch this process at any point during their Adobe Lightroom workflow and the resulting Linear DNG files will retain all of the edits previously performed on the original raw files. After synchronization, Linear DNG files are automatically added to the Lightroom catalog. Files are also added to a Collection labelled according to the date that they were converted, and contained in a Collection Set entitled “DxO PureRAW”.

As a third option, users can right-click raw files from within macOS Finder or Windows File Explorer and choose one of the DxO PureRAW options from the context menu.

Processing options

DxO PureRAW offers three options for processing RAW files, each with varying speed and performance.

HQ (High Quality) is DxO’s earliest engine and offers the fastest results. Unlike most other RAW processing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, denoising is performed before demosaicing. During its research, DxO claims to have discovered that this sequence could achieve cleaner images because it avoids having the demosaicing process amplify noise at the start of the RAW conversion process.

PRIME (Probabilistic Raw IMage Enhancement) requires more computing power. For each pixel, it analyzes the RAW file in depth in order to differentiate between noise and fine detail, before referencing 1,000 neighbouring pixels to perform a two-phase denoising process.

DeepPRIME uses artificial intelligence to perform denoising and demosaicing simultaneously. When designing DeepPRIME, DxO took the images it had previously created through calibrating thousands of cameras and lenses for DxO Optics Modules and used them to generate a large volume of sample images. These sample images were used to train a neural network to understand noise and distinguish it from fine detail. DxO has stated that using artificial intelligence produces better results to the extent that the noise removed is the equivalent of up to two ISO stops.

DxO Optics Modules

Users can choose to apply lens and camera profiles based on DxO Optics Modules. DxO Optics Modules are calibration instructions based on data points created through a laboratory tests on a wide range of lens and camera combinations. DxO maintains a list cameras and lenses for which it has created calibrations. Profiles carry information about chromatic aberrations, distortion, and vignetting depending on the lens, its aperture and its focal length. Profiles also carry information about noise specific to a camera.

DxO PureRAW detects which camera and lenses have been used and automatically asks users to download the corresponding DxO Optics Modules. More than 70,000 lens and camera combinations are supported.

Linear DNG output

DxO intends DxO PureRAW to fit into a photographer’s existing workflow, complementing a photographer’s preference for photo editing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Capture One. Linear DNG files contain all of the data from the original RAW file but the process performed by DxO PureRAW locks in denoising and demosaicing. By default, DxO PureRAW also locks in lens corrections but users may choose not to include them, preferring to use other software for this part of the process or ignore them completely. If lens corrections are performed by DxO PureRAW, users are advised not to sharpen the Linear DNG files with other software as this can result in oversharpening.

JPEG output

DxO PureRAW can also output high-resolution JPEGs.

Review options

Once files have been processed, DxO PureRAW gives users the option to review their files, presenting a before/after view showing the original raw file and the new Linear DNG file.

Development

DxO PureRAW was released on April 14, 2021 and leveraged the DeepPRIME engine already used in DxO PhotoLab 4. Like DxO PhotoLab 4, raw files from Fujifilm X-Trans were not supported.

DxO PureRAW 2 was released on March 16, 2022 and introduced DeepPRIME support for RAF files from Fujifilm X-Trans sensors as well as speed improvements. It also introduced new workflow options: a plug-in for Lightroom, and the ability to right-click raw files in Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder.

Reception

DPReview explained that DxO PureRAW allowed users to exploit DxO’s “much-praised noise reduction and lens corrections” in order to produce “Impressive image quality benefits” without disrupting an existing digital workflow. The review also praised its “Extremely simple, straightforward design”.

In its tests, Amateur Photographer explained that “DxO’s processing has extended the raw file’s usable dynamic range, counteracting one of the perceived weaknesses of smaller sensors.”

Life After Photoshop stated that PureRAW offers users “a substantial improvement in RAW image quality, especially for Lightroom users."

Some reviews have noted that the Linear DNG files produced by DxO PureRAW can be much larger than the original raw files.

DxO PureRAW was awarded Best Product 2021-22, Advanced Photo Software by EISA Awards.