Do I need Pure Raw?

DxO PureRAW
1

Hi Guys,

I have PhotoLab 8 Elite, do I need Pure Raw?

I can’t seem to find any info on the main site to help me decide.

Thanks

Raymond

2

The answer is simple: no!
PhotoLab (Elite) already includes all of PureRAW’s features.
At least, if you don’t require the special batch export/renaming functions.

3

That depends on whether you are also using other software, like Lightroom, to process your raw files. If PhotoLab is your only raw processor than you don’t need PureRaw. It is only intended for use with software other than PhotoLab.

Mark

4

No, you don’t need Pure Raw if you are using PhotoLab.

Both programs use DXO’s denoise and optical correction algorithms to make the basic optical corrections during the demosaicing process, but with a different interface and tools.

PR exports a new file with the denoise and optical corrections, but does not have any other editing tools for tone, color, crop, etc.

PL has the additional editing tools. PL then creates the output file with the denoise and optical corrections as well as the other edits during export.

By only choosing the denoise and optical corrections in PL (no other edits) you get the output.

If you use another program for the normal edits and only want the denoise and optical corrections, then PR might be a better choice with the stripped-down interface.

5

Any word on if all the features of PR5 will be available in the next release of Photolab? I’m guessing/hoping they will… I bought PR4 long before Photolab 8 and didn’t know at the time it was included, so I have both anyway, and upgrades are reasonably priced, but I’d much more happily hold off on upgrading until new Photolab is released .

6

Thanks for all your answers, that’s what I thought

7

To put it short: NO, unless you have very specific LR/PS needs and you are not patient enough to see what actually comes on April 15 PR5 rollout and PL update and what happens few months after.

Late in 2023 I asked myself exactly the same question. The answer found in DxO FAQ was NO, with some obvious remarks about PR as Lightroom/Photoshop plugin. The current DxO answer to this question is more complex, probably more business-driven than before: Do I need DxO PureRAW if I already have DxO PhotoLab? What is the difference? – Help center .
I would say that DxO arguments to buy PR as an addition to PL are rather poor and out of touch (but I’m easy with scripting). It did happen that XD2 denoising appeared first in PR only but after few months you got even better XD2s in both. Generally, in PL you have better control than in PR4, but it’s yet unknown what will happen in PR5. Personally, I use sometimes Affinity Photo or NikCollection for post-processing the TIFFs exported by PL (I don’t use the integration goodies, just do it manually on the filesystem level), but most of my final output comes straight from PL. I don’t need PR for that. My “plan B” is Topaz AI + CaptureOne but never tried it and it doesn’t look too good to me now.