Hi, I am interested in DXO PhotoLab and I tested Photolab 7 and will test Photolab 8 with the trial, but I’m interested in any long term reviews before I buy a license.
The thing about a trial is I take a few test images, edit them (often in a few editors if I’m evaluating multiple editors) and see how I like the UI, effects, etc. But I haven’t been able to get to a point where I feel like DXO is worth it yet as the UI is a little odd and the pricing structure is almost dishonest (IMO) because you really need to buy both Photolab and FilmPack to get what I consider basic functions.
It’s the same with reviews on YouTube. They take a small number of images, often specially picked to highlight one feature well.
But how is PhotoLab long-term?
So I’m still interested and I wonder if anyone who really likes Photolab/FilmPack can provide insights on how it is to use long term. How often do you find images that either are really improved or just can’t be improved with PhotoLab? Over the long term do you find it quick to edit photos or does it just take a long time on each photo you edit? Any other thoughts after long term uses, maybe years? Did you or do you use any other editors that are better at some something?
For what it’s worth, I run a Mac and don’t want to give Adobe any money so I’m looking for an alternative. I also tested on1, but for me it is alway so slow, laggy, and unpleasant, so I’m looking at DXO again at this point.
I was a Lightroom 6.14 user until 2017 I trialed PhotoLab 1 in 2017 and like @Joanna I purchased the entire PhotoLab 1 suite of programs and have never regretted it.
I have upgraded to every version of PhotoLab since then. I realize the entire suite of programs is very expensive, and the design and functionality is not everyone’s cup of tea. That is why it is so important to spend as much time with the trial as possible to determine whether this software meets your image quality expectations and is enjoyable to use.
I have trialed almost all of the competition and own licenses to several other products but I do 99+% of my editing in PhotoLab.
My first purchase was version 2. For the first few years I updated every year, but stopped at version 5. I did not like versions 6 and 7 (I tried them, but uninstalled them after the first tests of real engagements as a photographer). However, with version 8, the first results are good, and it looks like I will be able to save time compared to version 5.
Trade policy with filmpak is not fair. The first time I had to buy a filmpack just because of the fine contrast function. This year, I’ll have to put up with the shoddy push of another feature again. I’ve never used the film features, and I don’t care… but they really drive up the price of a photolab.
I like Viewpoint and use it. Part of my photography work requires interior shots and for those applications it’s great.
YouTuber reviews - I watched 2, but I got the impression that they are more advertising than honest.
Why do I work with photolab (more than 500 photos per week)? I liked it better than the competition. And DXO acquired the u-point technology. Before Photolab I used this technology for more than 10 years in Capture NX2. Unfortunately DXO don’t understand the philosophy of this technology (or they are trying to sell Nik collection (Viveza) as well).
Is photolab the fastest editing software? - I think not! My colleagues and competitors can process more photos in the same amount of time in Lightroom. I guess it has to do with the large number of presets that are available for adobe software. There are no meaningful presets for Photolab.
Will I buy photolab 8? Yes, but I’ll wait for the Black Friday sales.
My final opinion on photolab 8: Looks promising, although there are some small things to polish. I hope version 8.0.1 will be released soon.
I can give one more piece of advice: Don’t buy a photolab just because it seems cheaper. Only buy it if you like it.
I am an amateur photographer. I began with Dx0 Optics Pro 7 in 2009 or 2010. I have bought every version since then (so OP7 to 11, then the name changed for Photo Lab so PL1 to 7). I also have FP and VP, you need both to get the full functionalities, and yes, it’s not fair but it’s the way Dx0 sells it. I’ll probably wait until black Friday to upgrade to PL8. And for the things PL doesn’t, I have PSE, ICE (Microsoft on PC) and Irfanview (free).
I too am a long term (amateur) user. I bought DxO Optics before they started calling it PhotoLab. I own licenses for NIK 6 and ViewPoint 4. Before I bought my DxO license I had experience with a very ancient version of PhotoShop Elements (got screwed by Adobe on a lost license key), Bibble Pro (which became Corel Aftershot Pro), and gimp. In the end I sent a batch of shots from AfterShot Pro and from Optics to the same printshop, and chose Optics on the basis of their better colours.
I chose to upgrade to version 8 (from PL7 Elite, I am fortunate to have been able to update every year) for the new Noise Reduction.
It’s a pity DxO don’t offer new prospective customers a longer trial period, because the software is so powerful it will take most of us much more than 30 days to learn it. But the effort is worthwhile.
I’m an amateur photographer and have been using PhotoLab since version 3. I was impressed with Prime noise reduction. When DeepPRIME came along, it was a huge step up. DeepPRIME XD2s is another big step.
The two features of PhotoLab that prevent me from using any of the competition are the noise reduction and lens correction. These two features have not only “upgraded my camera” but also my lenses, and some old cameras I no longer own.
As an example, I have a very versatile 18-135mm lens (27-202mm equivalent) that I stopped using because the edge and corner sharpness was pretty poor. It sat in a box for years until I tried processing an old photo with PL6. It’s now out of the box and in use.
Everything else I could probably manage with many different editors, but I am not willing to give up the sharpness and clarity of even high-ISO shots. I regularly shoot up to 25600 now.
Iridient has a decent trial policy - trial as much as you want the output will be watermarked… so DxO can do this ( or just block any raw conversion output after 30 days - but you still can try all UI and see on screen the actual results inside PhotoLab ) - that simple…
Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts on all this. It gives me a lot of good information.
I am waiting to download the PL8 trial because I’m not sure what is going to happen with FilmPack. Right now, the available software is PL8 but FP7 and I asked DXO support and they didn’t have any info about when FP would be upgraded. But I assume it will be updated soon and given that the trial is only 30 days, I’d probably like to wait until I could demo both PL8 and the assumed future FP8 at the same time. (Oh, and FP7 apparently doesn’t even work yet on MacOS Sequoia, which I upgraded to already, so I have to wait anyway.)
If they had a policy that said, hey, buy now we’ll give you FP8 when it releases for free, I’d seriously consider buying now (thought honestly, I’d probably wait until Black Friday). But I can’t see buying PL8 + FP7 at $299 and later (say in a month or 2) paying $79 for an upgrade to FP8.
I guess I would join the choir wishing they just had 1 comprehensive software and 1 price and it was just cleaner overall in terms of pricing. (Are you listening DXO?)
Up to now, there has been no link in the number of the versions of PL and FP. But nobody knows (except Dxo staff) why and when an 8th version of FP should launched.
The previous version has been launched to sell the Luminosity Mask plus some presets nobody really waited for…
Thanks for pointing out that the versions don’t line up. That was a bad assumption on my part. It makes me feel like buying the PL and FP bundle now might make sense.
I’m sorry to be a pest and I don’t get anything from DxO for promoting their products but, if it is available, I would highly recommend that you also get VP.
It seems that a new version of ViewPoint is coming very soon. (Someone in the forum let news of that slip when PL8 was released, and it’s evident in the PhotoLab software itself.) Thus, if possible it’s best to wait just a bit before getting ViewPoint. On the other hand, a ViewPoint upgrade isn’t very expensive compared with the rest of the software.
Thanks, for the suggestion! Can you explain why you highly recommend VP? I know that it’s basically perspective correction, so I assume it’s mostly useful if your photo has lots of straight lines, like architecture. Is it just useful to your style of photography or does it have features you think apply to most style of photos? Thanks for any info.
I don’t know if I count as long-term, but I’ve had PL7 for 1 year now. I have more of a mixed review about the software. TL;DR - for editing RAW photos, I really like it. For an end-to-end solution (including DAM), I find it lacking and feel that it needs to be paired with other software.
If I’m just editing a raw file, where the camera + lens combination is supported by PL, I think it’s really easy (and a pleasure) to get great results. Interface preferences are very personal, but to me, PL makes the most sense and I can get things done very quickly. (Make sure you set up presets with all of your most use steps, and it will be a game changer). Some people gripe about the lack of AI masking, and while I would certainly like to have it, I find it’s really easy to make an adequate mask in almost every scenario.
I previously shot Micro 4/3 for many years, and PL has given new life to thousands of my old files that were wait too noisy to make use of previously. For older photos in your library, I think you’ll be shocked by the improvements you can make with PL.
On the other hand, when it comes to managing my files, I find PL to be really lacking, and often irritating. A few things that bother me constantly:
Not being able to view images in subfolders. It’s the only program I use, that if I click on my 2024 folder, I can’t see all of the images from 2024. Instead I have to click on Year / Month / Shoot / Etc. to get to the bottom level folder in order to see images. So I’m constantly clicking in and out of folders, and lose the holistic view of my catalog
Not being able to see my smart phone (HEIC, Apple ProRaw) photos in my library. So I have to use two programs to manage my photos. Annoying, because I often use my phone for wide-angle shots when traveling, but these are excluded from any folders (or albums) that I create in PL
Inability to set or customize keyboard shortcuts makes certain tasks slower than they should be
Overall, my rating is good but not great, and I probably won’t pay for PL8, but continue using PL7 for some of my edits.
