DxO Optics Pro v4 Public Beta

DxO Labs Press Release

DxO Labs Announces Availability of DxO Optics Pro v4 Public Beta Release - Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility with Adobe Photoshop

New York, NY and Paris, France – August 3, 2006 – DxO Labs announces today availability of a free, Windows PC public beta release of DxO Optics Pro v4 for all digital photographers to download from the DxO Labs Web site (http://www.dxo.com).  DxO Optics Pro software improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, noise and exposure corrections in an easy-to-use, feature rich application for Mac and PC users. “DxO Optics Pro v4 brings a wealth of true innovations including faster throughput and significantly improved control over color and optical performance,” said Luc Marin, vice president of the Photography Business Unit at DxO Labs. “In the eight months since releasing the previous (v3.5) DxO Optics Pro software, our engineers have worked diligently to add the kinds of improvements photographers world wide have been requesting.”

DxO Optics Pro v4, slated to be available on Macintosh and Windows platforms in September 2006, includes four main areas of exciting new functionality:

NEW: Unique DxO Color Engine with breakthrough features
Thanks to the new DxO Color Engine, DxO Optics Pro v4 provides photographers with a complete color adjustment toolbox including two revolutionary features:
- New unique Multi-Point Color Balance tool to easily perform optimal color balance for a given scene.
- A selection of Color Rendition Profiles and of Color Modes. In particular, the Color Rendition profile of one camera can be applied to images taken with another camera.

Many other color features are included and in particular the ability to import third party ICC color rendition profiles.

NEW: Third generation DxO Optics Engine – comprehensive image geometry control
Now in its third release, DxO Optics Engine, a core component of DxO Optics Pro, expands functionality to include horizon adjustment (rotation), keystoning (perspective) correction as well as a new exclusive Volume Anamorphosis correction feature. This groundbreaking feature automatically brings three-dimensional objects that appear deformed by ultra-wide angle lenses back to their correct proportions. The effect of this unique correction is particularly dramatic for images including human beings. As with previous versions, DxO Optics Engine automatically corrects lens distortion, vignetting, lens softness and chromatic aberrations including purple fringing.

NEW: Improved Performance and Optimized Workflow – up to 500% faster
Remaining focused on providing automatic image enhancement, DxO Optics Pro v4 marks a radical overhaul of the application’s ergonomics as well as many important enhancements to the workflow. Both image adjustment and image processing speed have been key priorities in the development of DxO Optics Pro v4 resulting in speed increases of up to 500% compared to the previous version. DxO Optics Pro v4 will also be optimized for Mac/Intel processors.

NEW: Core DxO image enhancement features to be available as Adobe Photoshop Plug-In
Now, DxO Optics Pro features will always be available within the most popular photo-retouching application. Once installed in Photoshop, the new DxO Optics Pro Plug-in will allow users to directly access core DxO image correction features when opening RAW or JPEG images.  (Note: The DxO Optics Pro Plug-in is not included in the public beta released today).

Availability and upgrade policy
DxO Optics Pro v4 Windows public beta for PC is available immediately on http://www.dxo.com . DxO Optics Pro v4 (including plug-in) is planned to be available for Windows, Intel Mac and Macintosh in late summer 2006. All purchasers of DxO Optics Pro v3.55 on or after June 20, 2006 are eligible for a free upgrade to v4.

Pricing of full versions of DxO Optics Pro v4 will remain unchanged:
- DxO Optics Pro v4 Starter: €64 / $79 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)
- DxO Optics Pro v4 Standard: €124 / $149 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)
- DxO Optics Pro v4 Elite: €249 / $299 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)

Pricing of an upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v4 will be as follow:
- DxO Optics Pro v1.x Starter à DxO Optics Pro v4 Starter : €19,90 / $24,90 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)
- DxO Optics Pro v3.x Standard à DxO Optics Pro v4 Standard : €39,90 / $49,90 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)
- DxO Optics Pro v3.x Elite à DxO Optics Pro v4 Elite : €69,90 / $79,90 (ex. VAT and sales taxes)

DxO Optics Pro has been chosen as 2006 “Best Photo Software” by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).

About DxO Labs and its DxO Technology
DxO Labs is a software and intellectual property licensing company focused on research in applied mathematics for still and video image processing. We provide advanced technologies and reliable, off-the-shelf solutions to achieve excellence in all aspects of image quality for companies and consumers in the imaging business:

- Digital camera vendors;
- Professional and serious amateur photographers;
- Photography journalists and imaging experts;
- Mobile imaging: cameraphone vendors, camera module manufacturers, sensor and processor vendors.

We guarantee state-of-the-art technology in image processing thanks to our significant research efforts. DxO Labs’ ambition is for the “DxO” brand to become recognized as the consumer’s trusted mark of excellence in image quality.

For more information, visit DxO Labs online at http://www.dxo.com

Adobe Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc.

Published: Thursday, August 03, 2006

Reader Comments

1. Sadly, the link they provide to the beta returns a 404 - File Not Found.

   phule at 02:23pm on Thursday, August 03, 2006