DxO Optics Pro 10 Review

ClearView is pretty amazing in use. It does what it claims within reason as far as cleaning up haze and smog. I don’t tend to shoot in smoggy conditions, but I have images that suffer from haze. There’s only one control in ClearView - Intensity. The default of 50 works pretty well for the majority of images, but small adjustments can make a big difference in final appearance.
Here’s a typical example that I would use. The first image shows a view of Bryce Canyon with basic adjustments applied:
And here is the image with ClearView applied at a setting of 52. You can see that it’s changed the contrast and lighting as well as applied some sharpening appearance:
A more dramatic example here of Mt. Rainier:
ViewPoint 2 and FilmPack 5 (purchased separately, or as a bundle with DxO Optics 10) are fully integrated being selectable from the Customize tools panel. ViewPoint 2 gives you powerful perspective correction while FilmPack 5 gives you a number of film simulations, textures, and frames to finalize your image.
Conclusion
DxO Optics Pro 10 is a welcome and worthwhile upgrade to the application. Speed is greatly improved, the already excellent PRIME noise reduction is faster, and ClearView is a great addition to the toolset. If your camera is supported, it should be on your list of options for raw processing. I recommend the Elite edition as this is where the most useful tools are. The new lower price makes this an attractive option for more photographers, and the ability to work directly with Lightroom helps you to integrate this into your existing workflow.
Ratings (out of 5) | |
---|---|
Features | 4 |
Ease-of-use | 3.5 |
Value for money | 4 |
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