I first tried PureRaw on my photos from my summer bird photography workshop in Ecuador. If you use the standalone PureRaw program rather than using it as a Lightroom plugin, it simply outputs a Raw DNG for further editing. Only when I wasn’t happy with the result would I apply Topaz DeNoise AI, which is generally regarded as the gold standard in noise reduction.ĭxO PureRaw takes a different approach and applies denoising and (optionally) sharpening to the source Raw file. Until recently, I processed photos entirely in Capture One (my usual photo editor). Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus). For example, it is often necessary to apply masks so that the effect is applied only to the problem areas and does not degrade sharpness where it is not needed. NIKON D500 + 400mm f/2., 1/500, f/4.5 How it Performs: NoiseĪlthough Capture One and Lightroom can already deal with noise quite well, they aren’t perfect. Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus).

Version 2 has some useful compatibility features not found in version 1, including applying the PureRaw edits directly to photos within Lightroom. It ouputs a Raw DNG file so that you can then edit it as usual in your favourite Raw editor like Lightroom or Capture One Pro.ĭxO PureRaw is on its second version, so the full name is officially DxO PureRaw 2. DxO PureRaw is a program that applies de-noising and (optionally) sharpening and lens corrections directly to Raw files.

Raw editing lightroom dxo photolab 2