Processed entirely using the new PL 4 by DxO. Noise correction is certainly as good as, and maybe better than, Topaz DeNoise. I'm very impressed.
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Photolab 4
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ruley74
Well-known member
I'd be interested in how PL4 goes, i have PL3 and i like it for the most part however it's still a bit buggy on Mac.
Bill Schone
Well-known member
Glad to hear the results, just upgraded today myself.
Bill Schone
Well-known member
Maybe that should have been “glad to SEE the results!”
I'm running Windows and have just upgraded from PL 3. I would say that PL 4 is a quantum leap forward. This is a good introduction https://photojoseph.com/tips/2020/10/21/dxo-photolab 4
On ediit; you can elect to have it use your GPU if it is recognised in the options/preferences.
ruley74
Well-known member
Yeah funny enough i trialed and started on a windows machine and it was good, i wanted to upgrade computers so i actually emailed them to ask what OS works better and they said same with slight benefits either side... so i bought the Mac... if i had of trialed on Mac i wouldn't have bought the program! I worked with them to sort some stuff out but still not as good as the windows version.
Looks good! congrats on the new software!
Palouse
Well-known member
I've been with them since day 1, not buggy at all on my MBP.
Kathy G
Well-known member
Good to hear/see. I am planning about upgrading but I am wondering if my computer is up to the task. I looked at the minimum specs but I am not really sure how they match to my computer. If anyone here can provide advice please do so. I am running Windows 8.1 (and yes, PL4 does work with 8.1), 12 gb RAM, Intel processor i7 quad core 1.35 (or something like that in terms of number) and I have a NVIDIA card that is 1gb. I purchased the computer about 8 years ago - a few months before Windows 8.1 was released. I don't really want to invest in a new computer right now because I know I can squeeze another year out of this one when Windows stops servicing 8.1. I have never had a problem with PL3 on this computer.
I'm no computer guru so take what I say with a pinch of salt. I have no doubt that your machine, as is, will run PL4 but slowly. More RAM would certainly help so too would a better graphcs card with more on board memory. You could always transfer the graphics card to a new machine in due course possibly, even the RAM as well.
Kathy G
Well-known member
Thanks Ivan. When you state more slowly do you mean for everything or just certain tasks like the super Prime denoise?
ruley74
Well-known member
Have a look at their own forum, not just me. I guess it really depends on the way you use it, you may not notice too much. The main problem mostly was around their repair tool. A lot better now, but they admitted they had something wrong in there eventually and fixed it. I was running a beta version they sent me to trial for some time once they identified what was causing the issues.
Personally Kathy if I were you I wouldn't try to update it... based on what you are saying your processor probably will not meet the minimum requirements (if you your PC is 8 years old that puts it in the 2012 timeframe... that most likely puts your processor at a gen 3 intel I7... even if somehow the processor would meet the minimum requirement you would pretty much be JUST meeting the minimum requirements all across the board.. (that is not a recipe for success in the IT world) it would most likely run slow if at all... if your not having issues with your current version I wouldn't touch it... squeeze the next year out of it and then upgrade both when you can upgrade the PC, these Software programs are getting more intense to run all the time and trying to run it on older hardware I would think you would have more trouble then seeing any benefits for the new software.
Disclamer: this option is based on 30 years in the IT field.
If you have any other question feel free ask.
Gordon
ruley74
Well-known member
I've downloaded the trial to see what the differences are for me. Looks OK so far. If the new Denoise is as good or better than topaz that's one less step I'd need to do for high ISO images.
Here's a 12k ISO image from the D850 via PL4
Here's the same image I processed in DXO PL3 and finished in topaz a couple of weeks ago
Here's a 12k ISO image from the D850 via PL4
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Here's the same image I processed in DXO PL3 and finished in topaz a couple of weeks ago
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Last edited:
Erik K.
New member
I also downloaded the trial and tried out the new deep-prime noise reduction. Just for a quick comparison I used a heavily cropped image of a Spotted antbird that was hiding in the dark forest undergrowth. The image was shot at 8000 ISO with a Nikon D500 + 300 PF lens.
Top left: DxO HQ noise reduction (set at luminance value 40)
Top right: same as above + Topaz Denoise AI at auto settings (noise 15, sharpness 40)
Bottom left: DxO prime (luminance 40)
Bottom right: DxO deep-prime (luminance 60)
I'm quite impressed by the results of the deep-prime noise reduction. It shows a bit more noise than the Topaz image but also much more detail in the feathers. The "old" prime noise reduction has more noise and also shows ugly artefacts near the tail, chest and head.
Top left: DxO HQ noise reduction (set at luminance value 40)
Top right: same as above + Topaz Denoise AI at auto settings (noise 15, sharpness 40)
Bottom left: DxO prime (luminance 40)
Bottom right: DxO deep-prime (luminance 60)
I'm quite impressed by the results of the deep-prime noise reduction. It shows a bit more noise than the Topaz image but also much more detail in the feathers. The "old" prime noise reduction has more noise and also shows ugly artefacts near the tail, chest and head.
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ruley74
Well-known member
Thanks for taking the time, it would have been great seeing prime vs deep prime at the same values. In saying that I think the old prime didn't clean up awesomely hence why I finished off with a light touch in topaz.
Erik K.
New member
No problem, here you have prime and deep prime at the same values
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ruley74
Well-known member
Out of interest I just tried the Osprey image I posted above using LR then topaz and couldn't even get close to the output of DXO PL3 or 4. I only use LR for my landscape edits so always low ISO images.
The improvement to the noise handling in PL4 is genuinely decent.
The improvement to the noise handling in PL4 is genuinely decent.
Kathy G
Well-known member
Thanks Gordon. You have the date of my computer about right and yes my processor is probably 2nd generation. I did contact DXO support. Their suggestion was to give the free trial a go. I always forget about the free trials when upgrading - guess I’m too happy to pull out the Visa, lol. I am going to download the free trial tonight. There are very changes in the editing part of the software - what I really want is the new addition of the history of what you have done on the edits. There are also changes in the sidebar editing panel in terms of organizing it. The only real change in the software that would tax my computer is the improved noise reduction. So, I am hoping that it will run on my computer. And that hope is based on my complete ignorance of IT! If there was no free trial I would avoid the purchase as you have advised Gordon.
No worries... Hope it works for you! its always nice having new tools...
Let the group know incase someone else is in the same boat!
Kathy G
Well-known member
I will report here how it goes.No worries... Hope it works for you! its always nice having new tools...
I have used Photolab over the years as an occasional supplement to Photoshop, mainly for prime noise reduction, which I think generally does a pretty good job on fur and feathers. Upgraded to Photolab 4 last night from version 3. I am using a 2019 iMac with 128 gb of RAM (OWC) and an 8 GB graphics card.
I had an issue on installation. Photolab 4 reported that some of my hard drives were formatted in such a way that Photolab 4 could not read them. Odd, since none of my other software, including Photolab 3, has ever had a problem. It also seemed to stop all of my open applications, so I had to force quit them and reboot.
When I rebooted, Photolab 4 worked just fine and could read the two external hard drives on which I keep my images. Looking at the DXO website FAQ, I think the issue is that I clone these two hard drives to two additional external hard drives as part of my backup arrangements. The DXO website said that Photolabs 4 might report this error on Macs where you have hard drives with the same id or hard drives that are cloned. Apparently not a Windows issue.
I tried deep prime noise reduction on some photos I have been working on. Looked pretty good. I also tried using deep prime noise reduction and exporting to Photoshop as a DNG with only optical corrections and noise reduction. Then processed in Photoshop, including running through Topaz Denoise AI. Liked the combination of using both. (I have used both Photolab 3 prime noise reduction and Topaz Denoise AI in the past on tougher images, with good results.)
I had an issue on installation. Photolab 4 reported that some of my hard drives were formatted in such a way that Photolab 4 could not read them. Odd, since none of my other software, including Photolab 3, has ever had a problem. It also seemed to stop all of my open applications, so I had to force quit them and reboot.
When I rebooted, Photolab 4 worked just fine and could read the two external hard drives on which I keep my images. Looking at the DXO website FAQ, I think the issue is that I clone these two hard drives to two additional external hard drives as part of my backup arrangements. The DXO website said that Photolabs 4 might report this error on Macs where you have hard drives with the same id or hard drives that are cloned. Apparently not a Windows issue.
I tried deep prime noise reduction on some photos I have been working on. Looked pretty good. I also tried using deep prime noise reduction and exporting to Photoshop as a DNG with only optical corrections and noise reduction. Then processed in Photoshop, including running through Topaz Denoise AI. Liked the combination of using both. (I have used both Photolab 3 prime noise reduction and Topaz Denoise AI in the past on tougher images, with good results.)
Kathy G
Well-known member
I downloaded the free trial of Photolab 4 tonight. It worked fine on my 8 year old computer. No slower than PL3. I did not try Deep Prime but I suspect it will take some time to save photos as jpg with Deep Prime - I can live with that. I really like the new way of accessing the editing tools, really easy to use and so much faster to find the stuff. I did, however, lose where the 2 plug ins - film pack and the geometry one - are located. Guess I will have to figure out where they are.No worries... Hope it works for you! its always nice having new tools...
That’s great news! Maybe try the support section and see if some else has had this issue, you might get lucky?
Kathy G
Well-known member
I had a quick look at the support FAQ last night and it seems that there is an activate button for those 2 plug ins. I’ll have to look for the buttons.