Compare shows you what your photo looks like without DxO's corrections (regrettably, there's no way to compare two different shots side-by-side, as you can in Lightroom). I like DxO's top button-bar options-one click for full image-size viewing, fit on screen view, full-screen view, and side-by-side comparison views. DxO makes Lightroom round-tripping an option in PhotoLab as well as in PureRAW. That's really all you need, but Adobe's Lightroom Classic offers more flexibility with modes for sharing, printing, maps, and books, as well. The latter is where you do all your editing and tuning. The program interface has two modes: PhotoLibrary and Customize. The dark gray interface of PhotoLab has a clean, subdued look. On first run, you see a welcome panel, called the Hub, that informs you about what's new in the program and points you to help and the online DxO store. Speaking of Adobe's app, at installation, you can choose to install the DxO software as a plug-in for Lightroom Classic (the newer version of Lightroom for nonprofessionals doesn't support plug-ins, so it's only available for Classic). The installer weighs in at 810MB, which isn't outrageous when you consider that Lightroom Classic is about 2GB. PhotoLab is available for up-to-date versions of Windows 10, Windows 11 (64-bit), and macOS 10.15.7 (Catalina) or later. You can see details of what's in each edition on this PhotoLab support page. Essential still gets you the excellent raw conversion, Smart Lighting, the Spot-Weighted mode, the Microcontrast tool, and local adjustment features. That version also includes some pro features, such as the ability to manage camera-calibrated ICC profiles, custom palettes, and editable presets. To get some of DxO PhotoLab's coolest features, such as Prime de-noising and ClearView, you need the Elite version, which is what we tested for this review.

Upgrading from PhotoLab 3 or 4 costs $54.99 for Essential and $79.99 for Elite. PhotoLab is available at two pricing levels, neither of which requires a subscription, Essential ($139) and Elite ($219).

Dxo lab 3