PhotoLab 6.3 colour control update

DxO Labs announces a new version of DxO PhotoLab. Version 6.3 ELITE edition introduces the ability to simulate papers and inks when soft proofing, further expanding the performance of DxO Wide Gamut. In addition, both ELITE and ESSENTIAL editions allow photographers to edit JPEG and TIFF files within this powerful new working colour space.

Other upgrades have smoothed the installation of DxO Optics Modules, and photographers can now view the entire image area (going beyond what photo editors typically display) when cropping.

Soft proofing: Absolute precision when preparing prints

DxO PhotoLab 6 introduced a vast new working colour space, and with it, the ELITE version offered soft proofing options that give photographers greater precision when preparing their images for display. Version 6.3 ELITE develops this further, adding paper and ink simulations when soft proofing and ensuring that prints are as accurate as possible.

DxO PhotoLab’s soft proofing palette already features the unique ‘Preserve colour details’ slider, which protects colour detail in highly saturated parts of the image when moving to smaller colour spaces. In addition, it now has a checkbox to activate paper and ink simulation as specified by the selected ICC Profile, giving photographers even greater accuracy when preparing their files for printing.

DxO Wide Gamut now supports RGB image files
DxO’s vast new working colour space was designed to give photographers the ultimate colour workflow for their RAW files. With version 6.3, photographers now have the option to edit JPEG and TIFF files in the new colour space, giving greater flexibility when editing files and maximising colour capabilities.

See everything that your lens gives you

Photo editing software typically crops an image as it corrects distortions, making the image conform to the standard ratio of the camera. This can cause part of the image to be lost. Sometimes photographers might want to access the full image projected by the lens, and DxO PhotoLab 6.3 offers this option when using the Crop tool.

Installing DxO’s pioneering Optics Modules is now more efficient

For maximum image quality, photographers have long been prompted to download DxO Optics Modules – corrections produced in DxO’s own purpose-built laboratory. Now, it’s possible to quickly select or deselect all the modules a photographer wants to install, making the process smoother.

Price and availability

DxO PhotoLab 6.3 (Windows and macOS) is now available for download on the DxO website (https://shop.dxo.com/) at the following prices:
● DxO PhotoLab 6.3 ESSENTIAL Edition € 139 / 14,900 円 / £ 129 / $ 139
● DxO PhotoLab 6.3 ELITE Edition € 219 / 23,900 円 / £ 199 / $ 219

A free, 30-day trial is available. Existing owners will be prompted to upgrade for free from within the application.

Please give us your feedback.

The DxO PhotoLab 6.3 does feel like a minor upgrade. The Wide Gamut delivered in PhotoLab 6.0 is clearly going to be a significant component in the DxO suite in the future. However, I question how much benefit this will be to photographers who will have their work seen on monitors not configured to benefit from the extra colours.  If you are an existing DxO 6 user, these are free upgrades worth adding to your toolkit. Would these changes make me jump from another editing program? I’m not so sure.

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About the author

As well as running Edinburgh Photography Workshop, Rich Dyson is a professional photographer. His photographs are regularly used in newspapers such as The Times, Guardian and Daily Telegraph. He also had two solo exhibitions and was featured in a members-sponsored exhibition in the Scottish Parliament. You can see and buy his photography at richdysonphotography.com.