DXO Launches Photo Lab 7 and Film Pack 7
DXO labs has today announced the release of the latest version of its Flagship Photo Processing software, DXO Phot Lab 7. This new version includes new colour calibration tools, LUT support, a new workflow for black and white images and some revisions to the way local adjustments work. Also announced today is a new version of DXO Film Pack, DXO’s film emulation software.
Photo Lab 7
The new features of Photo Lab 7 are primarily focussed on colour and control. According to the blurb from the company press release:
“Our goal has always been to give photographers the ultimate in image quality, and PhotoLab 7 takes this another step further. Combined with our ultra-wide gamut and soft proofing functionality, the introduction of the colour calibration tool and support for LUTs creates a whole new level of control.” Fabrizio Dei Tos Navalesi - DxO Product Director
I had a chance to try out a pre-release version of the software, and I’ll include my observations where relevant.
Colour Calibration Built In
Probably the biggest new feature is that Photo Lab now can generate colour profiles directly in the software. You can use an industry standard colour checker, such as those from Calibrate and Datacolour. PhotoLab gives you a tool to select the colour checker in any shot, and from there it will create a DCP colour profile.
I tried this myself with my Datacolor Spyder Checker and the process is pretty seamless. You simply take a photo with the checker in the frame. When you import the photo into Photolab, you can use the calibrate tool. This works by giving you an overlay which you move and adjust to line up the sample squares with the ones in your shot (even if they’re at an angle) and then you can save and apply the generated profile. It only takes a second.
Lut Support
Photo Lab now supports colour look-up tables or as they’re more commonly known – LUTs. The software supports the standard .cube format, and comes with 17 DXO LUTs to get started. I tested this with my own LUTs, and it seems to work well.
New Black and White Workflow
The workflow for creating black and white images has been revamped in the software. There is a new tab in the interface that allows you to switch from colour to black and white. This tab also gives you direct access to new film renderings, and if you have film pack installed, you will see all the available film stocks directly in the panel. Photo Lab 7 also includes a new 6-channel colour mixer for controlling the tonality of your black and white conversions. Unfortunately, if you want to add grain, you still need to go to the FX panel. It would have been nice to include this on the black and white tab.
Local Adjustment Improvements
DXO has also improved the way local adjustments are handled in Photo Lab. There is a new dedicated palette in the workspace, and HSL colours can now be controlled using local adjustments. In other words, you can now get the HSL colour wheel when using any of the local adjustments such as control point, control lines etc. This seems to replace the old wheel selector, and is more akin to the controls in the Nik collection.
Price and Availability
PhotoLab 7 is available now as a free upgrade for existing PhotoLab 7 users. New customers can download Windows and macOS versions directly from the DxO website, and a 30-day free trial is also available.
- New License Price is: €229 | $229 | £209
- Upgrade Pricing: €109 | $109 | £99
Film Pack 7
A new version of Film Pack was also announced today. Film Pack is DXO’s film emulation software, that works as a standalone application, or as a plug-in with other software such as Lightroom or Photoshop. It also integrates with Photo Lab. Here’s what’s new according to the Press Release:
(The following text is directly from the DXO Press Release)
Luminosity Masks for unequaled editing
FilmPack 7, Luminosity Masks enable the fine adjustment of exposure, colour, and contrast. Users can now target specific parts of the image for precise changes, such as adding warmth to highlights, offering new levels of control.
Upgraded Time Machine mode
Spanning almost two centuries of history's greatest photographers and their favourite film stocks, DxO FilmPack 7’s Time Machine features a large collection of iconic photographs. Users can experience historical styles in context and then apply them to their own photos. Photographers can enjoy 22 new historical images and events, in addition to 26 new presets, bringing the total to 94.
25 new film renderings and digital styles
In addition to FilmPack already wide array of authentic film renderings, Version 7 features 5 new modern analog film renderings: Cinestill Redrum 200, LomoChrome Metropolis 200, Lomography Redscale XR 200, Berlin Kino B&W 400, and Earl Grey B&W 100. 20 new digital effects, and a series of digital rendering see new styles of color and black-and-white modes on modern cameras from Nikon and FujiFilm. FilmPack 7 brings the total number of adjustable high-fidelity color and monochrome film renderings to 89 and 82 digital styles
Some examples of Film Pack in Action:
Here are two example images from my own photo library processed with Film Pack… (click to view large)
Film Pack 7 is also available now from the DXO store, and new versions will cost €139 | $139 | £129 and upgrades from the previous version will cost €79 | $79 | £69
Please note that while this is not a directly sponsored post – I am on the DXO affiliate program and do receive a small commission for any purchases made through the above links.
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