My Lightroom to DxO PhotoLab Workflow Explained

In this video, I explain my workflow to integrate DxO PhotoLab with Lightroom. I also share the DxO PhotoLab settings that I like to use, demonstrating how to apply them to one of my images.

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[wojciechskorza]

These short videos are fantastic and help me in my creative approach to image processing, for which I am very grateful. I will not mention the written guides, where you have included a compendium of knowledge necessary to understand how to work with a given program for such a low price that it would be rude not to mention this nice addition. Greetings from Poland, from the city of "Przemyśl Fortress".

[sounderdavis]

Bravo! You packed this 8-minute video full of valuable tips for both newbies and veterans of DxO PhotoLab. I've been reediting old photos I shot of city architecture and needed to correct perspective but found myself regretting content lost in those black triangles. With such images, there is often a fix, as long as the triangles aren't too big: return the image to Lightroom Classic without constraining the crop; i.e. leave in the black triangles. Then in LrC, Edit In > Adobe Photoshop and use Generative Fill, drawing the Lasso tool loosely around the black triangle. The result needs to be checked with Zoom but often is quite good; sometimes Remove tool helps clean up introduced odd details.

It would be better to shoot wider when possible, even doing a panoramic stitch of a series of shots of a building, to allow room for perspective correction, but when you're editing an image you can't go back and reshoot, DxO ViewPoint + Photoshop's Generative Fill can do wonders.

[jasonlacey]

Excellent.. thank you . Certainly increased my understanding of DXO.

[bens]

Robin, this is a helpful AND interesting video. I've edited enough videos to understand how much work goes into making a well illustrated video such as this. Just one suggestion that would maximize your effort: please render your videos in 4K. The added resolution would add needed clarity to your work. Thanks!

[apwc-cxwy]

Thank you so much for your concise and informative videos. I am becoming a DXO convert.
Could you tell us what camera and lense you are using please? I use a Z8 with a 14-30mm and PL 7 has been a lifesaver for distortion. Your video has shown me even more ways to use the software.

[garavonhoiwkenzoiber]

5:16 "it takes a lot of effort so they only show you a small section"
but DXO Pure Raw 4 can do a full image though?

[munckmb]

Is the Lightroom denoise option and perspective corrections not the same? What's the difference?

[hywel]

Thanks for these first rate Photolab videos, Robin. 
I use Apple Photos for asset management, not Adobe products. From within Apple Photos, If I click on Image, Edit With, then choose DXO Photolab 8, am I allowing PL8 to render the image, or am I asking PL8 to edit the Apple Photos render, please?  
I'm unsure what to do for the best, alternatives being Export original raw files from Photos to a folder for PL8 to edit, or from the SD card to simply create folder on my hard drive and allow PL8 to do the edit before exporting to Apple Photos. Any advice gracefully appreciated!

[Hikebike]

Thanks so much for this and several other DXO centric tutorials!

Have 2 questions:
I'm a long time Fuji and LR 6 user. ( I refused to join the subscription model and stuck with Lr 6. Which worked fine as I didn't feel the need to upgrade my Fuji camera bodies once they got to 24mp. ) Just upgraded one body and now I need to upgrade my SW.

DXO looks like the best available for printing Fuji Raw files from what I'm seeing. Do you have any other strong candidates?

Also, is there a way to easily reference and learn what all the controls do and how they operate in DXO 7? My understanding of Lr6 is pretty solid but much of the DXO controls aren't named similarly and there are names that don't really explain functionality? .... Hope that makes sense

[blooskyy]

Interested to know why you aren't only using Photolab which is amazing as a standalone raw manager/editor, going back and forth to LR seems to add an unnecessary step in the process?

[iandrury]

Would this workflow also work with Affinity Photo 2 and be of benefit to my m4/3rds image files, both Olympus & Panasonic Robin ? If so which DXO products might suit my needs. Thanks for your excellent videos that have helped me with Affinity.

[mstphoto]

I have tried this on my Macbook Pro M3 but can't get my LR image to transfer to Photolab 7. I also have the same setup on PC and it works great. All settings are the same.

[sennysoon]

If anyone is wondering, the image is of the interior of Kyoto Station!

[theoweijmer]

Thanks for the video but when I use the plugin in Lightroom I get the message that my camera is not supported when I try to export from Lightroom to DXO 7, I use Om-5. This is pity because LRC is my photo library, getting photo's into DXO takes a lot of effort and therefore I hardly use DXO.

[henkhenk]

What if you want to revisit the dng file a second time in PL7 from within lightroom (after it has been exported to Lightroom the first time). Apparently the edit setting from the first pass are not restored. Maybe I am doing something wrong ? Thx !

[lensman]

Does Photolab work as standalone or it needs LR? I like DxO software, but I am not prepared to pay a subscription to Adobe, just to instal Photolab.

[henkhenk]

I am testing Photolab 7 but came upon a serious issue that seems to be present for Fuji medium format sensors. When you push the shadows in PL7, there can occur some serious banding in the preview. Have sent an example to DxO support, waiting for some feedback. Anyone else experienced this ?

[Zealor]

This software is obviously aimed at professional imagers who are creating files for publication or advertising.