This morning, DxO announced PhotoLab 3, the latest version to its flagship software. The upgrade features several optimizations to the software, including a redesigned HSL color adjustment feature, improvements to the Repair tool and brand-new Local Adjustments Mask Manager.
Additionally, the software introduces keywords, allowing users to import existing keywords from other programs as well as search by them.
Focus on color
The new HSL tool (Hue, Saturation and Luminance) offers more control than ever to produce more natural-looking and creative images. It features a new color adjustment mode based on a chromatic circle called the DxO ColorWheel.
The ColorWheel allows you to select a color range from eight channels and fine-tune the value. You can also select a replacement color and adjust transitions for a more natural look. A new Uniformity setting also lets you adjust color variations within a specific range.
Finally, the Saturation and Luminance sliders now operate more independently, providing more flexibility. This is particularly useful when converting images to black and white.
“With the DxO ColorWheel, we were looking to create a new approach that could make color management both flexible and fun,” said Jean-Marc Alexia, VP Marketing & Product Strategy. “This tool is incredibly user friendly.”
Improved Repair tool
The Repair tool — which acts as a brush that can erase unwanted elements from an image — has also been updated. You can now manually reposition the area in the source image that you want to use to reconstruct an area in the image being edited.
PhotoLab 3 also offers Clone Mode, allowing you to directly replace the area you are editing. Feathering and opacity can also be adjusted in both modes.
New Local Adjustments Mask Manager
The new Local Adjustments palette lets you manage local correction masks that have been layered within a single image. This allows you to make them visible, mask them or adjust their opacity on an individual basis. You can also reverse the selected mask with a single click.
Keywords
PhotoLab 3 now offers keyword management and optimizes image organization all the way up to export. Keywords associated with an image can now be displayed in the interface, including when they are imported from other programs. You can add, delete or rename keywords for one or multiple images simultaneously, as well as include them in multi-criteria searches (macOS only upon launch; will be available on Windows at a future date).
The software also allows more complete information and metadata display options, as well as additional Projects management options.
Camera support
Finally, PhotoLab 3 has added several new cameras to the list of what the software supports. This includes the following:
- Canon: G5 X Mark II, G7 X Mark III
- Nikon: P1000
- Panasonic Lumix: DC-G90/G95/G99/G91, FZ1000 II, TZ95/ZS80
- Ricoh: GR III
- Sony: A7R IV, RX100 VII
De-noising capabilities have also been improved with certain Canon and Olympus cameras as well.
Pricing and availability
DxO PhotoLab 3 for Windows and Mac will be available until November 24, 2019 for $99.99 (Essential Edition) or $149.99 (Elite Edition). After that date, pricing will increase to $129 and $199, respectively.
The Essential Edition allows users to install on two computers, while the Elite Edition allows for installation on three machines. Photographers with a license for DxO Optics Pro or DxO PhotoLab 2 can purchase an upgrade license by signing into their customer account on dxo.com.
For more information and to download a free trial of DxO PhotoLab 3, visit dxo.com.
