DxO OpticsPro Review: Powerful Raw Image Processing, with Peerless Lens Corrections

As an experienced photographer, I‘m always on the lookout for tools that can help me get the best possible results from my raw camera files while speeding up and simplifying my workflow. After extensively testing DxO OpticsPro 11, I‘ve found it to be one of the most powerful and effective raw processors available, thanks largely to its superior automatic lens correction capabilities.

While it faces stiff competition from the likes of Adobe Lightroom and Capture One Pro, OpticsPro distinguishes itself with a combination of unmatched lens optimization, a strong set of image editing tools, and a workflow that allows photographers to achieve excellent results quickly and easily. It‘s not perfect, with a couple weaknesses in asset management and a relatively high price tag, but for discerning shooters looking to maximize image quality, it‘s a top-tier choice.

Unmatched Automatic Lens Corrections

The defining feature of OpticsPro is its best-in-class lens correction capabilities, powered by painstakingly gathered lab data on over 30,000 camera and lens combinations. By analyzing your raw file‘s EXIF data, the software can instantly identify the equipment used and dial in corrections custom-tailored to that kit.

This allows OpticsPro to automatically fix issues like distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and lens softness with unmatched precision. You can watch these flaws disappear before your eyes without lifting a finger. Having struggled to correct complex distortion manually in Photoshop previously, it feels like magic.

example before/after showing corrections

In practice, this is a huge time-saver. Meticulously fixing lens flaws in Lightroom or Photoshop is a tedious, skilled process. With OpticsPro it happens instantly and perfectly, regardless of your lens – even with tricky ultra-wides or low-cost optics with lots of distortion. It‘s transformative for pros who process large batches of raw files regularly.

Lens Softness & Sharpening

Beyond fixing lens flaws, OpticsPro also optimizes sharpness and micro-contrast in a lens-specific way. By knowing exactly how your particular lens performs at different apertures and focusing distances (based on lab tests), the software can extract maximum detail and edge definition from your raw files.

Again, the difference is instantly visible. Even at 100% zoom, my raw conversions look crisper and clearer, but without the over-sharpened "crunchy" artifacts that ham-fisted sharpening often produces. The optimized micro-contrast also helps images pop with more depth and dimension.

100% crop comparison showing crisp detail

It‘s a level of optical optimization that other raw processors simply can‘t match, and a clear advantage of OpticsPro if ultimate image quality is a priority. For critical work with high-resolution cameras, this feature alone could justify the cost of admission.

Impressive Editing Tools

While its lens corrections are the star of the show, OpticsPro also provides a well-rounded set of tools for editing your photos.

The software uses a non-destructive editing model similar to Lightroom. All adjustments are saved in a separate file, leaving your original raw data untouched.

DxO Smart Lighting

One of the most useful tools is DxO Smart Lighting, an adaptive and customizable alternative to the "shadows and highlights" controls found in most raw converters. Using image analysis, it can automatically balance harsh lighting to recover detail in deep shadows and bright highlights.
example showing recovered highlights/shadows

I found Smart Lighting did an excellent job evening out exposure issues in high-contrast scenes. It produces natural-looking results with just a click, and you can fine-tune the effect to taste with simple sliders. A huge time-saver compared to carefully brushing in local adjustments.

DxO ClearView

Another impressive feature is DxO ClearView, an intelligent contrast-enhancing tool. Designed to cut through atmospheric haze, I found it just as useful for adding punch and clarity to flat-looking images lacking in contrast.
example showing ClearView adding life to a low-contrast shot

A single click is often all it takes to make colors more vivid and contrasty without going overboard into gaudiness. It feels like a smarter, more sophisticated take on the standard Clarity sliders in most raw editors.

DxO PRIME Noise Reduction

Alongside Smart Lighting and ClearView, PRIME is one of DxO‘s marquee features – a powerful noise reduction algorithm designed to salvage detail from high-ISO raw files.

After testing it with ISO 3200+ images from my fairly old DSLR, I can confirm it is extremely impressive. Even at 100% view, it obliterates color noise while preserving an impressive amount of real detail. The results are much cleaner and more natural than the noise reduction in Lightroom or Capture One.

100% comparison showing remarkable NR at high ISO

For photographers who often shoot in low light at high ISOs, PRIME could be a game-changer. The downside is that unlike DxO‘s other tools, PRIME doesn‘t preview in real time – you can only see its effect in a small sample window until you export the photo. But the results are worth the tradeoff.

Streamlined, Responsive Editing Workflow

OpticsPro‘s interface borrows heavily from Lightroom, and that‘s a good thing. All the key tools are laid out in intuitive panels on the right side of the screen, with a large main preview in the center for evaluating your adjustments. It‘s clean, logical and easy to grasp.

Performance is excellent. The software feels very responsive while editing, with smooth real-time previews as you move sliders around. Applying lens corrections to a large batch of raw files is also surprisingly quick. My 5-year-old laptop chewed through hundreds of 24-megapixel raw files in a matter of minutes.

Weak Spots: Asset Management and Price

While OpticsPro excels at optimizing and editing raw files, it falls short of Lightroom or Capture One when it comes to asset management. Its tools for cataloging, keywording and organizing large photo libraries feel like an afterthought compared to the competition.

You can rate photos, add them to "projects", and filter your library in basic ways. But it lacks features like customer metadata/keyword presets, smart collections, and publish services that help Lightroom form the backbone of many photographers‘ workflow. For casual shooters this may not matter, but busy working pros will likely want something more full-featured.

The other main drawback is price. At $129 for the Essential edition and $199 for the Elite version, OpticsPro is undeniably expensive for a specialized raw processor. Adobe‘s Photography plan gets you both Lightroom and Photoshop for just $9.99/month, with ongoing updates included. Capture One Pro is $299 but includes free updates for at least a year.

By contrast, OpticsPro is a one-time purchase with no update plan. When version 12 comes out, you‘ll need to pay an upgrade fee to get the latest features and support for newer cameras. For many photographers on a budget, that could make it a harder sell.

Essential vs Elite Editions

OpticsPro comes in two flavors: an entry-level Essential edition at $129, and the full-featured Elite version for $199.

For most users, I strongly recommend the Elite upgrade. It includes DxO‘s best tools like PRIME noise reduction and ClearView, plus extras like editable presets, more advanced color management, and the ability to create custom palettes for fast access to your most-used controls.

Importantly, Elite works with raw files from any supported camera. The Essential edition arbitrarily limits newer high-end cameras to JPEG-only support, presumably to upsell customers. That‘s a serious handicap and makes the Essential version much less appealing.

The Bottom Line

After putting it through its paces, I can confidently recommend DxO OpticsPro 11 as one of the best raw processors on the market for discerning photographers. Its automatic lens corrections are second to none, it offers a strong selection of editing tools, and it provides a fluid, responsive editing experience.

It‘s not an all-in-one photo management solution like Lightroom, and it is pricier than some alternatives with no ongoing update support. But if getting the absolute best image quality from your raw files is a top priority, it deserves serious consideration as a key part of your workflow.

For pros and advanced enthusiasts shooting with high-end gear, OpticsPro 11 Elite Edition is an excellent (if expensive) investment. More casual photographers may find Lightroom a more complete and affordable package overall. But even then, the excellent lens corrections, noise reduction, and intelligent exposure tools of OpticsPro make it a powerful addition to practically any editing toolkit.