DxO Lighting Engine :
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According to DxO Labs, DxO Lighting is a unique local exposure and dynamic range optimizer. It also automatically replicates the analog film techniques 'dodging and burning', to bring out shadow detail while preserving highlights, textures, colours and a natural look. The control tab for DxO Lighting shows the expected adjustments, such as white point, black point, contrast and brightness. There is another adjustment - Local Contrast - which affects the image dramatically. This will be discussed on the next page. |
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DxO Lighting was an aspect of DxO Optics Pro software proved to be a surprise to me. I anticipated the DxO software to automatically correct for optical aberrations and errors, like they advertise - but DxO Lighting offers image enhancement which is impressive. Even more so since it is automatic, but with complete manual override if you wish.
Automatic image enhancement with DxO Lighting
Here are two versions of the same image. With one, I enabled all the automatic controls in the DxO software, (including DxO Lighting), but for the comparison, there is another version with DxO Lighting disabled. DxO Lighting brings into play adjustments which gives any image more punch. I suspect that the major change to the image is done via the The DxO literature describes Local Contrast as altering contrast in a spatially-determined way, and that its effect is similar to dodging and burning. This dramatic change was done with default settings, simply by clicking the Process button. What attracts me here is the simplicity of it - if you so wish. You run the image through DxO Optics at its default settings, and it just pops! If you do want to fiddle with it further, then the options are there.
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And to top it all, the highlights were retained. That's a headache that wedding photographers constantly have to deal with.
The Distortion adjustment in DxO Optics corrected for the optical flaws in the Nikon 12-24mm f4 lens, as used at 12mm. Even though the optical aberrations are of less concern to a wedding photographer than someone who photographs architecture, the kind of adjustment shown here should interest any photographer.
Another interesting control offered are the presets that mimic film types, such saturated reversal film. This image should show the vibrancy that results from this. All still with the click of a button or two. Simplicity itself. You can edit any of the settings and save new presets. This will help tremendously in speeding up a workflow where certain corrections are repeatedly made.
You can also edit any of the given presets. |
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In this next image taken inside St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, NYC you can clearly see how DxO Lighting opens up the image. What was a dark contrasty image suddenly has some 'space' to it.
The DxO Optics control also corrected for some optical aberrations You'll notice the barrel distortion on the pews on the right hand bottom corner, has been corrected in the DxO version. Automatically.
(Nikon D2x; 12-24mm f4 DX, used at 12mm; 1/6th sec @ f5.6 @ 1600 iso)
And for a direct comparison, here's how DxO Lighting enhances the image, against a basic conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.
