DPP vs LR/ACR

I switched to Adobe several years ago. It was mostly for LR and handling mass edits. PS for hobby shots. I still always used DPP for pre viewing and searches before importing to LR, etc.

I decided to goof around with DLO. I figured I could always do very well with just PS and get just as close. I did some intense testing yesterday. DLO vs Adobe detail pallet, using the sharpening and masking sliders and then sharpening for final output.

What I noticed DLO sharpened thing up without effecting noise whereas no matter how much I worked the sliders using ACR I could not get it as clean.

The profile is on Standard so I just left the default sharpening settings alone. Figured that was good enough to compensate for the AA filter. All I did was click on DLO and Distortion and then used the Transfer to Photoshop tool and applied my sharpening and resizing action.

I still have to say this about DPP. I still find it clunky and slow. Highlight recovery is terrible compared to Adobe. I will still use LR for mass edits but I will probably use this new workflow for my hobby shots unless there is a highlight recovery issue, etc. I have to admit all the DLO supporters were right.

7D2 and 100-400 II

The right side of the chest is blown out and DPP can not handle it like Adobe does.



You can really see the comparison here.

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

A lot of people like faststone but I believe that is for Windows only? DPP does a great job a displaying the Jpeg look. I use quick check and full screen to delete unwanted files.

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

I found it a pain that you can't use preferences, etc to activate DLO automatically but I just used Save Recipe in a File thingy and pasted it onto my desktop. Still clunky bit better than nothing.

For LR/ACR I set up defaults based on 1/1 ISO values so everything just comes up when I import into LR or open a file in ACR.

I just applied it to 77 files. I'm going out to get a pizza while it is processing them :-D

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

A lot of people like faststone but I believe that is for Windows only? DPP does a great job a displaying the Jpeg look. I use quick check and full screen to delete unwanted files.

Click to expand...

Photojournalists spend the $ and use photomechanic

Besides high speed culling, it allows global file name changes and storing the ingested files to two directories for duplication

Please help me out. While DPP and LR are well-known to me, DLO and ACR correspond to acronyms used at my workplace that have nothing to do with post processing photographic files. Thanks.

MAC said:

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

A lot of people like faststone but I believe that is for Windows only? DPP does a great job a displaying the Jpeg look. I use quick check and full screen to delete unwanted files.

Click to expand...

Photojournalists spend the $ and use photomechanic

Besides high speed culling, it allows global file name changes and storing the ingested files to two directories for duplication

Click to expand...

Looks interesting. I'm not doing event photography anymore so I don't I need it for that price. If I was still in the game I'd check it out.

Dave said:

Please help me out. While DPP and LR are well-known to me, DLO and ACR correspond to acronyms used at my workplace that have nothing to do with post processing photographic files. Thanks.

Click to expand...

ACR = Adobe Camera Raw. It is the exact same things you see in the right side column if LR. Only difference is when you open the file all of that disappears and you can't go back to fine tune anything tools there. It opens into PS and you use the tools in there.

DLO = Digital Lens Optimizer which is only available with DPP. You can locate it in the lens palette.

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

A lot of people like faststone but I believe that is for Windows only? DPP does a great job a displaying the Jpeg look. I use quick check and full screen to delete unwanted files.

Click to expand...

Photojournalists spend the $ and use photomechanic

Besides high speed culling, it allows global file name changes and storing the ingested files to two directories for duplication

Click to expand...

Looks interesting. I'm not doing event photography anymore so I don't I need it for that price. If I was still in the game I'd check it out.

Click to expand...

Agree, I have an older version but use faststone often

When Adobe went cloud, many of us look to canon to keep improving DPP

Zee Char said:

Dave said:

Please help me out. While DPP and LR are well-known to me, DLO and ACR correspond to acronyms used at my workplace that have nothing to do with post processing photographic files. Thanks.

Click to expand...

ACR = Adobe Camera Raw. It is the exact same things you see in the right side column if LR. Only difference is when you open the file all of that disappears and you can't go back to fine tune anything tools there. It opens into PS and you use the tools in there.

DLO = Digital Lens Optimizer which is only available with DPP. You can locate it in the lens palette.

Click to expand...

Forgot to say. I just check the box and let it do it's thing. It looks like it also corrects for chromatic aberration and diffraction automatically as well.

MAC said:

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Zee Char said:

MAC said:

Agree, DPP is good now but clunky for high volume

use faststone to cull before editing software

Click to expand...

A lot of people like faststone but I believe that is for Windows only? DPP does a great job a displaying the Jpeg look. I use quick check and full screen to delete unwanted files.

Click to expand...

Photojournalists spend the $ and use photomechanic

Besides high speed culling, it allows global file name changes and storing the ingested files to two directories for duplication

Click to expand...

Looks interesting. I'm not doing event photography anymore so I don't I need it for that price. If I was still in the game I'd check it out.

Click to expand...

Agree, I have an older version but use faststone often

When Adobe went cloud, many of us look to canon to keep improving DPP

Click to expand...

I won't go CC. I was a little concerned about getting my 5D4 but between LR 6.8, DPP and CS6 I have everything I need and I can use DNG get it to open files in ACR. What surprised me is it still applies all my defaults. I had read DNG wouldn't do that.

Zee Char said:

Zee Char said:

Dave said:

Please help me out. While DPP and LR are well-known to me, DLO and ACR correspond to acronyms used at my workplace that have nothing to do with post processing photographic files. Thanks.

Click to expand...

ACR = Adobe Camera Raw. It is the exact same things you see in the right side column if LR. Only difference is when you open the file all of that disappears and you can't go back to fine tune anything tools there. It opens into PS and you use the tools in there.

DLO = Digital Lens Optimizer which is only available with DPP. You can locate it in the lens palette.

Click to expand...

Forgot to say. I just check the box and let it do it's thing. It looks like it also corrects for chromatic aberration and diffraction automatically as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the definitions. Which one do you let do its thing, ACR or DLO?

Does anyone else feel at risk of acronym overload?

Dave said:

Zee Char said:

Zee Char said:

Dave said:

Please help me out. While DPP and LR are well-known to me, DLO and ACR correspond to acronyms used at my workplace that have nothing to do with post processing photographic files. Thanks.

Click to expand...

ACR = Adobe Camera Raw. It is the exact same things you see in the right side column if LR. Only difference is when you open the file all of that disappears and you can't go back to fine tune anything tools there. It opens into PS and you use the tools in there.

DLO = Digital Lens Optimizer which is only available with DPP. You can locate it in the lens palette.

Click to expand...

Forgot to say. I just check the box and let it do it's thing. It looks like it also corrects for chromatic aberration and diffraction automatically as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the definitions. Which one do you let do its thing, ACR or DLO?

Does anyone else feel at risk of acronym overload?

Click to expand...

For me it easier that writing every word every time. I don't mind explaining it.

DLO. Mostly because I don't know know a lot about it yet but the results seem good. I figure Canon has set up the defaults based on the lens so it optimizes those adjustments to get the best out of it.

Technically ACR was well because I have set up defaults but I still use the Basic palette to adjust highlights, etc and the others as well.

I am continuing on my course of learning my new camera first and post-processing software second, shooting in RAW+JPEG and saving some files for future action. I probably won't even download DPP until I've finished going through three trips worth of photos shot with my old camera (yes, I've let them pile up). I will decide whether to purchase Lightroom based on my experience with DPP.

For me, giving up the pre-selection/organization/search tools of LR would be a big issue. I import the photos into a folder with the appropriate name, but then apply keywords, GPS coordinates (grabbed from a reference shot on my phone, where appropriate), one of two rating schemes (color or numerical) to each shot. Adding that additional information in LR is easy and makes it much easier to find/work with images in the future.

Based on your post, I may consider using DPP to work with difficult/key images - but do it after the initial selection/organizing/labeling with LR; the TIF file generated by DPP could then be used in LR.

[No message]

Jeff Peterman said:

For me, giving up the pre-selection/organization/search tools of LR would be a big issue. I import the photos into a folder with the appropriate name, but then apply keywords, GPS coordinates (grabbed from a reference shot on my phone, where appropriate), one of two rating schemes (color or numerical) to each shot. Adding that additional information in LR is easy and makes it much easier to find/work with images in the future.

Based on your post, I may consider using DPP to work with difficult/key images - but do it after the initial selection/organizing/labeling with LR; the TIF file generated by DPP could then be used in LR.

Click to expand...

I'm not switching either. I will treat DPP the same as you.

Jeff Peterman said:

--
Jeff Peterman, Moderator 7D and Phone/Tablet forums.
Not a staff member, or paid employee, of DPReview.
Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.
www.pbase.com/jeffp25
www.jeffp25.smugmug.com

Click to expand...

Jeff Peterman said:

For me, giving up the pre-selection/organization/search tools of LR would be a big issue. I import the photos into a folder with the appropriate name, but then apply keywords, GPS coordinates (grabbed from a reference shot on my phone, where appropriate), one of two rating schemes (color or numerical) to each shot. Adding that additional information in LR is easy and makes it much easier to find/work with images in the future.

Based on your post, I may consider using DPP to work with difficult/key images - but do it after the initial selection/organizing/labeling with LR; the TIF file generated by DPP could then be used in LR.

--
Jeff Peterman, Moderator 7D and Phone/Tablet forums.
Not a staff member, or paid employee, of DPReview.
Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.
www.pbase.com/jeffp25
www.jeffp25.smugmug.com

Click to expand...

I was busy but had a few more thoughts.

My thoughts on DLO now are it is a very good tool but I think with high end lenses I can pretty much match it using LR/ACR. As long as DPP sharpening is turned off which Canon recommends to do before applying DLO. Unless you are printing at 100% it will be difficult to tell. It would have been a big improvement for DPP purists.

I'm pretty sure DLO handles Low Pass filter IQ loss slightly better because of dedicated correction values but I don't think it is worth waiting for. Not for multiple files anyway.

What I really learned is how critical and aggressive the detail sharpening slider is using LR/ACR. 25 is the default setting. When you get 40 you start to get that crunchy look. You get a black peppery look on skin tones. Obviously ISO and exposure effects that. Careful masking helps but as you get more aggressive with

DLO defaults to 50 and controls that better at higher values but I don't see a huge change from 50-100. The difference is so small it will be hard for the eye to see when at normal size. Adobe's background is far smoother than DPP at 100%.

I have been messing around with formulas the last couple of weeks to match Adobe Camera Standard to DPP. While impossible to match 100% in all situations it is pretty close to start with and I got the skin tones, etc closer. Adobe tends to be more on the yellow side and some like that warmth.

So this all has been an interesting experience. I goofed on one test but I learned from it from it. I made a bunch of changes to my LR/ACR defaults where Detail sharpening is less aggressive at the start. I will still use all 3 depending on the circumstances. DPP is still my culling tool.

LR on the left. Sharp = 25, Mask 50. DPP on right. DLO 50 and sharpening off. While it may edge out DPP it is not enough to knock my socks off.



DLO 100

I'll have to say that I much prefer DPP over Lightroom for my needs. I've shot thousands of bird pictures in RAW and have refined a workflow with DPP that is both efficient and fast. If you use modest care incorrect exposure will become a nonproblem. I had used LR 5.7 or earlier version for a few years before jumping ship. So glad I did. I do realize that everyone has their favorite converted though.