DxO PhotoLab 9 and Z NEFs: anyone using it?

[rhlpetrus]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

 

[jthomas39]

As a workaround, I batch edited the EXIF on my Z6 iii files to make them Z6. I got the Z6 iii the first week, and it wasn't ready on viewers and on DxO PL5. The .NEF format is close enough that it worked fine. I use Lossless Compressed for compatibility with things like darktable.

This was kind of annoying, since the photos appeared to be taken by a Z6.

~~~

my original post:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/67814091

I made a exifz6.bat file, and copied it to one of the raw files folder to test it.

See the reply in the post, saying to edit the DxO cameras.xml to make the Z6 iii be Z6.

I think I tried locating and editing the cameras.xml. Make a backup copy first! cameras-original.xml. It didn't work, so I copied this original back in place.

Maybe I did it wrong?

 

[monte12345]

Because this much older method works with ANY Raw Converter made after 2007 when it was introduced. Out of curiosity I just set my Zf to HIEF* and snapped one pic and then opened it up in PL 9 and it opened up without any issues at all.

The simple answer to your question is that DXO PhotoLab 9 will open the newer compression scheme files without any issues.

 

[TheSoaringSprite]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

 

[jthomas39]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I decided that the DxO PL8 improvements (along with the newer Z body and lens profiles) were worth the upgrade cost. (it's up to PL8.9 now). I may test the PL9 30 day demo, but I may not even test it, just ignore it.

For PL8, I used all 30 days to give it a good workout before deciding to buy. I had previously done 30 day tests of DxO PL6 and PL 7 and didn't buy those versions.

 

[TheSoaringSprite]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I decided that the DxO PL8 improvements (along with the newer Z body and lens profiles) were worth the upgrade cost. (it's up to PL8.9 now). I may test the PL9 30 day demo, but I may not even test it, just ignore it.

For PL8, I used all 30 days to give it a good workout before deciding to buy. I had previously done 30 day tests of DxO PL6 and PL 7 and didn't buy those versions.

The thing I really like about PL9 compared to PL8 is that now you can preview all of your changes & noise reduction without having to use the loupe box thing. You just need to zoom into 100% or 200% and scroll around the entire image with those changes applied.

The image quality from PL8 and PL9 exports are not really much different, but some of the feature usability became slightly better.

The easier to use AI masks might also matter to some people. Other good features added as well, I just don't find myself using them enough.

 

[curiousmike1300]

I'm on PL8 and if you use the loupe-box thing at 100% it's shows the changes.

Shooting my Zf/Z8 with my 180-600 with the 1.4x teleconverter and pointing into some dark bushes to shoot birds creates some dramatic ISO's - and the noise reduction in DXO is .... other worldly. I know the newer LR is really good - and I prefer LR for general shadow/highlight recovery. But this DXO noise reduction is crazy good.

The thing I really like about PL9 compared to PL8 is that now you can preview all of your changes & noise reduction without having to use the loupe box thing. You just need to zoom into 100% or 200% and scroll around the entire image with those changes applied.

The image quality from PL8 and PL9 exports are not really much different, but some of the feature usability became slightly better.

The easier to use AI masks might also matter to some people. Other good features added as well, I just don't find myself using them enough.

 

[monte12345]

It is a home build PC that was built for speed but I expect the major speed contributor is the Graphics card I have installed. It's an Nvidia RTX 3060 with 12 gb of video ram. Is there a way to upgrade the graphics on your M3 because Apple computers do have a reputation for being faster than Window's PC's. I've been thinking about going to an M4 system but the price is a bit of a stopper. Now I'm starting to think what I have is more than good enough.

 

[TheSoaringSprite]

It is a home build PC that was built for speed but I expect the major speed contributor is the Graphics card I have installed. It's an Nvidia RTX 3060 with 12 gb of video ram. Is there a way to upgrade the graphics on your M3 because Apple computers do have a reputation for being faster than Window's PC's. I've been thinking about going to an M4 system but the price is a bit of a stopper. Now I'm starting to think what I have is more than good enough.

Download the trial of DxO PL9 and test it. See how your PC handles it. I think PCs have a better reputation as gaming laptops compared to Macs, more flexibility in building your own speedy machine.

I don't plan to make any upgrades to my MacBook M3. It has 18GB of RAM. For now it's fast enough for what I do. I'm sure the M4 chip is even sweeter, but it would be a very frivolous purchase for my limited needs.

 

[rhlpetrus]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I have downloaded and I'm on the 30-day trial, along with Filmpack 8 and Nik Colletcion 8, will check it. It's working well on a 2020 iMac, but it has 64GB of Ram. Thanks.

 

[rhlpetrus]

Having downloaded the trials for PL9+Nik Collection+FilmPack, it looks like it's a much more capable soft than NX Studio, even for basic adjustments. One can adjust the NEF, like HLs and Shadow recovery, go for local adjustments using color u-points, for example, then import it to Silver FX as TIFF and convert to b&w with lots of alternatives, filters, types of film, etc. Very good results, will likely use that for my b&w photography. This looks good to me (discount the vintage look and vignetting, just fun).



Cheers!

--
Renato.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhlpedrosa/
OnExposure member
http://www.onexposure.net/
Good shooting and good luck
(after Ed Murrow)

 

[LukeP_Photo]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I'm curious, what setting to do you have in PL9 for AI Acceleration? Do you have it set to the default, Auto Selection (Apple Neural Engine) or something else? Granted, I have a very different machine in a Mac Studio M3 Ultra but in my case I've found switching to GPU only made a significant difference in processing time per image on my Z9/Z8 files.

 

[TheSoaringSprite]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I'm curious, what setting to do you have in PL9 for AI Acceleration? Do you have it set to the default, Auto Selection (Apple Neural Engine) or something else? Granted, I have a very different machine in a Mac Studio M3 Ultra but in my case I've found switching to GPU only made a significant difference in processing time per image on my Z9/Z8 files.

I have it set to auto, but good to know! I did wonder if I should switch the settings. I'll try it.

- Tried it, it didn't really make any difference unfortunately.

--
http://www.dreamsourcestudio.com
@TheSoaringSprite

 

[jthomas39]

It is a home build PC that was built for speed but I expect the major speed contributor is the Graphics card I have installed. It's an Nvidia RTX 3060 with 12 gb of video ram. Is there a way to upgrade the graphics on your M3 because Apple computers do have a reputation for being faster than Window's PC's. I've been thinking about going to an M4 system but the price is a bit of a stopper. Now I'm starting to think what I have is more than good enough.

Download the trial of DxO PL9 and test it. See how your PC handles it. I think PCs have a better reputation as gaming laptops compared to Macs, more flexibility in building your own speedy machine.

I don't plan to make any upgrades to my MacBook M3. It has 18GB of RAM. For now it's fast enough for what I do. I'm sure the M4 chip is even sweeter, but it would be a very frivolous purchase for my limited needs.

I have a low to mid level "gaming" PC (with the glass side and lighted fans, etc). It was the least expensive Microcenter desktop with a reasonably good graphics card, 32 GB, and a very fast 1TB SSD drive. It's fast, doing a shutdown & reboot cycle in less than 30 seconds.

PC Performance monitoring: Right click a blank space in the bottom toolbar and select Task Manager. It shows the processes using the PC resources, but on Win 11, click the sidebar Performance icon. Now you see graphs for CPU, Memory, Disk, Ethernet, and GPU.

~~~

The Summary:

The GPU doesn't seem to be used very often in DxO PL8. The Intel 12 core CPU is busy as needed. How much slower would it be with inexpensive motherboard graphics? I have no idea.

The 32 GB of PC memory is mostly "free". I don't think it's ever seen 16 GB used. (The remainder of the memory is likely used for disk blocks buffers, just like linux does. But linux shows the usage, and Windows likely hides it, to avoid confusion. These blocks just speed up disk access, and can be instantly freed up for processing use if needed.)

A fast solid state drive, like an SSD is always useful. So much faster than spinning hard drives.

~~~

Editing Z6 iii .NEF 24 MP files:

With just a browser and email running:

CPU is slowed to an efficient, energy saving 1GHz, memory is 8GB in use, GPU (GeForce RTX 2070 Super) is idling, with 1GB of dedicated memory in use, 0% utilization with occasional "3D" activity.

With DxO PL 8.9 also running:

Memory is now 11.3 from the 8.0 GB, so DxO is using around 3GB. After some NEF exports to jpg, it's at 12.6 GB now. 4GB total for DxO.

CPU spikes to an overclocked 4.6 GHz when needed while editing, and the fans kick in for a short time.

GPU is idling if nothing is changing. The GPU is using 4 GB of it's dedicated 8GB memory.

Exporting three .NEF outputs, queued up:

It takes around 5 to 11 seconds to export each image jpg. The GPU's 3D is busy for about 4 seconds each, then it's idling again. I assume that's the noise reduction phase.

The CPU hits 4.6 GHz after a few seconds of idle. Fans are on. The graph is showing around 10% utilization, with brief spikes to 50%. (due to the 12 cores I suppose). Back to 1 Ghz when done.

The GPU is only used for 3-4 seconds per export.

~~~

using the Loupe preview tool:

When I move the preview box around the frame, it takes about 1 second to go from fuzzy to sharply rendered. Hey, this tool is kind of annoying at 200%, with the image zoomed to 200% also: any mouse movement moves the loupe box, so to scroll to a different portion of the image, click the loupe icon (or press "S" to toggle it off), move the view, the turn the loupe back on. I don't use this too often anyway.

Moving the Loupe preview box does put moderate 1-second spikes in the GPU 3D graph,and the Utilization goes to 40% for maybe 1/2 second at a time, then back toward 1%.

 

[AWG_Pics]

Just bought and downloaded it today. Likely take a week to give it a good shakedown.

 

[rhlpetrus]

The new AI local adjustment tool looks like a good one, but it's buggy on my computer, it seems that the graphics driver may be the issue, some have reported it in the net. Anyone else getting an error message when exporting a PPed file to jpeg?

Thanks.

 

[LukeP_Photo]

Has anyone already updated to DxO PL9? Any meaningful differences noticed when converting and PPing Z NEFs, compared to previous versions? I have PL5 but it cannot read Zfs NEFs.

Thanks.

Yes, I've updated to PL9. The difference between PL5 and PL9 is going to be pretty significant, but it also depends on how much work you do with your files and how much processing power your PC/Mac has.

I'm working on a MacBook Pro M3 and the PL9 takes about 25 seconds to process a 45 megapixel file when I use the highest quality noise reduction. Something to think about.

You can always download their free 30 day trial and give it a go! That's how you'll really know.

I'm curious, what setting to do you have in PL9 for AI Acceleration? Do you have it set to the default, Auto Selection (Apple Neural Engine) or something else? Granted, I have a very different machine in a Mac Studio M3 Ultra but in my case I've found switching to GPU only made a significant difference in processing time per image on my Z9/Z8 files.

I have it set to auto, but good to know! I did wonder if I should switch the settings. I'll try it.

- Tried it, it didn't really make any difference unfortunately.

At least you tried it. For me because of the number of GPUs I have it made a significant difference. With it set to GPU only, it's about 6.7 seconds per raw Z9 or Z8 image using the highest version of DeepPrime.

 

[rhlpetrus]

The new AI local adjustment tool looks like a good one, but it's buggy on my computer, it seems that the graphics driver may be the issue, some have reported it in the net. Anyone else getting an error message when exporting a PPed file to jpeg?

Thanks.

DxO says the new AI local mask only with M apple, mine is still Intel.