DxO as a Possible Lightroom Contender
Next on our list of possible Lightroom contenders is DxO. DxO is an image editor that resembles Lightroom Classic in several ways. It is a relatively cheap fixed-price editor that offers various additional software packages to enhance your experience. There are film packs, editing collections, advanced geometry, shape and perspective tools, raw converters and of course the actual PhotoLab editor.
For me, this already raises a flag that it might be one of those programs that starts with a single purchase but then nudges you to buy more later, similar to what I experienced with Luminar AI. But let’s give this a fair shot.
Layout and Library Structure
DxO is very simple in terms of layout. It essentially only includes PhotoLibrary and Customize as main sections. The folder overview is as straightforward as it gets, and the project tabs allow you to organize and save your work.
Not the most complex but not the worst either, image browsing through DxO.
If you’re moving from Lightroom to DxO, you may run into issues transferring your old library and metadata. DxO uses a unique sidecar file format to store edits and metadata, which can get messy. A folder with 500 RAW files can suddenly turn into a folder with around 2,000 files once the DxO data is added to existing metadata files from for example lightroom or darktable. This can clutter your drive quickly.
Modules and Automatic Editing
When going through the minimal folder view, DxO will frequently ask if you want to download additional modules tailored to your camera and lens combinations. It also can take care of many basic adjustments, the software automatically applies edits, unless you disable them. To my surprise, those edits were actually pretty good. This can be a nice convenience for photographers who don’t mind giving up some manual control.
Pretty solid auto editing right out the box, that is actually a very nice addition and something where many editors tend to overdo it, not this one… in my opinion.
The overview tab of each photo displays extensive information and allows you to edit plenty of metadata without becoming overwhelming. This is definitely welcome.
Editing Tools
Inside the Customize tab, you’ll find many of DxO’s smart automatic tools doing work for you. Features like Smart Lighting or automatic denoising are already applied before you begin making adjustments. This is great if you prefer not to spend hours manually editing images.
DxO smart adjustments. ✨ Fine-tuning color and detail: Works well on a basic level.
When it comes to tool complexity, DxO offers the basics you’d expect: channel mixers, fine color adjustments, denoising tools and more. It is not lacking, but it also doesn’t include the newest or most advanced AI technologies.
Presets and the Marketplace
DxO clearly encourages users to invest in its preset marketplace. Since I haven’t purchased these packs, I can’t speak about their quality, but I assume they add more versatility.
However, as someone who prefers creating my own presets, DxO is missing some fundamental possibilities in that area. It is also not straightforward to import LUTs, which is disappointing. You can load your own LUTs, but I couldn’t find an easy way to integrate them into a preset system. Saving my old Lightroom presets would have been a big plus.
A lot to choose and to additionally invest into: The countless packages from DxO.
On the positive side, like I already mentioned, the automatic edits generated by DxO look very good in my opinion.
What does annoy me, though, is the constant reminder to buy additional packages. In the Customize tab, whenever you scroll through the tool modules, you’ll always see an advertisement for their film pack. Having that constantly in my field of vision makes the whole experience feel cheap and makes you question if you just paid money for this software.
AI Tools and Masking
The AI tools and AI masking options perform decently. They are fast, accurate and smooth to use. They just aren’t something I personally would rely on heavily. The AI is strong in execution, but not particularly innovative.
Still, I need to praise DxO for one thing: the software is consistently fast and stable. This alone puts it ahead of many Lightroom contenders. Smooth performance is something I really wish other alternatives had –
It might just be my usecase, but I felt masking ran better in DxO than on my local lightroom installation.
Just don’t expect anything in the realm of Adobe’s newest generative AI features, and you won’t be disappointed.
Conclusion
From the software I’ve tested so far, DxO might actually be the most well-rounded contender. It isn’t a show-off, but in the areas where it performs, it performs very well.
It is fast, stable and offers a good range of editing options at an affordable price.
The downsides are:
• a very basic image library
• missing cutting-edge AI features
• limited depth in complex editing
• constant reminders to buy additional DLCs and packages
• a preset system that feels restrictive
As mentioned earlier, the simplified image library also feels limited. And the lack of deep, state-of-the-art editing tools holds the program back from being a true replacement for Lightroom or Photoshop.
So even though it performs smoothly, DxO still doesn’t replace Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop for me. But if you need a basic, reliable, fast editor with strong auto-editing, that won’t lock you down in a subscription model, this one is a no-brainer.
