While DxO PureRAW is not a complete photo editor, like Adobe Lightroom, it's a great software to add at the start of your editing workflow. Before you upload your RAW files to any editing software, you can use DxO PureRAW to get the best quality out of them with its pre-processing algorithms. The tool applies a number of automated actions to remove noise from your photos or add other optical corrections.
Photographers who download DxO PureRAW primarily use it to remove digital noise from their images and fix lens aberrations or softness. The first issue can occur when you're shooting at a large ISO or poor lighting conditions degrade your photo quality. Lens issues are usually related to the mechanical limitations, so DxO PureRAW analyzes your photos and applies AI-based fixes to return high-fidelity images.
In order to start using DxO PureRAW, you just have to drag and drop your RAW files into it, and then the tool will begin its work and quickly provide you with new, improved files. You can then add them to the editing software of your choice, but improving the images before you start editing makes the whole process much easier and can uncover details that would otherwise be lost in the digital noise. You can download DxO PureRAW for Windows and macOS for free for 14 days, after which you need to get a paid license.
Why should I download DxO PureRAW?
The most impressive feature that DxO PureRAW offers is its professional and industry-leading denoising. Unusually, when shooting in low light, people tend to increase the ISO setting on their camera, creating digital noise to make the image look brighter. The software uses AI algorithms to analyze your picture and distinguish between random digital noise and photo details at the pixel level. As a result, you get sharp and clean pictures with more visible details, and you can then edit them to your liking. You can also use DxO PureRAW to check if you can salvage some pictures that you thought were ruined by the digital noise. This process happens automatically, so you don't need to manually tweak complex settings to get an amazing result.
Another way in which you can use DxO PureRAW is to automatically apply optical corrections, as the tool supports thousands of camera and lens types. With the "Optics Modules," the software detects the lens and camera combination you've used to take a photo and then adds a custom profile that is tailored to correct specific flaws of that lens. Some of the things that DxO PureRAW fixes are chromatic aberrations, lens distortions, and softness, to make sure your pictures are as sharp as they can be in all places.
Even though DxO PureRAW is capable of making all those powerful fixes, the tool does it in a non-destructive way. It doesn't change your original RAW files to enhance them, instead, it analyzes the sensor data found in the image and creates a brand new RAW file in a higher quality. It's saved as a linear DNG, which still allows you to make all the edits you're usually able to do on a RAW photo, like adjusting exposure, colors, and white balance.
DxO PureRAW automates the entire pre-processing step and has an extremely easy interface, where you don't need to work with multiple sliders or settings. After you add your RAW files to it, you just need to select the processing level and start the action. Once it's done, DxO PureRAW just saves the new versions of the files, and they are ready to be edited using other tools. You can test DxO PureRAW for 14 days for free before you decide to get the full, paid license, and the software works on Windows and macOS.
Is DxO PureRAW free?
No, DxO PureRAW is not a free tool, so you need to buy its full license to use it. The licenses are issued for a given edition of the software, but you can always upgrade your existing one at a reduced price. You can pay once for the license or divide it into four separate payments, and DxO PureRAW offers a 14-day trial where you can test it out.
What operating systems are compatible with DxO PureRAW?
DxO PureRAW is a desktop software that you can use on Windows and macOS PCs.
For the newest version of the tool, you need at least macOS 14 or Windows 10 and 11. On both operating systems, DxO PureRAW needs 8GB of RAM or more, 6GB of free disc space, and an HD display.
What are the alternatives to DxO PureRAW?
RawTherapee is a free RAW editing and processing tool developed as part of an open-source project. It offers advanced color grading features, exposure settings, and sharpening or denoising options. Like most tools of this type, it works non-destructively to keep the original files intact. And you can download RawTherapee for Windows, macOS, and Linux without any cost.
RapidRAW is another open-source photo editor that's still being developed and offers a fast, efficient workflow for free. It uses GPU acceleration to process your images, supports selecting and creating masks with AI, lets you make generative edits by removing or adding certain elements to the photos, and works with almost all RAW file types. You can get RapidRAW for free for Windows, macOS, and Linux from the developer's GitHub site.
ON1 Photo RAW is posed as a complete alternative to all photography editing tools from Adobe. This software allows you to work with RAW files, edit pictures with layers, organize your collections, and apply various presets and effects. It has a Photoshop-style editor that also supports creating masks and applying filters. It's a paid tool that works on Windows and macOS, but also has a mobile version for iOS and Android.
