DxO PhotoLab 10 launched, with new AI masking tools, depth masks and colour grading
DxO leans heavily into more advanced masking tools in this latest release, though color grading, dust removal and new connectivity with Canava Affnity bring some more general updates for photographers.
DxO has clearly decided that masking tools are the next imaging frontier, with a set of AI-masking enhancements, a whole new depth mask tool, a new Control Brush tool and greater integration with DxO’s own proprietary U-Point masking technology.
PhotoLab 9 introduced subject and area-recognition AI masking tools like those in Lightroom and Capture One, but PhotoLab 10 extends these to include the selection of every person in a scene or selected individuals only. It will even be possible to combine chosen people into a single mask. Alongside this, version 10 introduces ‘face segmentation’ to allow the recognition of eyebrows, eyes (iris, pupil, sclera), teeth, facial hair, face skin and lips. These are in addition to existing AI subjects including sky, subject, background, people, animals, flowers, and vehicles.
That’s not all. Once you’ve made an AI mask, you can now use DxO’s U-Point eyedropper to expand or contract the mask based on colour and luminosity.
DxO’s regular non-AI masking tools get am update too, with the addition of a new ‘Control Brush’ tool. This follows on from the Control Line tool introduced previously, which combines a graduated filter with a selective eyedropper. With the new Control Brush tool, you can ‘paint’ masks directly on to the image but with the same highly selective colour and luminosity adjustments.
Another new feature bound to find approval with exisiting users is the ability to swap circular Control Points into ellipses. This feature is already available in the Nik Collection and it’s perhaps overdue in PhotoLab – elliptical Control Points can be shaped and positioned much more precisely.
And we’re not done with masking tools yet. The big news in PhotoLab 10 is the addition of Depth Masks. These use AI to estimate three-dimensional depth in scenes so that you can apply different adjustments to near, middle-distance and distant part of the scene. You will be able to modify and smooth out the transitions between regions using sliders and adjustable feathering handles.
Away from masking improvements, PhotoLab 10 brings a new Color Grading tool, following on from its introduction in Color Efex in Nik Collection 9. The Color Graditing tool works in the usual way, applying separate colour shifts to shadows, midtones and highlights, but in a ‘streamlined’ interface with just a single colour wheel. It’s also possible to link colour adjustments across tonal ranges, so that their relative relationships stay intact. The aim is to make colour grading fast, intuitive, flexible and consistent.
Perrhaps one of the least glamorous but most useful additions to PhotoLab 10, though, is automatic sensor dust removal. We’ve seen this already in DxO PureRAW 6, using AI to detect and eliminate sensor spots right at the start without affecting the editing process.
Lastly, DxO has added a button for sending photos directly to Canva Affinity for editing. This will provide pixel-based editing tools and image layering and compositing capabilities that PhotoLab 10 does not support.
PhotoLab 10 is available now from the DxO website. A new license will cost $249.99 / £229.99, while upgrading from PhotoLab 8 or 9 will cost $129.99 / £114.99. You can also download a free 30-day trial.
Don’t forget, if you do decide to go ahead and buy PhotoLab 10 (or any other DxO product), you can get a 15% discount using the code LAP15 (new customers only).
