DxO PureRAW 4

This latest version can extract amazing quality from any kit, says Rod Lawton

- Rod Lawton

If you use Lightroom, Capture One or a similar program to view and process your RAW files, you'll have formed a good idea of the quality you can get from your images. But try DxO PureRAW 4 and you might just have to change your mind.

Almost all image editing tools can now process RAW files, using the software's own proprietary 'demosaicing' process to turn the red, green and blue sensor data into full-colour images. Some do this RAW processing better than others, however, and if you use Adobe Lightroom, for example, you might end up with a completely different idea of your camera's image quality than if you use Capture One. Even the best photo editing software can have weaknesses, and sometimes that's the RAW processing quality and noise handling.

Normally, this is somewhat academic because you're at the mercy of your photo editor's own RAW processing abilities, but PureRAW 4 changes all that. It generates partprocessed 'Linear DNG' files, with all of DXO's demosaicing, DeepPRIME noise reduction and lens corrections baked in, but with all the extended colour depth, dynamic range and editability of regular RAW files.