Software DxO PureRAW 5

Greater control, a slicker workflow and Fujifilm X-Trans support

- Rod Lawton

Known for innovations such as its precise lens correction profiles and Al-powered DeepPRIME noise reduction, DxO has placed both at the heart of its latest PureRAW.

Though too specialised to be considered among the best editing software applications, it is designed to be used alongside them. Essentially, it's for tuning up raw files ahead of editing.

DxO PureRAW 5 can be used as a standalone batch processing tool for converting raw files into fully corrected jpegs, or as Linear DNG files that can be used like regular raw files in Lightroom, Capture One and other photo editors. It can be used within Lightroom by exporting unprocessed raw files. Apply PureRAW's corrections and denoising and the processed images are returned to Lightroom in one simple process.

At £110 ($120) for a new license or £70 ($80) as an upgrade, it might sound expensive for a tool that simply applies correction profiles and denoising, but the quality of results speaks for itself.

Interface and usability