DxO Optics Pro is most useful though when in Expert mode. It is with the controls shown in Figure D that Optics Pro reveals its true power.

FIGURE D

DxO Optics Pro has powerful Expert controls. Click picture for a larger image.

In Expert mode, you can activate or deactivate any of the advanced corrections, apply them manually, or let DxO make the corrections automatically. For my part, I opted for a combination of both manual and automatic.

I feel the strongest of DxO's filters come under the Color and Exposure tab. Here you can correct the White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Tone Curve, and Hue/Saturation/Lightness. I found the White Balance correction to work much better than any other RAW converter I've used to date. As you can see in Figure E, Optics Pro will compensate for pretty much any lighting situation, or let you set the light temperature manually.

FIGURE E

Optics Pro's lighting compensation will correct for any lighting situation. Click picture for a larger image.

The Exposure Compensation is DxO's next most powerful correction. It can adjust an image's exposure by four full stops, up or down, in .05 increments. This correction filter is a definite asset, as even the most advanced camera can misread an exposure now and then.

The Lighting filter, shown in Figure F, allows you to adjust all aspects of an image's lighting, automatically, leave it as the image was shot, or adjust it manually.

FIGURE F

Take control of your image's lighting controls with the Lighting filter. Click picture for a larger image.

For the most part, I allow the Lighting filter to run automatically, but the filter gives you an amazing amount of control over the white and black points, gamma brightness, shadows, and contrast, both global and local. The local contrast is something I'd never encountered before, and it's amazing how DxO's filters are able to single out the most miniscule areas of an image that would benefit from local contrast adjustment.

The Optics filter is the next of Optics Pro's adjustments that you'll have quite a bit of interaction with. The filter in Figure G is the reason for DxO needing to know what camera and lens you shoot.

FIGURE G

The Optics filters correct the natural aberration of your lens. Click picture for a larger image.

By selecting your shooting range from the drop-down menu, the Optics filter will adjust for the natural lens aberration at that distance. You can also adjust for Distortion or Vignetting, or let DxO run those filters automatically.

Optics Pro also features Noise and Sharpening filters shown in Figure H, but honestly, I let it run those automatically.

FIGURE H

Noise and Sharpening are just two more of the corrective filters featured in Optics Pro. Click picture for a larger image.

I've toyed with these filters and found that in most cases, Optics Pro provides the best results when left to itself.

What's it all for?
So what's the point of all these filters and adjustments? The point is for you to get the most out of your images and make them look their best. Sometimes the corrections you make with Optics Pro will be subtle, but enough to make an image dramatically better. Check out the images in Figure I; the one on the left is a straight RAW conversion, with no effects applied, the image on the right was corrected with DxO Optics Pro.

FIGURE I

Slight corrections from Optics Pro can make your images drastically more appealing. Click picture for a larger image.