These before and after images are also impressive, but perhaps a little exaggerated. So it's time to move on to the Key Control mode. At this point the help menu brings up the manual, where Key Control is explained.

Enlarging the images clearly shows how well the noise correction feature functions. The original image is shown in Figure F, note the darks spots of noise.

FIGURE F

An enlarged section of the original image. Click picture for a larger image.

Below, in Figure G, you can see how DxO removed a great deal of the noise spots.

FIGURE G

This enlarged section of the corrected image shows less noise than the original. Click picture for a larger image.

Using the Key Controls, quite a few of the features are adjustable. I'll be using them for some very special pictures, but I'm quite pleased with the Automatic mode for most of my work.

Most of the key features work as you'd expect them to in Photoshop, and you have the option of saving sets of corrections for future use. You can even give your custom feature sets custom names. I guess I'll have a set for lighted pictures taken at night, similar to the holiday lights. Using the batch feature, I can select all the night pics and apply all the special effects. Very cool.

Pros
Optics Pro Starter Edition has a wide range of features; highlight/shadow, noise correction, barrel distortion, and much more. Ease of use in automatic mode, and two levels of advanced mode for user fine-tuning. Automatic mode is very powerful and hard to beat versus fine-tuning. An excellent manual, with explanations that a novice can understand.

The ability to start in Automatic mode and move to Key Controls and/or Expert Controls not only allows for user modification on a vast variety of variables, but also encourages learning more about the particular photographic process. Almost a graduate class in itself with out realizing it!

Batch mode allows multiple pictures to be corrected in a single setting. And the Starter Edition comes ready to customize for specific high-end SLR-like cameras. In the Pro version, it also contains customized settings for specific lenses with full SLR cameras.

Cons
Moving from one mode to another causes previous windows to disappear, and there's a short delay before the new window appears. This is disconcerting, as you think the program may have crashed.

The view of original and corrected images is a replacement function rather than side by side. While this has the benefit of increased size, you have to keep flipping back and forth to carefully note the differences of all the program's corrections. Nevertheless, the replacement feature may be worth the "Wow factor" when seeing a corrected image the first time.

Some lens settings are not recognized on all picture files. This may be related to the date or my previous file modification prior using DxO. I'm tempted to just run the automatic setting on all pictures of a particular camera, thus doubling the file size. This isn't so much a con of the program as it is of a successful new user.

Conclusion
This is a very complete software set, with multiple options for camera distortion, lens distortion, fringing, noise, sharpening, and many other features. While you might be able to do all the same work with a program like Photoshop, this program benefits from designers who have tailored the program for a particular camera.

This alone makes the Starter Edition well worth the $79. Even more is the time you save with multiple features. And the results produced are a workflow benefit far exceeding the time and effort involved with other top-of-the-line photo-editing programs. Plus, the bottom line is that it is a fun program to use! I give DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition 4 out of 5.

Cheers!

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

Carl Berger is Professor and Dean Emeritus from the University of Michigan where he taught and researched how we learn using computers for 33 years. He lives in St. George Utah (Near Zion National Park) with his wife of 48 years. Returning to photography with time in retirement, he has discovered that all the old darkroom techniques and more can now be accomplished at a desk. As you might imagine he is most interested in broad panoramas of desert and mountain scenes but is also starting an enjoyment of photography of still life and buildings using infrared both with filters and post production. Look for him at http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/cberger.