PL2 Workflow

DxO PhotoLab Windows topics
1

Hi,

I have just purchased PL2 thanks to the Black Friday deal.

I have downloaded the pdf manual for PL2 and have been working through it.
I am only part way through the manual. But…

Are the topics presented in the best workflow to process RAW files for PL2 software or presented in an arbitrary way?

the manual presents (suggests?) the following work flow;

Exposure Compensation
Contrast
DxO Smart Lighting
Selective Tone
DxO ClearView Plus
White Balance
Tone Curve
Color Accentuation
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) system

I would have put white balance first normally.

Is there a suggested/recommended/best workflow order for PL2.

obviously we are talking in general as some images will be different but…

in general, is there a recommended path through the various tools?

I am asking from a beginners view point (to PL2 that is).

thanks

Mabel

2

Hi Mabel!

While I have found the manual to be informative it is not particularly instructive. To really drill this program down - as with so many things - You need to practice, practice, practice. This way You will find your own work flow augmented by various insights on this Forum & elsewhere.

The first settings I adjust are:

  1. White Balance (if needed - “As Shot” is what I typically use and is the default)
  2. Color rendering
  3. Distortion
  4. Sharpness

from there I move to the other settings as appropriate. I do not use presets (that’s another topic).

In Fig.1 below the “Essential Tools” palette generally delineates my workflow:

Fig.1

Workflow
Workflow.png332×559 41.2 KB

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3

Hello @Mabel,

Let me recommend to watch this one - http://dxo.tuto.free.fr/index.html#0_Sommaire

Regards,
Svetlana G.

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4

Hello Mabel,
I suggest to use Smart lighting face boxes in manualmode to correct lighting of the image as first. This give you much more control then Exposure correction. Just make a box on the places you find important.
then start with reading about each tool to see for which you like to use as preset.
The dxo standard is a good start but personal finetuning can be done.
By activating magic wants, they turn blue, so can you see which suggestions DxO software has on your image.
White balance “as shot” does the job most of the time.

As rule i mostly go from up to down in the menu of tools.
edit:
this i use for general preset: 1 - P. General Preset.preset (6,3 KB)
(i made for a elite version of v1.2)
All the image depending stuff off:
Horizon, cropping, Selective tone, clearview off at preset15%, But all magic wants active.
turn tool off on to see what’s it effecs and start from there.

good luck

Peter

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