You can see details of what's in each edition on this PhotoLab support page. Essential still gets you the excellent raw conversion, Smart Lighting, the Spot-Weighted mode, the Microcontrast tool, and local adjustment features. That version also includes some pro features, such as the ability to manage camera-calibrated ICC profiles, custom palettes, and editable presets. To get some of DxO PhotoLab's coolest features, such as Prime de-noising and ClearView, you need the Elite version, which is what we tested for this review.

Upgrading from PhotoLab 3 or 4 costs $54.99 for Essential and $79.99 for Elite. Attractive introductory pricing of $109.99 and $164.99 for those two levels is available temporarily at the time of this writing.

PhotoLab is available at two pricing levels, neither of which requires a subscription, Essential ($139) and Elite ($219). The software deserves a place in every serious shooter's digital photography toolbox, though we wish it were stronger at workflow. For the latest version, DxO updates U Point with more control, speeds up DeepPrime noise reduction, includes more keyword and metadata management tools, and adds support for Fujifilm X-Trans cameras. The software incorporates Nik U Point local selection technology for some excellent local adjustment tools. PhotoLab 5 continues DxO's tradition of automatic lens and camera body-based image correction, unmatched noise reduction, and other innovative image tools. Now a separate entity from the DxOMark camera equipment testing lab, DxO has long been among the most dynamic photo editing software makers.

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