DxO Pure RAW 6

“It’s so noisy!” — a classic thought when reviewing photos taken at ISO 12,800 or 20,000. Even the idea of shooting at such values can make us uneasy. But times have changed, and all we can do now is be amazed. Whatever we think about the technological revolution — whether we admire AI or look at it with skepticism — one thing is certain: what AI brings today is incredibly powerful, for better and for worse. As photographers, we may question the ethics of AI-generated images and hyper-realistic videos. At the same time, we no longer complain that it’s AI that allows us to focus on entire subjects without chasing focus points across the frame. And once again, it is AI that is pushing the boundaries of what our cameras can do. The limits of high ISO photography have been broken — and it’s up to us how we use it.

My first moment of amazement came in 2019 with the updated noise reduction and sharpening filters from Topaz Labs. When applied to edited images (TIFF, JPG), it felt like magic. But two years later, something appeared that completely changed the game: DxO PureRAW (CZ only). It approached the problem from a completely different angle — improving the image before editing even begins. As the name suggests, you take a RAW file, process it, and only then start editing. The image remains in RAW format (DNG), retaining all the benefits of the original file. Over time, more companies entered this space. I tried to do a comprehensive comparison (CZ only) and managed to keep it up for about two years. But development is so fast that I would end up doing nothing but constantly comparing updated versions. Just preparing and producing a video about DxO PureRAW 6 took me nearly a full week. No matter what I tested or compared, DxO consistently delivered the best results. At first by a large margin, later others started catching up — but each new DxO algorithm pushed the boundary further again. The combination of speed, precision, and output quality still feels unmatched. That’s also why I fully switched to DxO PhotoLab 9 after its release. The key reason was the introduction of AI selections and masks, which other software already had. Combined with DxO’s noise reduction and sharpening, it makes PhotoLab 9 an ultimate editing tool. I do have some minor reservations — mainly about ergonomics — but I have zero complaints about output quality. DxO PureRAW is essentially built on the same foundation as PhotoLab.

Snowcap, Costa Rica 2026, OM System OM-1 II, OM 150-400mm/4.5 IS TC, ISO 12 800, f/5.6, 1/5000s

Why Shoot High ISO Today?

With modern stabilization, tripods, and advanced cameras, why even bother with high ISO? Because certain types of photography — especially action shots and birds in flight — are highly technical. Shutter speed becomes a key storytelling element. Longer exposures create atmosphere, but with a higher failure rate. Ultra-fast speeds capture moments invisible to the human eye. And action doesn’t always happen in perfect light. There’s a huge difference between shooting at a pond, on an open African plain, or in a dim rainforest — where it can be dark even during the day. In such situations, high ISO is often the only solution. I shoot on Micro Four Thirds, which has many advantages — but also one clear downside: more noise compared to full-frame. I accepted that trade-off years ago. But today? I no longer care about noise. Not only because of software development, but also thanks to sensor improvements. The stacked sensor in the OM System OM-1 II preserves detail and color much better at high ISO than previous generations. My mindset has changed completely. I focus on one thing only: sharpness and composition. Noise is no longer part of my decision-making. With DeepPrime XD permanently enabled in DxO PhotoLab 9, all images appear clean — regardless of ISO. I no longer think about ISO at all. I only evaluate sharpness, composition, exposure, and color. For action photography, this opens up a completely new playground.

What’s New in DxO PureRAW 6

Despite its minimalist interface, the new version brings several welcome improvements:

Another improvements: Batch processing should be noticeably faster. Processing multiple images is quicker per file than processing a single one. On my Mac Mini M4, I noticed: Single image processing slightly slower (~7 seconds total, +2 seconds vs previous version), batch processing faster overall. There is also the option to use Smart Lighting when exporting to TIFF.

Petr Bambousek’s Photography Techniques

Get inspired by years of proven techniques for photographing birds, using flash, and setting up your camera for maximum efficiency. PDF and Video courses will help you get the most out of your photography!

👉  VIEW VIDEO COURSE SET AND PDF 👈

DxO Pure RAW 6 – Is It Worth Buying?

That’s always the million-dollar question. If you’ve never tried DxO PureRAW before — give it a chance. No need to buy it immediately. Download the trial and test it intensively for two weeks. Not everyone needs high ISO performance. Not everyone wants to pay for speed. Not everyone needs to upgrade. Watch my video below and decide for yourself. There is one feature in PR6 that is not talked about much, but for me it’s crucial:  preservation of detail in deep shadows at high ISO. You can see examples in my video. If you decide to purchase, you can use my code PETR15 for a 15% discount. After extensive testing, I would personally upgrade — mainly because of: improved noise reduction quality and smaller DNG files. That said, I currently use DxO PhotoLab 9, which already includes PureRAW technology. For me, the key advantage is that everything happens directly on the RAW file, without exporting. With permanent noise reduction applied, images appear instantly clean when zoomed in (full rendering takes up to 2 seconds). New DxO PureRAW 6 features are now integrated into PhotoLab 9.6 — we can use them within a full RAW editing environment.

DxO Pure RAW 6:

Download Trial: https://www.dxo.com/free-trial
Buy as a new user and get 15% OFF with PETR15: https://shop.dxo.com/en

My video about the new DxO Pure RAW 6 on Youtube

The video is in English using AI translator. You can also get my video courses in several languages ​​(EN, DE, PL, ES, PT) in the same way.

Petr Bambousek

OM SYSTEM AMBASSADOR | I am a professional wildlife photographer who over the past 25 years undertook more than 50 photo expeditions to tropical rainforests across the world. You may have seen my photos in various exhibitions, on the Internet and many Czech and foreign magazines and books. A number of my photographs were awarded at local and overseas competitions such as the Czech Press Photo, Nature's Best Photography, Bird Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards, Big Picture Awards, Nactus Awards or the most acclaimed one - the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. At this particular competition, my photographs were not only in the Final but also, one of my finalist images became a central promotional piece of the whole 2015 WPY travelling exhibition. If you enjoy my work, don’t forget to visit my Photogallery and connect to my Facebook profile.