DxO has released PhotoLab 10, the next generation of its RAW processing software. Key features include AI-powered masks for people and depth of field, a redesigned color wheel, and a direct round-trip integration with Affinity Photo. As usual, DxO remains committed to its one-time purchase model with no subscription required.
TL;DR: PhotoLab 10 introduces automatic AI masks for people, faces, and image depth, a new central color wheel, redesigned control points, and a direct export bridge to Affinity Photo. The full version costs 249.99 euros; the upgrade from version 8 or 9 is 129.99 euros. A 30-day trial version is available.
AI Masks: Edit People, Faces, and Image Depth Separately
The biggest new feature concerns masking. PhotoLab 10 now recognizes people in an image as individual subjects rather than a single group, allowing for granular editing of faces: eyes, teeth, facial hair, skin, and lips can be isolated and adjusted separately. This is primarily intended to speed up portrait editing without requiring users to work manually with brushes or gradient filters.
This is complemented by a new Depth Mask feature that creates a depth map of the image at the click of a button. This allows for precise selection of the foreground and background or individual distance zones—for example, to selectively darken the background without affecting the subject in the foreground. The AI masks are intentionally not calculated automatically for every image but are generated only when needed, which saves processing time.
New Color Wheel and Redesigned Control Points
For color editing, DxO replaces the previous structure with a central color wheel that allows shadows, midtones, and highlights to be adjusted separately in real time, including custom, savable presets. The familiar U-Point technology also integrates with the brush tools: control points can now be shaped as rotatable ellipses, allowing for more precise local masking, such as along diagonal edges.
In addition, there are smaller but practical tools: “Crop as Shot” automatically preserves the camera’s aspect ratio when cropping, and AI-powered sensor dust detection automatically detects and removes spots caused by dirty camera sensors.
Direct Integration with Affinity Photo
With PhotoLab 10, DxO is also introducing a direct round-trip workflow with Affinity Photo. Images can be opened in Affinity directly from PhotoLab for pixel-based post-processing (such as cropping, retouching, or compositing), and the edited version can then be automatically imported back. For photographers who use DxO as a RAW converter and Affinity for pixel-based editing, this eliminates the previous need for manual exporting and importing.
Price and Availability
DxO PhotoLab 10 is now available directly from DxO and in the DxO Shop. A new license costs 249.99 euros; owners of versions 8 or 9 pay 129.99 euros for the upgrade. As with previous versions, this is a traditional one-time purchase license with no subscription model—a difference that DxO explicitly highlights in comparison to Adobe Lightroom and Capture One. Interested users can try the software for free for 30 days before making a decision.
Conclusion: Is the upgrade to PhotoLab 10 worth it?
DxO PhotoLab 10 seems like a logical step toward keeping pace with subscription-based alternatives like Lightroom and Capture One—not only in terms of pricing but also in terms of features. The AI masks for people and depth of field save time in practice, and the direct Affinity integration fills a gap that RAW photographers with pixel-based post-processing needs previously had to bridge themselves. Users of versions 8 or 9 will get a noticeable boost in features with the upgrade for around 130 euros; new users should try the free trial version before purchasing to see if PhotoLab’s RAW processing is compatible with their camera equipment.
