Trying to learn DXO Optics

Trying to get the hang of DXO Optics:
This picture was shot with a Kodak Z8612 - no RAW capabilities

1. SOOC - no PP whatsoever

http://i43.tinypic.com/206zzew.jpg


2: Muddled around in DXO optics

http://i40.tinypic.com/3008wna.jpg


Where can I improve with DXO? I only started to use it last week, and it's definitely trial and error!
PhotoShop is a MUCH easier interface, but I really want to learn DXO as well. I downloaded the tutorial PDF from their Website, but some pointers are greatly appreciated as well!

3. ACR - basic adjustments

http://i39.tinypic.com/ye62o.jpg




CS5 (Yea, not close to real, but I'm a drama queen). Played mostly with blending modes and adjustment layers.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2zy9yip.jpg

Not familiar with DXO, but here's what I came up with in Lightroom:

Attachment 20619

Hi, Try this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSFabibX0o
OR
They are on DXO website
http://www.dxo.com/uk/photo
Russ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dizzy

Not familiar with DXO, but here's what I came up with in Lightroom:

Attachment 20619

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I have LR, but I don't import my jpgs in it, only RAW files from my Nikon. This one looks a litte oversaturated IMO. Could be my monitor. I'm on my laptop right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by russellsnr

Hi, Try this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSFabibX0o
OR
They are on DXO website
http://www.dxo.com/uk/photo
Russ

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Thanks for the links. I downloaded the Youtube video.

I know this is no help but I got to say that IMHO DxO is the best raw converter bar none, (waits for protests), and I use no other but I have never used it to work on tiffs etc. I see you have CS5 so I'm not sure why you would want to use DxO at all given that you can do much more in Photoshop. I see the programs as complementary not an either or, but then I'm more than willing to told I'm wrong

Kris - My apologies if I've got this wrong, but I get the impression that you may be seeking to do all your post-processing with DxO.

If that is so, then I'm not sure it's a tool to do that. I use it very much as a RAW converter (albeit I do an awful lot of the work in DxO before the conversion to DNG, Tiff, or whatever. And once it's in that format, I would do further work in other packages to complete the processing. In my case that is invariably Silver Efex Pro 2 and the GIMP.

If you have a camera without RAW capabilities, I wonder if DxO is the best tool to be using?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Donald

Kris - My apologies if I've got this wrong, but I get the impression that you may be seeking to do all your post-processing with DxO.

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No, not really, just want to see what it does and how it works.

Quote:

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If that is so, then I'm not sure it's a tool to do that. I use it very much as a RAW converter (albeit I do an awful lot of the work in DxO before the conversion to DNG, Tiff, or whatever. And once it's in that format, I would do further work in other packages to complete the processing. In my case that is invariably Silver Efex Pro 2 and the GIMP.

If you have a camera without RAW capabilities, I wonder if DxO is the best tool to be using?

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The thing is: The Dxo was given to me by my son-in-law, and if I have it, I gotta try it. The interface (for me at least) is quite cumbersome, unlike LR which I think is (for me) more logical.
Still, since I have it (It's version 6) I believe it can be useful to work on RAW files that I don't necessarily want to import in LR.
I honestly didn't know what Dxo could or could not do, before I got the copy from my son-in-law.
Donald, Thanks for the clarification.