DxO PureRAW 6: DeepPRIME XD3 for All Cameras and 4× Compression

DxO PureRAW 6 produces DNG files up to four times smaller than standard DNG exports — and in real-world testing, smaller than the original RAW files they were processed from. A Sony A6000 RAW at 25MB becomes a 17MB compressed DNG after PureRAW processing, compared to 109MB for the same uncompressed export.

What’s New in PureRAW 6

The two headline additions are DeepPRIME XD3 for Bayer sensors and high-fidelity DNG compression.

DeepPRIME XD3 for all cameras. Until now, DxO’s most advanced noise reduction engine was exclusive to Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor architecture. PureRAW 6 brings XD3 to the Bayer sensors used by Canon, Nikon, Sony, and the majority of other manufacturers. The distinction between XD3 and the standard DeepPRIME 3 algorithm is intentional: XD3 is positioned as an “extra detail” mode, preserving maximum texture in images where that’s critical, while DeepPRIME 3 remains the faster general-purpose option. Digital Camera World’s coverage of the release notes that the difference between XD2 and XD3 is subtle on standard landscape files, becoming more apparent in high-detail or high-ISO work where texture retention is the priority.

High-fidelity DNG compression. The storage arithmetic for PureRAW has historically been a barrier: aggressive AI processing produces high-quality DNGs, but those files are significantly larger than the originals. PureRAW 6 introduces a compression option that DxO claims reduces DNG size by up to four times with no visible quality loss. The Sony A6000 example — 25MB RAW, 17MB compressed DNG — is notable because the processed output is smaller than its source. PetaPixel’s hands-on review confirmed no meaningful difference between compressed and uncompressed exports even at 400% zoom with exposure and contrast adjustments applied.

AI Dust Removal. PureRAW 6 also adds automated sensor dust removal directly within the RAW processing step — handling a category of cleanup work that previously required Lightroom or a dedicated retouching pass.

The Workflow Position

PureRAW is designed as a preprocessing step before your primary editor — Lightroom, Capture One, or similar. You run RAW files through PureRAW first to apply DxO’s optics corrections and noise reduction, then pass the exported DNG to your editor of choice. The new compression means that “first step” no longer bloats your working library. For photographers running high-volume workflows where every file passes through PureRAW, the storage implication compounds quickly across a shooting year.

Who Gets the Most From This Update

The XD3 expansion is most valuable for Bayer-sensor shooters who have been watching Fujifilm X-Trans users benefit from the higher-tier engine. The compression benefit scales with volume — photographers shooting primarily at lower ISOs where noise reduction was already sufficient will find less value in XD3 specifically, but the compression applies to every export regardless of mode. New users evaluating whether to add PureRAW to their workflow should note that the storage objection — the most practical barrier to adoption — is substantially weaker in version 6 than in prior releases.

Source: Digital Camera World

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.