DxO PhotoLab 4
DxO PhotoLab is a professional RAW photo editor and image processing application for macOS and Windows. It specializes in RAW file processing from major camera manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm, Olympus, Pentax, Leica and others), offering advanced color science, noise reduction, lens correction, perspective control, and batch processing. The app is widely used by photographers who want fine-tuned control over RAW conversion and digital darkroom workflows. It is available as a standalone purchase or via an Elite membership subscription that includes additional tools and plugins.
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1 suggestionDxO PhotoLab 4 remains Intel-only — despite early claims of Apple M1 optimisation in 2020, no native Apple Silicon (Universal Binary) build of version 4 was ever released. The app runs under Rosetta 2 today but Apple is removing Rosetta in macOS 28 (September 2028), so it will stop launching on that release. DxO has released PhotoLab 5, which is also Intel-only based on available evidence, and there is no indication that either version 4 or 5 will ever receive a native build. Your best option is to contact DxO directly to ask whether they plan native Apple Silicon builds for PhotoLab 5 or a future release, and if they commit to a timeline. If they do not, you will need to migrate your RAW library and edits to an alternative photo editor that runs natively on Apple Silicon before September 2028. Professional native alternatives include Capture One (subscription or perpetual license, with excellent RAW processing and lens corrections), Affinity Photo 2 (one-time purchase, runs natively on M-series Macs), or the free/open-source Darktable. Each has a learning curve, so try them with a few test images before committing your entire workflow.
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