For several years now I've been using DxO PhotoLab instead of Lightroom. It includes PureRAW's noise reduction, and is built on DxO's lens correction testing.
That it does not mimic Lightroom's catalog mechanism I consider a distinct advantage - I can simply find a file on disk and immediately start working on it.
It also works as a plug-in to Lightroom and Photoshop, shipping pictures back and forth as DNG (universal RAW) files, so features one has but not the other are always available.
The integration of PureRAW is a really nice feature, as are their excellent camera and lens profiles. I've been using PureRAW more routinely with recent versions, but I use the standalone version. Lightroom's catalog approach is pretty deeply embedded in my workflow for now, but I won't rule out jumping ship.
I tried out the demo of PureRAW when it came out and was underwhelmed - it had much less control over the noise reduction than the version built into PhotoLab. Since I already had PhotoLab, I never bothered with PureRAW again.
For several years now I've been using DxO PhotoLab instead of Lightroom. It includes PureRAW's noise reduction, and is built on DxO's lens correction testing.
That it does not mimic Lightroom's catalog mechanism I consider a distinct advantage - I can simply find a file on disk and immediately start working on it.
It also works as a plug-in to Lightroom and Photoshop, shipping pictures back and forth as DNG (universal RAW) files, so features one has but not the other are always available.
The integration of PureRAW is a really nice feature, as are their excellent camera and lens profiles. I've been using PureRAW more routinely with recent versions, but I use the standalone version. Lightroom's catalog approach is pretty deeply embedded in my workflow for now, but I won't rule out jumping ship.
I tried out the demo of PureRAW when it came out and was underwhelmed - it had much less control over the noise reduction than the version built into PhotoLab. Since I already had PhotoLab, I never bothered with PureRAW again.