DxO

DxO offers AI Masks and Depth Masks in Nik Collection 9, released in April 2026, which use on-device AI to help photographers make precise local adjustments to specific subjects or depth zones within a photo. The tools run locally on the user's machine without sending image data to external servers.

Nik Collection 9 introduces two distinct AI-powered masking tools. The first, AI Masks, lets users isolate specific subjects by clicking on them or drawing a bounding box; the AI then generates a pixel-precise selection. The second, Depth Masks (available in Color Efex and Silver Efex), analyzes a 2D photo to estimate depth and create a map of foreground-to-background distance, allowing photographers to apply adjustments selectively by distance from the camera — even when the image file contains no embedded depth data. Both tools complement the existing U Point manual selection technology in the Nik Collection suite.

DxO offers AI Masks in DxO PhotoLab 9, a tool that uses machine learning to instantly identify and isolate specific subjects — such as skies, faces, hair, people, animals, or backgrounds — so photographers can apply targeted adjustments to those areas. The feature was introduced in DxO PhotoLab 9 in October 2025 and runs entirely on the user's local device.

Photographers activate AI Masks by clicking on part of an image, drawing a bounding box, or selecting from predefined subject categories (sky, face, hair, background, people, animals). The machine learning model produces pixel-level selections that photographers then use to apply local corrections such as exposure, noise reduction, or color adjustments only to the selected area. Version 9.2 (released November 2025) improved edge precision and sensitivity thresholds; version 9.6 (March 2026) added feathering controls. All AI processing occurs on the user's local machine, without uploading images to external servers.

DxO offers an AI Sensor Dust Removal System in DxO PureRAW 6, released in March 2026, that automatically detects and removes sensor dust marks from entire batches of RAW photos. The system runs locally on the user's computer and allows photographers to adjust how aggressively it searches for dust spots.

When a camera's image sensor accumulates dust, tiny dark spots appear repeatedly across photos, particularly visible in areas such as plain skies. The AI Sensor Dust Removal feature in PureRAW 6 analyzes RAW image files to detect these spots and remove them automatically across entire batches of images in seconds, without requiring the photographer to manually identify and clone-stamp each spot individually. Users can adjust a sensitivity threshold to control how aggressively the tool hunts for spots before processing. All processing occurs on the user's local machine.