JUST RELEASED

DARK CITY FINE ART PRESETS

NEW EXTENDED ANNIVERSARY EDITION 2023

48 PRESETS – 24 PRESETS for DxO PhotoLab & 24 PRESETS for DxO FilmPack

You can also use this alternative link to order.

Lightroom and Photoshop compatibility via PhotoLab & FilmPack

This is the NEW extended 2023 version 10.0.0 of the original fine art DxO Preset Series Dark City, created by Julia Anna Gospodarou.

Thousands of photographers have used these presets to create outstanding fine art photography.

And today, we reached anniversary version 10!

Some of you may be familiar with the first edition of the Dark City DxO presets. Others may be familiar with the subsequent versions of these presets.

After numerous requests and because they became so popular, I updated the presets and added new ones to the collection. The latest version also comprises 24 presets for DxO PhotoLab and 24 presets for DxO FilmPack. You can also use these presets in Lightroom and Photoshop via the DxO FilmPack plugin. You will find indications on how to do that in the documentation that comes with the presets.

I am now making available the extended version of this preset collection, and I hope they will inspire you to create great work.

To be sure that you receive all future updates and additions, make sure you subscribe here and you will receive everything in your inbox.

DARK CITY DXO FINE ART PRESETS – WHY AND HOW

The intention behind creating these presets was to make a series of fine art black and white and color presets that can be used as a quick way of creating fine art photography using the DxO software, alone or combined with Lightroom or Photoshop.

These presets can be a tool giving photographers a straightforward modality of exploring different looks and moods for their image without needing to invest a large amount of time in this process.

The presets are powerful and can create outstanding images. But you don’t need to stop after applying them. You can keep exploring and experimenting with them and you can see them as a starting point in your post-processing workflow, giving you ideas about how to work on your image to create a result that is as close as possible to your vision. You can increase or decrease the intensity of the preset, or even change it completely through a creative approach.

The presets are fully adjustable and you can change the intensity of all the effects applied. They are not LUT style effects (a certain color grading style that is applied as is), but are fully editable.

Do not be afraid to play with different looks, as this can release your creativity and make you find original solutions.

The presets in their simple version (the original series of 5 presets) were launched in 2014 and included in the Elite version of the DxO FilmPack plug-in.

The new extended version of the series adds 19 new presets to the existing 5, so now the series has 24 presets for DxO Film Pack. In addition, you also have 24 NEW presets for PhotoLab, for a total of 48 presets for PhotoLab and FilmPack.

In the latest edition, the previous versions of the presets have been updated and substantially enhanced to cover a wider range of images and to create a more expressive image of the specific concept.

If you work with the presets in DxO FilmPack you also have available the description of every preset so you know how it was created and how you can use it before applying it. These descriptions have also been updated and enriched in the latest 2023 version.

You cannot find the presets in the out-of-the-box version of the DxO software, so the only way to use them in your work is to import them into your software after downloading them on your hard drive from the provided link.

INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS

The presets are compatible with the last two versions of DxO FilmPack, FilmPack 5 Elite and FilmPack 6 Elite. The new 2023 version is also compatible with DxO PhotoLab 5 and 6 Elite.

To be able to install the presets, you need to install the ELITE version of FilmPack or PhotoLab. You cannot import the presets in the Essential version, of the software which has no option for importing presets.

Here you can download FilmPack and PhotoLab.

You can use the presets in Photoshop and Lightroom if you have installed DxO FilmPack as a plug-in or by first applying the presets in DxO PhotoLab and exporting the image to Photoshop. More info on that in the installation instructions.

You will find detailed installation instructions in the downloaded preset package.

DxO PRESET SERIES DARK CITY

The series contains the following 24 + 24 presets. You have an extensive description of the presets in the material you will download.

1. Dark City
2. Dark City Strong Contrast
3. Dark City Stronger Contrast
4. Dark City Soft Contrast
5. Dark City HDR Structure
6. Dark City Bright Lights
7. Dark City Bold Edges
8. Dark City Bold Edges Sepia
9. Dark City Split Sepia Gold
10. Dark City Split Sepia Gold Strong
11. Dark City Selenium
12. Dark City Selenium Contrast
13. Dark City Soft Light
14. Dark City Soft Light Blur
15. Dark City Intense Black Infrared
16. Dark City Blue
17. Dark City Color
18. Dark City Color Soft
19. Dark City Color Velvia Bold
20. Dark City Color Velvia Muted
21. Dark City Color Dream
22. Dark City Bright
23. Dark City Bright Soft Blur
24. Dark City Orton Effect

You can also use this alternative link to order.

EXAMPLES – IMAGES CREATED EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE DARK CITY PRESETS

(more examples in the downloaded material)

Above you have an example of what you can create using exclusively the preset “Dark City Soft Light Blur” and below you can see more examples of work created using only the Dark City presets, without the help of other software.

You can get even more creative than this by tweaking the preset or even combining the looks. Also, refining the image further in DxO FilmPack, DxO PhotoLab, Lightroom or Photoshop can give a higher level of subtlety to your image and create an even more original look.

Houston Texas – Chevron Ring – Preset Examples

Frankfurt – Germany – Preset Examples

Bay Bridge – San Francisco – Preset Examples

You can find more examples of images created with the DxO Dark City preset series in the documentation material you will receive when you download the presets. You will also find a detailed description of each preset and how they were created step-by-step so you can understand what each effect does and how you can use it also individually.

Understanding the creation of a preset is a great learning experience that always adds to the refinement of the technique of a photographer. This way you can be in control of your own photography and get creative with these presets and your software in general.

I hope you will enjoy working with these presets and they will give you the inspiration to take your photography to the next level. If you enjoy them, share your impressions in the comments and spread the word, so others can be inspired too.

And, of course, subscribe if you want to receive updates for these presets, or find out when new presets or other post-processing tools are available, and also to receive free articles and tutorials in the future.

You can also use this alternative link to order.