DxO Labs · Research preview

Silver AI

A year ago, my team at DxO Labs and I started exploring how an agent could edit photographs in Nik Silver Efex through ordinary language. I lead the project, with contributions from many people across DxO.

  • Started in 2025
  • Codex app-server
  • GPT-5.6 Luna
  • Nik Silver Efex
A dramatic cool black-and-white coastal cliff print with a dark cloud ceiling and luminous sea mist.

Suggestions

Seixal, Madeira — dawn

I took this at dawn, while the cliff was still dark and the first light was opening the mist. There is no single obvious edit, so the agent proposes three directions before touching the image.

A color photograph of a steep coastal cliff beneath layered clouds and sea mist.
Original photograph

Dramatic mountain print

I chose: Dramatic mountain print — Make the cliff and cloud deck carry the frame: a high-contrast landscape preset, darker sky through Color Filter and local control, lifted mist, and a restrained cool selenium finish. The resemblance is to classic Zone System mountain printing, not a claim of authorship.

A dramatic cool black-and-white coastal cliff print with a dark cloud ceiling and luminous sea mist.
Final photograph

The dramatic mountain print is in place: a darker cloud ceiling, a lifted veil of sea mist, and a cool selenium finish keep the cliff dominant without losing atmosphere. I kept the grain fine and restrained so the texture supports the print rather than competing with the clouds.

Worn coastal postcard

I chose: Worn coastal postcard — Turn the scene into a slightly cheeky vintage seaside print with a warm tone, lighter water and haze, restrained grain, and a worn paper edge.

A warm yellowed coastal postcard print with luminous mist, restrained grain, and a worn edge.
Final photograph

The coastal postcard look is in place: warm yellowed toning, a lighter sea and mist, softened grain, and a worn paper edge. The cliff remains the dark anchor, so the frame still has shape beneath the nostalgic finish.

Luminous mountain mist

I chose: Luminous mountain mist — Keep the cliff detailed but let the glowing haze carry the photograph, using a softer landscape base, open midtones, held cloud highlights, and gentle local separation.

A soft luminous sepia coastal print with open haze, controlled cloud light, and a gently defined cliff.
Final photograph

The luminous mountain mist pass is applied: a soft sepia base, open middle tones, held cloud light, and a gentle local definition pass on the cliff. The haze now carries the frame while the textured diagonal remains readable, with the extra preset grain kept out so the print stays airy.

Surprise me

La Madeleine, Paris

I photographed La Madeleine from below, where the columns create a slow sequence of shadows. I began with “Surprise me.” The first result was hard and monumental; I then asked for something softer and more poetic.

A color photograph looking upward along classical stone columns, a carved pediment, and a Latin inscription.
Original photograph
A poetic warm-sepia architectural print with a lifted Latin inscription and long progressive column shadows.
Final photograph

Arthur Surprise me

Silver AI Monumental Inscription. I pushed the building toward a carved, high-contrast architectural print, added a restrained brown-sepia paper tone, and lifted the inscription with a directional local adjustment so the lettering joins the visual rhythm of the columns.

Arthur · Follow-up Could you give it a more poetic and soft look? This architecture is producing some very interesting progressive shadows.

Silver AI I softened the stone and relief into a gentler, more poetic print, easing back the hard structure while protecting the long shadow transitions. The architecture now feels less monumental and more atmospheric—the progressive shadows can carry the mood.

Direct edit

Lisboa Tram

I took this as a red tram moved through Lisboa. The request was simple: make the city monochrome and keep the tram red. Then I asked for a less yellow vintage treatment.

A red Lisboa tram moving through a softly blurred city street.
Original photograph
A Lisboa tram in vivid red against a softly sepia monochrome city street.
Final photograph

Arthur I love this image taken in Lisboa! Could you use selective colorization to create a fun edit?

Silver AI The Lisboa tram is now the playful red accent, while the city stays monochrome. I kept the warm yellowed print and worn postcard edge, so it feels like a cheeky vintage souvenir.

Arthur · Follow-up Let's change preset for another one, still vintage but not that yellow.

Silver AI I switched to 027 Soft Sepia—a gentler brown vintage tone without the strong yellow cast. The tram's red is back as the selective-color accent, while the background stays softly monochrome.