Simple effective tool

I bought this app for a specific purpose-- to improve shots of my daughter & teammates playing hockey. Lighting in many arenas is extremely challenging, to say the least. I use good glass, a Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II on an entry-level full-frame camera Canon 6D. Typically, I have to shoot wide open at ISO 3200 to 6400 to get the necessary shutter speeds due to available light. Of the five selections in this app I usually use only two, the Optical Corrections and Noise Reduction. Probably due to the use of a good lense, I find the improvements in optical corrections to be noticeable and useful, but not dramatic. It corrects vignetting on shots wide open at f2.8 quite well, barrel distortion is minimal. On a few outdoor shots I looked at and tested it did correct chromatic aberrations. I’m seeing larger amounts of correction on other lenses I use such as Canon’s 24-105L 4.0.
In arenas I custom set a white balance for each “barn” and subsequently do not use the white balance controls in the app; I find it is always better to shoot as close to perfect as possible rather than to try to correct afterwards. The white balance setup in this app strikes me as being next to useless. Use Photos or other software instead if necessary.
The Smart Lighting feature I use sporadically, sometimes I like the effect, sometimes I don’t. Obviously Clear View isn’t any use for what I am doing. I experimented with a few hazy outdoor shots, but didn’t love the effect. Personal choice I guess.
By far the best feature is Noise Reduction. I’ve been using the Prime button almost exclusively and appreciate the improvement. Best app at reducing thermal noise I’ve used, period. On most shots, at least one full stop improvement. This feature alone is worth purchasing this app for. I do agree with other reviewer’s that it is slow. On my six year old MBP 17, saving the changes takes about two minutes, but I like the improvement.

Still Learning Every Day about DxO OpticsPro for Photos, v1.0