Noise Reduction

[FrankMi]

Hi Bobo. I didn't realize that you had posted an update to this thread. I'll take a look at the link you provided. Thanks!

Hi Davey. I've played with image stacking noise reduction and under the right circumstances it can work quite well but it does take a bit of effort. I haven't enough skill to get the channel layers to work very well as yet. Right now, Topaz DeJpeg and DeNoise seem to be quickly and easily addressing most of the noise issues I have in high contrast images.

[FrankMi]

I do have the Topaz suite, and currently I use deNoise, but it does soften the image.

Hi Kris. I did end up getting the Topaz Bundle at Christmas and found something very interesting. When processing Three-Holer, there was no noticeable noise in the RAW/DNG file, but after combining several iterations of Topaz Adjust to bring out the reflections, the image was very sharp, but had noticeable noise as a result. I decided to see if DeNoise would help and at the RAW/Strongest setting I was able to remove all of the noticeable noise without any significant impact on the sharpness.

I tried this 'after processing' approach with another image and got similar results. Usually I only look at noise reduction at the start of post processing where it can significantly impact sharpness, but now I realize it is worth trying it on the final result as well. It will take some experimentation to see how effective this might (or might not) be on other types of images.

[FrankMi]

Interesting discussion.

Suggest reading what this guy has to say about his NR workflow. His explanations are simple, easy to understand and more importantly makes sense.

http://www.nicknphoto.com/noise-control/

I have experimented with his technique for a short time and overall the results are good.

Hi Bobo! I've had a chance to play with this and have learned two things.

First, the workflow makes a lot of sense and I'll be using it a lot more in the future for noise reduction.

And second, the technique in CS5 of using Select/Color Range/Shadows to select just the shadows is fantastic for changing the brightness of just the shadows without affecting the properly exposed parts of the image. We've always been able to mask specific areas of an image for special treatment, like noise reduction, but the selection process is often too much of a pain in the patootee to bother with. This technique makes that a practicality.

Thanks so much! This should really help in a number of situations in addition to noise removal.

[Bobobird]

Yes same here. That Color Range thingy has lots more uses and beats using selections any day. To isolate an area I just select and then minus out the areas that do not need touching up and its usually good to go.

[Kris V]

Hi Kris. I did end up getting the Topaz Bundle at Christmas and found something very interesting. When processing Three-Holer, there was no noticeable noise in the RAW/DNG file, but after combining several iterations of Topaz Adjust to bring out the reflections, the image was very sharp, but had noticeable noise as a result. I decided to see if DeNoise would help and at the RAW/Strongest setting I was able to remove all of the noticeable noise without any significant impact on the sharpness.

I tried this 'after processing' approach with another image and got similar results. Usually I only look at noise reduction at the start of post processing where it can significantly impact sharpness, but now I realize it is worth trying it on the final result as well. It will take some experimentation to see how effective this might (or might not) be on other types of images.

Thanks for the tip, Frank! Now that I'm officially retired, I will have some more time to play around with some older pictures.
Yes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

[FrankMi]

Thanks for the tip, Frank! Now that I'm officially retired, I will have some more time to play around with some older pictures.
Yes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

LOL! It's great to know we're still teachable!