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Post by BuckSkin on Jun 24, 2017 17:32:04 GMT
I debated on just where this question should be as it is not specifically an Elements question, but it does not ignore using Elements either, so here it is.
At which stage in image improvement should noise be addressed ?
Should it be removed first, before such things as levels, saturation, and such; or, should it be saved until just prior to final sharpening ?
OR..., should it be done twice --- once at the very beginning, and then again after everything else has been done ?
Thanks for reading.
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Post by Sepiana on Jun 24, 2017 17:53:43 GMT
I remember a similar question being asked on the now-closed EV forum. As a matter of fact, I myself brought up this subject. The consensus was to remove noise first before proceeding with your post-processing. The rationale being that, if you don't remove the noise first, the other steps you mentioned (Levels, Saturation, Sharpening, etc.) will contribute to make the noise more noticeable. Does it make sense?
I had bookmarked an article from Topaz Labs some time ago. It is about using their DeNoise plug-in. They seem to be on the same wavelength.
Source: Image Noise Reduction Workflow
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Post by BuckSkin on Jun 24, 2017 18:09:21 GMT
The rationale being that, if you don't remove the noise first, the other steps you mentioned (Levels, Saturation, Sharpening, etc.) will contribute to make the noise more noticeable. Does it make sense?
Yes, that makes perfect sense and is what I have been beginning to better understand. At first, I usually avoided any noise removal steps as, me not knowing what I was doing, I always did more harm than good. Then, after acquiring a better arsenal of tools (and variety), I sort of started applying noise reduction as one of the last steps. But then I got to thinking on the matter and my thoughts were that all the other processes I was doing were also amplifying the noise. Thus, I am going to start doing the noise removal as my first step, instead of next to last. Thanks for confirming my suspicions. |
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Post by Sepiana on Jun 24, 2017 22:38:14 GMT
You are most welcome! I hope other members join in this thread. I am interested to see how they would address this issue.
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Post by Sydney on Jun 26, 2017 0:18:25 GMT
I would concur that noise reduction should, in most instances, be applied somewhere at the start of a workflow rather than at the end of it, especially if sharpening will be performed. Generally, applying sharpening before noise reduction will just exacerbate noise and cause it to really stand out and make it hard to remove. From my personal experiences anyway.
The Nik collection (which is a free download from Google) contains a noise reduction module (Define) which I have had pretty good luck with.
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Post by BuckSkin on Jun 26, 2017 4:53:29 GMT
The Nik collection (which is a free download from Google) contains a noise reduction module (Define) which I have had pretty good luck with. I also very much like the NIK noise reduction tools; for jpegs, I keep the little white menu sort of squished down in the bottom-right corner where I can apply the de-noise with a single click. I use the "Sky" de-noise on all of my skies and it really smooths away those ragged splotches that seem to always show up in the sky. I also really like the "Skin" and "Strong" where appropriate. I use the DFine2, but I really don't know how to properly use it; at the top-right corner of DFine2, there are two buttons; the first one that is already on by default says "Measure", the second one says "Reduce"; I just realized today that it was a button; I clicked it and a whole other control panel appeared, inside of which I had no idea what to do. Since I began this discussion, I have started doing the de-noise before any other global enhancements; I can already really see an improvement in the clarity and overall quality of my work. I do such things as eliminating wires and such with WireWorm before doing the noise reduction, as the really faint/fine wires are much easier to discern before the noise filter fades them. With my straight-from-the-camera RAW images, I have found that DxO Optics Pro (FREE right now - see the link in "Other Software") has an excellent noise reduction with a "Prime" option that is just amazing to a beginner like me. |
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