What do you use for noise reduction?

[GrfxGawd]

If you work in Photoshop, you've seen it. Noise.

Induced from low ISO or JPG compression, to who knows what sort of reasons. Images can and often do have noise.

What do you use to fix it?

There's a LOT of packages out there now.

Also, there's one very specific filter/application I've been trying to track down but haven't been able to. It used a wavelet technology to do discreet predictive reconstructive filtering. (It made stuff appear that wasn't able to be seen previously - something effectively from nothing almost.)

For example - A photograph of a license plate on a moving car. Unreadable. Run the filter, and it was clearly obvious what the plate number was. Really. This filter made unsharp mask look like using the brightness and contrast adjustments compared to curves.

Anyhow, curious as to your thoughts, and if anyone has a lead on this miraculous app/filter.

[DeleteYourself]

despeckle works wonders. then use the history brush to sharpen up any places that look blury or have lost detail.

[Ulysses]

Posterize sometime helps too ... it'll depend on the nature of the image, as always. In fact, a mixture of filters for different areas are usually required for best results.

[PrintDriver]

GrfxGawd, sounds like you are describing the mysterious and elusive CSI plug-in for photo enhancement...
None of these?
http://www.thepowerxchange.com/scart/public/scart/dynamic.php?uid=2&action=search&searchby1=keywords&searchby2=category&searchby_keywords=noise&searchby_category=3%2C22%2C0&submitit=Search&scart_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thepowerxchange.co m%2F

[D-Frag]

Here is a little photoshop tip to get out those nasty blue/red/green pixels (Digital Noise)

Change your color mode to "Lab" Image>Mode>Lab Color.

Go to your channels palette, and go to your "A" channel. Use a 60% Gaussion blur on that channel, you might have to eyeball the blur, just make sure that the dots you see are dissapearing (you will notice it when you preview)

Then go to your "B" channel, and repeat the Gaussion blur.

Revert back to RGB color, and your magical little dots have dispersed and your image remains untouched.

[Allen Harkleroad]

Nice Tip D-Frag!

[Broacher]

That AB gaussian was particularly useful in the early days of digital cameras for reducing 'rainbow flesh'. It's also a good way to start a move from an indexed 'ditherered' space of say, a GIF, into full RGB.

BTW, you can apply the blur to both channels at once if you use 'Shift' to select the second channel in the channel palette. (and preview the change by pressing '~' prior to the blur filter.

[D-Zine]

these are all great tips..thanks everyone.
Even tho I didn't ask the question I can apply some of these to good use :D

same ole GDF :thumbsup:

[GrfxGawd]

Well, here's a little review for you guys then.

This is an application called Picture Cooler. It is currently "free" and can be found at http://denoiser.shorturl.com/

This is not a photo, but it was an image with a nasty amount of noise.

The first is the "original" as it was sent to me, sort of like art supplied by a customer.

The second is what happened after adjusting and applying Picture Cooler.

The third and final is that file with some levels adjustment and saved as a gif.

Big improvement? I think so. Not bad work for free. :)

Once I get a photo that sucks enough to run it on, I might post the results of that too.


Here's the skinny - Free app, good noise reduction, could use better UI.

Pros: Free, effective, continued development, pretty extensive.
Cons: Slow, stand alone (not a plugin for Photoshop), interface could use a lot of work to make it more usable.

Bottom line: Great value.


Do you guys find this helpful? I might be willing to add the results of a few others if anyone finds this useful.

[GrfxGawd]

Quick note for PD: Nope, none of those are it. :(

This thing when I saw it was not commercial really. It was very rough. An applet with a minimal interface is possible. I'm guessing it either caved from lack of direction/funding, or was snapped up by someone with deeper pockets.

You can hardly imagine what it did without seeing the examples.

Imagine a photo taken of a child running shot at something like 100 iso. Blurry little arms and legs, smudgy face - and for once it's not because they aren't washed.

Imagine running the filter, seeing no motion blur (or very minimal), and being able to discern the nail beds in the fingernails, and a face that has just a tinge of haloing but is otherwise clear.

It could do that - no kidding. It was astounding. It did what I would consider impossible. It could also deinterlace a frame of video like no-ones business.

[DeleteYourself]

no mac version, eh?

[GrfxGawd]

Sorry guys. PC user...

I'll see about some things that are cross platform too. If, people actually find this usefull.

[billdakelski]

Try this
http://share.studio.adobe.com/axAssetDetailSubmit.asp?aID=11495&back=http%3A%2F%2Fshare%2Estudio%2Eadobe%2Ecom%2Fa xBrowseSubmit%2Easp%3Fc%3D43