Noise Ninja

[Cavy2]

I'm a new user of SC2 (one week). I'm not happy with the results of noise reduction & smart sharpen. I'm sure it's the learning curve. Do you folks recommend & use Noise Ninja?

[Andreas Werth]

Hi Kathy,
as far as i know, more people here are using Neat Image.

http://www.neatimage.com/

[paradise]

Kathy, any noise reduction software that I have used (noise ninja among them) will always result in a loss of sharpness. I prefer to either manually blur noisy areas that should be smooth, or try to create a setup where noise is not an issue, i.e. by using flash systems to enable me to use lower ISO levels.

Oh, and I have used Neat Image too, but I find it makes details look plasticky. You can play with settings but I usually prefer more control.

[Andreas Werth]

I would like to add that there is not always a way to use more light.

For example i was lucky to be able to use a denoising tool here:

http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/contests/0905a/02.jpg

Of course you should´t overdo it... When in doubt you should do a little less.

[Ibn]

I used to use Noise Ninja using the custom profiles that are provided, but as I process more and more images I actually prefer some noise in the pictures. With that in mind, I haven't process for noise for awhile now.

[reefrunner]

There are techniques for processing, and shooting that reduce noise. There are also techniques where you can reduce the noise via noise ninja, or neatimage or etc....where you do not lose as much (and in some cases any, detail.

Shooting:
1) As mentioned, try and arrange conditions that allow for lower ISO
2) Do not under expose your image
3) Shoot to the right (try to expose so the information is on the right side of the histogram, just as close to the right edge as you can get it without blowing the highlights. Noise is predominant in the shadows, shooting to the right reduces shadows and reduces noise)

Processing:
1) Sharpen only what needs sharpening, don't sharpen the entire image. I use the technique outlined at the bottom of >>this page<< (http://www.bythom.com/sharpening.htm) called Edge Sharpening. This method doesn't sharpen the BG and ergo doesn't sharpen any noise in the BG.
2) Use a noise reduction program, if necessary, but use it sparingly. The image may be noisy at 100%, but web images and even print isn't displayed at 100%. Web images are typically about 20-30% and print at 300ppi is about 24%. View your images at around 25% to decide how bad the noise is.
3) When using a noise reduction program, use masks. Apply your noise reduction to a duplicate layer, apply a mask, and paint away the noise reduction (or reduce the opacity of noise reduction) in areas with detail you want/need to preserve. Noise isn't very noticable in areas of detail so you can preserve the detail and still reduce the noise in the photo.

[Cavy2]

Thank you!!
Viewing at 66%, I was getting very frustrated with the results.
I have registered for a few CS2 classes which start in Sept.

[reefrunner]

Web images are typically about 20-30%

This portion of my post is technically incorrect, I should have said they have been resampled to about 20-30% of the original size depending on the original resolution. Web images are viewed at 100%, but as mentioned the resizing will pretty much deal with any small noise issues.