When To Do Noise Reduction?

[@AnthonyMorganti]

Don't miss any of my videos! Subscribe now to my KZbin Channel. In this tutorial, I explain and demonstrate when Noise Reduction should be done in one's post-processing workflow. Checkout Anthony Morganti's Lightroom Training - The ULTIMATE Lightroom Classic Course: www.anthonymorganti.com/ Save $10 with Discount Code: TENOFF Updated Lightroom Classic Keyboard Shortcuts PDF Download - It's FREE: www.anthonymorganti.com/ To get more info about Lightroom, go here: prf.hn/l/lGnjDBl I am an Adobe affiliate and will earn a commission if you purchase anything using the link directly above. Please read my Code of Ethics Statement: onlinephotographytraining.com/code-of-ethics/ Please subscribe to my newsletter! anthonymorganti.substack.com/subscribe Contact Info: Anthony Morganti P.O. Box 805 Buffalo, New York 14220

[@ChocoLater1]

I love using PS and Denoise function and I never use more than 65 of value because it will also reduce the detail and may create artefacts in high ISO images. I'd also use additional software called Imagenomic on a layer if I need to remove more noise. Use brush only in still slightly noisier places if needed. Also, for some reason if you use Denoise in PS or LT it is good to set the value to 2 in the Color Noise Reduction tab in a new DNG image. I don't know why but it cleans the image from remaining color noise perfectly if you are a pixel peeper.

[@DavidCrooksPhotos]

IMHO, I prefer to do noise reduction first thing, because I do not want to edit a noisy image. Then sharpen slightly at the end....

[@davegoldberg1874]

Most editors have a set pipeline where an effect is applied at some predetermined point in the software's workflow process, so it makes sense that invoking LR's own NR has the same results whether you activate it earlier or later. It gets a little more complicated with DNGs. I don't know Lightroom, but I'd wager that the exported DNG is an embedded TIFF file that has no prior edits applied (you could tell by the DNG file size), in which case the NR program will do its thing and return a modified file back to LR at some predetermined point in the pipeline, so it shouldn't make much difference if you do your LR edits earlier or later. But, if if you've exported that DNG with the edits applied (some programs give you that option) then any prior edits are baked into your exported file and if sent back to your editor then any further edits are built on top of that file. I think a better test would compare the results of NR applied to fully processed DNG and exported with all edits applied, against one where NR is applied to a DNG early in the process at then applying those same edits. In that test you would actually be comparing the difference between NR applied early in the process or later.

[@jackieboshoff2013]

My personal preference is to do noise reduction right up front, before I do anything else. I run it through DXO Pure Raw rather than the Denoise in Lr (Denoise in Lr just takes way to long). Plus I find I get better results with DXO Pure Raw, a noise free image with tons of detail still for me to work with.

[@maclenna001]

One slight advantage of doing noise reduction early on in the Lightroom workflow may be to reduce the amount of work that Lightroom has to do if it needs to go back, denoise the base image version, and then re-apply ALL of the often complicated edits (e.g. masking/context aware healing spots) that were used. As you experienced in the demo, this can take quite a bit longer than noise removal earlier on in the process. I am also thinking perhaps it may better to view the edit enhancements you are making starting off with a clean RAW file - otherwise they might need to be tweaked after running noise reduction.

[@danielrao3120]

Hello Anthony. I listened to your video with interest until towards the end you lost me including yourself, I think ... :-)) As a general part of one's workflow I have found little or no degradation in a RAW file when denoise in LR is applied right in the beginning of any edit and after any sharpening has been removed. I do this on every RAW file to begin with.50% Denoise is a good starting point. I then edit the file in LR and in PS if I so wish. This way my workflow is less complicated and the results are every bit as good as any third party plugin or indeed applying Denoise et al later down the line.. My hat off to you for doing your best. Thank you and Happy New Year.

[@sarahbatsford4791]

Great video, many thanks as I didn't realize some aspects of this particular editing😁

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Dxo takes Nikon NEF raw files and does a great job of reducing noise but keeping detail with little in the way of artifact. Lightroom /PS enhance is also good, more gentle than the others eotj no artifacts if kept under 50% strength.. Thanks for uploading.

[@wadewaldrup994]

Good information in this video, albeit I found it to be a bit confusing to follow on first viewing. I watched it a second time and then a third time to make sure I fully understood.

[@L.Spencer]

I probably knew, but forgot that noise should be taken care of early in the editing. Maybe that's why my night pictures are weird. I didn't do the AI denoise, that takes about 10 minutes per photo. I just upped the noise luminance button. I figured I was going to lose sharpness, and it did a few times. Maybe if I had done it earlier, the sharpness would have stayed as it was. (file was dng)

[@mikewelsch090270]

Do you see a day when Adobe will allow the AI Denoise to work on jpg's?

[@mrgoldy7532]

How do you know how much noise reduction (number setting) is needed? I find myself doing a few runs and then comparing which one looks best

[@leniehulse1621]

I was wondering the same thing but I noticed that he zoomed in and could see the noise still there so he upped the percentage of noise reduction.

[@larrymitchell3502]

I prefer a loose crop first so noise removal is working on the image _about_ as I plan to present it. Rule of thumb with DenoiseAI: 50 to 100. Different crops produce different proportions, of course, so I tend toward eliminating areas I know I don't intend to keep in the final image and a final crop after other steps. It's also handy to make an OS-level copy of the raw rile & edit the copy so the original remains intact. So far, I usually prefer the results of PureRaw3 over DenoiseAI. PR3 applies lens correction from DXO's vast library of lenses (verdict is still out as to whether PR3 knows it's working with a cropped image) and PR3 allows one to select both the degree of sharpening and noise reduction (4 levels each). It outputs the image as a .DNG, compatible with finishing the rest of post in LR.

[@rml3wood]

That was confusing as Chinese Arithmetic.

[@larrymitchell3502]

I'm confused. I _think_ what you're showing is denoising a DNG in a 3d party app (Topaz or PureRaw3 for example) one's edits done first ARE NOT HONORED. Said another way, LR exports a DNG from the original Raw and the app denoises that. In that case, seems to me that one should run the 3d party denoise plug in before doing anything else. Right or Wrong?????? Further, using DenoiseAI, being part of LR, denoises the edited image (masked, cropped, whatever). If so, DenoiseAI _DOES_ honor earlier edits. If both of these conditions (3d party plugin / LR DenoiseAI) then Topaz / PR3 / Whatever should be applied _FIRST_ and masks, color grading, cropping & all other eddits should be done on the DNG output from the 3d party app in order to preserve the change (denoise / sharpening) along with the edits performed in LR itself. If the above statements are BOTH true, then DenoiseAI can be applied anywhere in one's workflow - but the 3d party apps must be done first OR one has to do the extra step of bringing up the edited NEF, then applying its edits to the output file produced by the plugin. If this is correct, seems simplest to apply denoise before any other edits REGARDLESS of whether it's LR's DenoiseAI or a plugin. The difference being after DenoiseAI one would still be editing the .NEF while after a 3d party plugin, one would continue editing the DNG output from the plugin. If I misunderstand, pls straighten me out. Signed, _Confused_. 🤕

[@davidb9682]

Afraid you lost me half way through. Sounds like if you make edits in LR, and then use the new Denoise, you lose all the previous edits. That seems really weird..........and still leaves me not knowing when to reduce noise!!

[@davidb9682]

the follow up related question, is then, when to sharpening? Before or after reducing noise?