# Best noise reduction options



## mikecox

I shoot a lot at night so am often faced with "noise" problems.  So far using a low ISO and a tripod, then Luminosity in Lr is helpful.  But I can't always use a tripod and have to go for very high ISO's and that's when the noise becomes an issue.

I have seen a lot of noise reducing software when I search but can anyone recommend one? Are there any Lr or Ps add ons, or should I go with a stand alone?


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## Michael D.

I like DxO Pro.  You can get a free trial to see if you like it.   I think it has the best noise reduction, but it is not instantaneous - it typically takes about a minute to process a 16MB image.  

One other nice thing is that the program integrates nicely with Lightroom. My camera creates .DNG raw files.  I can send the .DNG file from Lightroom to DxO, where after processing it is returned to Lightroom as a .DNG file.


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## mikecox

Michael D. said:


> I like DxO Pro.  You can get a free trial to see if you like it.   I think it has the best noise reduction, but it is not instantaneous - it typically takes about a minute to process a 16MB image.
> 
> One other nice thing is that the program integrates nicely with Lightroom. My camera creates .DNG raw files.  I can send the .DNG file from Lightroom to DxO, where after processing it is returned to Lightroom as a .DNG file.


Thanks Micheal, I will try it out.  I like that it integrates with Lr.  btw PC Pro gave it 5 stars


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## Jimmsp

I would also recommend taking a good look at Topaz deNoise. It does an excellent job, is fast, a plug-in to PS and PSE, and you can run it directly as a plug-in to LR on Tiff or jpeg files.

Jim


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## mikecox

Jimmsp said:


> I would also recommend taking a good look at Topaz deNoise. It does an excellent job, is fast, a plug-in to PS and PSE, and you can run it directly as a plug-in to LR on Tiff or jpeg files.
> 
> Jim


I always see them doing demos at conferences.  I'll check them out, thanks for the suggestion.


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## Tony Jay

Am I missing something - what is wrong with Lightroom's noise reduction?

Tony Jay


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## Jimmsp

Tony Jay said:


> Am I missing something - what is wrong with Lightroom's noise reduction?
> 
> Tony Jay



I think the simple answer is that it is not enough for me for very high iso shots in poor light with my camera, a Canon 60D.
I will often shoot my grandchildren in interior light with no flash at high iso's (>2000) which gives me noisy shots.
The color NR is quite good and is probably the equal to the other plug ins. It is the luminescent NR that needs some work.
I use LR all the time for iso's of 100 to about 800 (also a bit scene dependent).
Above about iso 1000, I tend to use Topaz DeNoise. 
I will sometimes use Noiseware in a PhotoShop layer. Their default setting is generally quite good.
I have also found for the occasional very noisy shot, a combination of Noiseware and DeNoise works the best. I give such photos a light taste of each, up to the point where I see some detail effected. This is not really surprising since each, including LR, uses different algorithms to detect and eliminate noise.


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## mikecox

Tony Jay said:


> Am I missing something - what is wrong with Lightroom's noise reduction?
> 
> Tony Jay


My guess is that it's fine but like many Lr/Ps features, there are programs that take standard features further. I guess that's why there are program like Photomatix, and OnOne, among the many others, that integrate with and improve on features that already present in Lr and Ps.


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## Tony Jay

Mike, I shoot a lot of wildlife and birds with lenses of focal lengths 500mm and greater.
I aim for shutter speeds 1/1000s and faster.
As a result ISO's are very high >4000 in even moderate light.

I am pretty discerning with noise reduction and get excellent results with large prints, A2 and bigger.

Obviously the above statement is subjective but I view noise reduction and sharpening (capture sharpening in particular) as inextricably intertwined. I have no idea whether viewing noise reduction and capture sharpening as both part of the same process makes sense to you but regarding the noise reduction slider (luminance) as the 5th sharpening slider is the key

Tony Jay


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## Michael D.

Tony,

Just curious if you have tried Denoise or DxO?   
Depending on the image, I have found both Denoise and DxO superior to LR's NR.   Most of my images are shot at ISO 3200 and higher and the trade-off between sharpening and NR seems best when I use DxO.


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## mikecox

Tony Jay said:


> Mike, I shoot a lot of wildlife and birds with lenses of focal lengths 500mm and greater.
> I aim for shutter speeds 1/1000s and faster.
> As a result ISO's are very high >4000 in even moderate light.
> 
> I am pretty discerning with noise reduction and get excellent results with large prints, A2 and bigger.
> 
> Obviously the above statement is subjective but I view noise reduction and sharpening (capture sharpening in particular) as inextricably intertwined. I have no idea whether viewing noise reduction and capture sharpening as both part of the same process makes sense to you but regarding the noise reduction slider (luminance) as the 5th sharpening slider is the key
> 
> Tony Jay


You probably have a point, it may be overkill.  I may just not know how to use the NR option in Lr properly, and got mislead into believing a supplement to Lr's NR option would create an better result.  

I should probable read up the how to use the feature in Lr more effectively.


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## mikecox

Michael D. said:


> Tony,
> 
> Just curious if you have tried Denoise or DxO?
> Depending on the image, I have found both Denoise and DxO superior to LR's NR.   Most of my images are shot at ISO 3200 and higher and the trade-off between sharpening and NR seems best when I use DxO.


I'm glad to hear from someone who has tried DxO; as I haven't, yet.  I was beginning to think that it was a mistake to think I needed to go outside Lr to get better NR.


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## Steve LB

mikecox said:


> I shoot a lot at night so am often faced with "noise" problems.  So far using a low ISO and a tripod, then Luminosity in Lr is helpful.  But I can't always use a tripod and have to go for very high ISO's and that's when the noise becomes an issue.
> 
> I have seen a lot of noise reducing software when I search but can anyone recommend one? Are there any Lr or Ps add ons, or should I go with a stand alone?


Nik Define (free Google plug in) does a very good job in noise reduction.  In fact the entire suite is a work horse in editing through Lightroom.


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## mikecox

Steve LB said:


> Nik Define (free Google plug in) does a very good job in noise reduction.  In fact the entire suite is a work horse in editing through Lightroom.


Thanks Steve, I've been wondering about that option because I was reading a book by Robin Whalley; How to Avoid and Remove image Noise with Nic Dfine 2" that sounded encouraging. I didn't realize it was free!

Wait, I just went to Amazon and it's listed for *$200.  *But I just watched a youtube video that, like you, said it was free.  I'm confused /-:


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## Cerianthus

ITS free so why use Amazon. Google Nik Collection


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


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## mikecox

Cerianthus said:


> ITS free so why use Amazon. Google Nik Collection
> 
> 
> Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


Thanks!  I was actually planning to log on to report that I'd found it when I saw your response.  

I read that Google was re-reimbursing those who paid for it!  What's going on?  What is happening to the Nik software company and why is this collection still listed for sale on Amazon, for a whopping $200!?  I actually ordered it, then cancelled the order when I heard it was available for free!  I even tried installing the  trial version, but it wouldn't install properly so I deleted it.  I'm hoping the free collection installs correctly.


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## mikecox

Sadly the Google collection also failed to give me access.  It appears to have installed; it shows up on installed programs in the Control panel, but I don't see it in the Filters or Files/Automatic in Ps or in "Edit in" in Lr.

I followed the installation video and it appeared to install without a hitch; both programs were shut down when I started.

btw I watched a you-tube video that explained "what is going on"; Google bought out Nik software.


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## Gnits

Have you multiple versions of Ps installed.


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## RogerB

mikecox said:


> Sadly the Google collection also failed to give me access.  It appears to have installed; it shows up on installed programs in the Control panel, but I don't see it in the Filters or Files/Automatic in Ps or in "Edit in" in Lr.



In your LR preferences, do you have "store presets with catalog" checked? If so, try unchecking it and see if they appear in the "Edit in" menu then. The Nik installer puts them into the default preset location.


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## mikecox

Gnits said:


> Have you multiple versions of Ps installed.


Ah, yes!  When PS CC 2015.5 was upgraded I noticed that it created another copy of Ps in the Installed programs list.  I wondered if I deleting would cause a problem, were they linked somehow?  Why does Adobe create this kind of confusion?!  I'll remove it and see what happens.  Thanks!


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## Gnits

mikecox said:


> Ah, yes!  When PS CC 2015.5 was upgraded I noticed that it created another copy of Ps in the Installed programs list.  I wondered if I deleting would cause a problem, were they linked somehow?  Why does Adobe create this kind of confusion?!  I'll remove it and see what happens.  Thanks!



There was an option to remove all previous versions when updating to the latest version.   I used to keep a copy of Photoshop CS6 also installed, but removed it when I was running into various plug-in issues.  If I can find a link to the documentation on this I will post it here.


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## mikecox

RogerB said:


> In your LR preferences, do you have "store presets with catalog" checked?


 Yes!




> try unchecking it and see if they appear in the "Edit in" menu then. The Nik installer puts them into the default preset location.


*Bingo!! All there!  

Can I copy these presets over to the Catalog where I've been saving presets?  I'm thinking all the presets I have stored in the Catalog will be overwritten and I'll lose some.  Is there any clean cut way to sort them out?'

Thanks!*


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## Gnits

Here is a link to some documentation re Installing PS updates which refers specifically to dealing with older versions installed.

FAQ: Photoshop CC 2015.5 now available


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## mikecox

Gnits said:


> Here is a link to some documentation re Installing PS updates which refers specifically to dealing with older versions installed.
> 
> FAQ: Photoshop CC 2015.5 now available


Great!  Thanks!  I must have missed the option to remove the old version /-:


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## RogerB

mikecox said:


> *Can I copy these presets over to the Catalog where I've been saving presets?  I'm thinking all the presets I have stored in the Catalog will be overwritten and I'll lose some.  Is there any clean cut way to sort them out?'*



I'm not sure there's a 100% "clean" way to sort them out, but if you want to keep your presets stored with your catalogue then you should be able to copy the Nik presets from the default location to your catalogue location and have them work OK.  Try this:


In preferences, on the "presets" tab, with the "Store presets with catalog" box unchecked, click on the "Show Lightroom Presets folder..." button.
In the explorer window that opens, double click the folder that is highlighted (should be called "lightroom"), then inside that folder double click the "External Editor Presets" folder.
Inside that folder you should see the presets for the Nik collection. Select them all and copy them.
Back in Lightroom, check the "store presets with catalogue" box, then click on the "Show Lightroom Presets folder..." button. A new explorer window should open showing your catalogue location, double click on the highlighted folder.
Double click on the "Lightroom Settings" folder, then on the "External Editor Presets" folder.
Paste the Nik preset templates into that folder
Go back to Lightroom, leave the "store presets with catalogue" box checked, close the preferences window and check if the presets appear in the "edit in" menu

If that works you shouldn't have overwritten any of your existing presets and you'll be good to go.


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## mikecox

I shoot a lot at night so am often faced with "noise" problems.  So far using a low ISO and a tripod, then Luminosity in Lr is helpful.  But I can't always use a tripod and have to go for very high ISO's and that's when the noise becomes an issue.

I have seen a lot of noise reducing software when I search but can anyone recommend one? Are there any Lr or Ps add ons, or should I go with a stand alone?


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## mikecox

RogerB said:


> I'm not sure there's a 100% "clean" way to sort them out, but if you want to keep your presets stored with your catalogue then you should be able to copy the Nik presets from the default location to your catalogue location and have them work OK.  Try this:


Thanks for that detailed explanation. I appreciate it.


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