Excessive noise when editing in PS RAW

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>I have a Canon EOS 450D and learning Photoshop (CS5)<br /><br />I take my photos in RAW and do most of the editing in PS Adobe RAW. I save the edited photos in jpeg format, but keep the originals. My computer crashed and I am not sure what I do wrong, but there is a lot of noise when I use a photo as a desktop background.<br /><br />Editing:<br /><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-07194558.jpg" alt="" width="1183" height="774" /><br /><br />Background (the noise does not show up very well in this screenshot):<br>

<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-07194927.jpg" alt="" width="1191" height="670" /><br>

Picture data:<br /><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-07222906.jpg" alt="" width="258" height="482" /><br /><br />Any advice please??</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>Have you tried to adjust Noise? I played with your picture-it seemed a little dark. SO I adjusted levels a bit and Noise but like you said, it's hard to see noise in your posted shot.</p><div></div>

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>I think my settings are wrong, so here are the dimensions as well as a 100% image screenshot:<br>

<img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-08001920.jpg" alt="" width="462" height="434" /><br>

<img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-08001021.jpg" alt="" width="608" height="658" /></p>

[purplealien]

<p>What's the native resolution of your monitor? I get better results when I reduce images to fit my monitor's resolution (1920x1080) in software (I use Capture NX2).</p>

<p>Otherwise you are leaving it up to Windows to downsize it to fit. That could be the source of the problem.</p>

<p>Chris</p>

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>Thanks for that.<br>

Someone suggested I should change to ProPhoto RGB-has anyone got experience?<br>

<strong>What I basically need is the settings that most people are using-</strong> not vibrance, contrast, etc; but ppi, etc in PS.<br>

The screen resolution is 1600 by 900.<br>

<img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-08184806.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-08183021.jpg" alt="" width="1171" height="774" /><br>

Thanks!</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>ppi</p>

</blockquote>

<p>ppi is irrelevant. It can be set to anything, it isn't affecting the size or noise of your image.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>The size you need for a 1600*900 resolution monitor is 1600 by 900 <strong>pixels</strong>. Inches have got nothing to do with it (and hence why Jeff said ppi is irrelevant). Use the sRGB colourspace to save it, as Windows will set it to the monitor colour space anyway - ProPhotoRGB has no advantages for a desktop photo. 8 bits per pixel, Windows won't use more.<br>

Note that 1600*900 will crop your image - your image is 3:2, the monitor 16:9.</p>

<p>And off-topic, the statement "you should use ProPhotoRGB" is a silly blank statement, missing a part: "if you have a colour calibrated workflow and an understanding of colour management". Tinker with those settings once you know what they actually do.</p>

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>I have uploaded 2 RAW pictures. Taken the same day.<br>

This is the first time I am trying this.<br>

Well I hope you van have access to these!</p>

<p>https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1336872780/b350ecc953ee79f6c828c29267a4199f</p>

<p>http://www.yousendit.com/download/T2djSU5EMGNVbTlqQThUQw</p>

<p>https://www.yousendit.com/folders</p>

<p>It looks as if the last link might work.<br>

Anyone who wants to play with the photos?</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Albie - I don't see any problem whatsoever with the one file I could get to download. It's probably something extreme in your settings. I'm quite sure that neither the resolution (in pixels), nor the color space had anything to do with all the noise in your version. First, here's the full image...</p>

<div></div>

[tom_mann1]

<p>...and here is a 100% crop.</p>

<p>I've got to run, but later today, we can discuss the settings, or I'll send you the preset that I used.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>PS - Since I didn't see that scene with my own eyes, I had to guess the brightness and saturation of the dried grass. I hope I wasn't too far off.</p><div></div>

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>Hi Tom<br>

Many thanks for that. I would love to have your presets.<br>

I have uploaded another image and played with it myself. I did not fiddle with my son's face, I think one can get it sharper and with less noise:<br /><br />The links to the RAW image:<br />(not sure which one is working- it is image 6226)<br /><br />https://rcpt.yousendit.com/1337135066/cc0c9fc646dce1b3f26a08703af1d970 <br>

https://www.yousendit.com/folders <br /><br />These are my edits- not aggressive:<br /><br />Initial edit- pushed up Recovery, Light, Brightness, etc from the default settings.<br /><br /><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10180440.jpg" alt="" width="1177" height="776" /> <br />Default sharpness:<br /><br /><br /><br>

<a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10180722.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10180722.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br />Increased sharpness and noise reduction:<br /><br /><a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10181036.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10181036.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br>

<br />At 100%<br /><br /><a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10214220.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10214220.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br>

<br />Used High Pass filter:<br /><br /><a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10181319.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10181319.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Noise in my son's face- but I did not try to work on his face.<br /><br /><br>

<a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10182907.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10182907.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br>

<br />Screen background set at 1600 by 900<br>

<a href="http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/?action=view&current=2012-01-10184222.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii62/avz10/2012-01-10184222.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br>

Any comments? <br /><br />Should I have sharpened more?? But at least the screen does not have so much noise as my previous effort.<br>

And again Tom, you transformed that image above!</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Hi Albie - This is going to have to be quick because I'm in the middle of other things, but:</p>

<p>a) WRT the image I tweaked earlier today, the problems you were having with it, IMHO, all derived from the fact that the lighting just was not very good. The foreground appears to be in the shadow of a cloud. If you had waited a minute or two, I suspect you would have gotten a much better image. However, given the image you posted, to improve it, I had to selectively and separately adjust different areas within the photo, ie, the grasses, the trees, the clouds, and the sky. Even using the adjustment brush in ACR, by itself, ACR couldn't do everything that was needed. I had to bring the image into PS and do some work on it there. I suspect that you were probably trying to make a single ACR session do all the work. That's too much to ask, and is what probably led to some relatively extreme adjustments, and hence, the noise.</p>

<p>b) WRT the photo of your kids, when I look at the RAW file, it seems to me that a major problem is that you were shooting into the sun and (i) your lens appears to have some veiling flare, and (ii), you didn't use any fill flash or a reflector to lighten up their faces, so, like in the previous image, unless you re-shoot this, some fairly strong selective post-processing effects are going to have to be applied. Extensive post processing is never as good as starting with a decent image.</p>

<p>The veiling flare is particularly evident when you compare the lower contrast in your son's face to the higher contrast in your daughters' faces (as viewed on the unmodified RAW file, not your processed versions). It appears that you are using a wide-range kit zoom. I have no experience with that particular lens, but, to start, double check that it is absolutely clean. If there is a cheap UV filter on it, remove it. It there is an expensive UV filter on it, do tests to know for sure that it is not reducing the contrast noticeably, and, in all cases, use either a lens hood, or, even better, your hand to prevent sunlight from directly striking the front of your lens. In addition, use either fill flash or a reflector to brighten the subjects in such backlit situations.</p>

<p>More later,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Hi again, Albie - Here's a very quick & dirty tweak of your family photo. I didn't see any need for sharpening (except at the very end, after I downsized for display in this thread). Really, the only things I did to the image was to try to balance the light and contrast in the different parts of the image to compensate for the lack of fill light and the likely flare in your lens. I also did not warm it up as much as you.</p>

<p>Tom M</p><div></div>

[tom_mann1]

<p>...and, for comparison, here is your cr2 file run through ACR with the only change from the default settings being that I cranked up the contrast to the point where the hair of the girl on our right was getting too dark. I applied exactly the same sharpening-after-downsizing as in my previous post.</p>

<p>You'll notice that even at this high contrast setting and with overall output sharpening, there are very few really dark or really light tones in your son and in the background. This is telling you that the contrast is different in different areas of the image, and that you may want to adjust the different areas separately (as in my previous post).</p>

<p>Also, for example, should you find my previous version is too exaggerated and this version too blah, it's always simple to blend these two or any two versions, to get something more middle-of-the-road.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Tom M</p><div></div>

[albie_van_zyl]

<p>This is excellent Tom!<br>

This was just a random shot and turned out very nicely!<br>

How high did you go up with the contrast? To the 90's?<br>

I have got myself heaps of stuff on ACR so I need to start reading ASAP.<br>

(You made some other very valuable points. I will look at my UV filter)<br>

Would you remember to send me the presets?<br>

My email is avz10@mweb.co.za<br>

Thanks<br>

Albie</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Albie - Check your email.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>