noise reduction

[cherry_li]

I shot a a portrait with the kodak 14n using an ISO of 800. Is

there a way to get rid of the noise? The only way I thought of, and

tried, was to first use gaussian blur at 1.0 radius, then adjust the

curves to bring the noisy colors closer together, the result is a

lot better but still not good enough. Is there a plug in that can

fix the noise problem? Thanks for your help!

[sk_arts]

there is a filter called DFine, I have not used it, but does look pretty good. Do a

google search for "DFine Photoshop Plugin" I think that there is a demo

available.

 

If you think you can get away with it, try running a soft focus on the image by

duplicating the image onto it's own layer and running a moderatly heavy

gaussian. Reduce the opacity of this new layer. It should reduce but not

eleminate grain while producing a soft focus effect. ISO 800 seems a little

high for portraits.

[markrupert]

Hi Cherry,

 

Dfine is produced by nik multimedia, here:

http://www.nikmultimedia.com/dfine/usa/entry.php

 

You might also want to check out Neat Image, which seems to be pretty well thought of by some heavy hitters (e.g., Michael Reichman at Luminous Landscape). You can check out some reviews and download a demo version here:

http://www.neatimage.com/overview.html

 

I don't have enough experience with these to make a recommendation. Please let us know which path you take and what your evaluation is.

 

good luck,

 

Mark

[beauh44]

Hi Cherry, You may have already tried these 2 Photoshop methods, but just in case: 1) Many times noise is worse on one channel - many times the blue, but not always. Find the noisest channel and either gaussian blur it a little, or one of the "softeners" under Filter>Noise - like Despeckle. 2) Convert to Lab color and apply a 2-3 pixel blur to the A and B channels, reconvert to RGB assuming that's what you usually use. Can't say this will work, but it won't cost you anything! ;-) Best wishes . . .

[wogears]

NeatImage is gawdawful slow, and there is a learning curve, but once you "get it" it is fantastic. It honestly makes some of my Superia 800 35mm look like ISO 100 film.<div></div>

[qdb]

I too have a 14n. The "must have" noise reduction filter is Neat Image (www.neatimage.com). Get the Pro + version, as this works as a Photoshop plug-in as well as a stand alone programme.

 

Neat removes noise without destroying fine detail - unlike the Gaussian blur you are using.

 

Quentin

[jonathan_bundick]

Neat Image can be slow if files are huge, or if you don't have tons of memory. With a 2.4gig chip and 1 gig of memory, a 25-30meg file takes between 2-3min, but that is not bad for what you get. The results are fantastic.

[seven]

Try : converting to Lab. Smart blur channels A & B. Despeckle the L(ightness) channel. Exact values will depend on digital file size.

[daniel_moore]

Another vote for Neat Image. The only other complaint I've heard from it's users besides being somewhat slow, is that it tends to create images that are a bit 'soft'. Hmmm... 'portrait'? hmmm... 'soft'... : )

Personally, when I see what it's done for some of my most important images, I say take all the time you want.

[brian_potts]

Another vote for Neat Image. I especially like the new plug-in version. I was using the full version, but I now like that I can mask the areas that I want to go after.