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05-23-2012, 11:42 PM   #1
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Noise Reduction

As some of us know, Pentax DSLRs can get a bit noisy at higher ISOs. I have a K10D (retired) and currently use the K20D. I am wondering what people are using to deal with noise reduction in their workflow and what NR programs are being used, if any.
I have been trying Topaz DeNoise 5 on a 30 day free trial and am really excited about the results it is yielding.
Thanks,'Don

05-24-2012, 12:10 AM   #2
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I have a K-7 and I PP my shots with PDCU 4.35 and I use the NR option of PDCU for basic NR.

I use also Noiseware Standalone. Noiseware gives some excellent, very pleasing results. But I must be applied first the basic PP with PDCU (without NR), and then use Noiseware for NR afterwrds.

My 5 cents...

Last edited by hcc; 05-24-2012 at 12:44 AM.
05-24-2012, 01:50 AM   #3
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Lightroom 4 does NR very well. Ditto DXO Optics Pro and PDCU, as hcc notes. I don't bother with standalone NR tools anymore because I am pretty happy staying within those.

I have been meaning to check out Topaz DeNoise one day. However I have delayed doing so as my first impression from their site was that it looks terribly complicated. I would be happy to hear if, in fact, it was straight forward to use.
05-24-2012, 03:29 AM   #4
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I use Topaz DeNoise 5.0 as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop CS6 but I use it after using the CS6 noise reduction first and get pretty good results. An example.




05-24-2012, 05:21 AM   #5
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Eaglem,
I use TD also when appropriate as CS5 does a decent job for me when noise isn't too bad. Since it appears you're more versed with TD than I am, could you tell me what preset (if any) you use when opening the plug in with a psd file. As you know TD only presents you with jpeg and raw options. To date, I use the trial & error (preset) followed by slider method. Do you have a better workflow for this?

Thanks,

Bill
05-24-2012, 06:39 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by eaglem Quote
An example.
Using NR on a ISO 160 shot?
I would have thought there would not have been much noise to reduce in the first place.
05-24-2012, 09:32 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by rawr Quote
Using NR on a ISO 160 shot?
I would have thought there would not have been much noise to reduce in the first place.
There won't be much noise at low ISO levels, unless the shot was severely underexposed and brought back up in pp. Still, I find a gentle denoise can really smooth out subtle gradients and remove the bit of grain sometimes still seen at ISO 100.

Topaz makes some great plugins. So does Nik. I really like their Nik Dfine plugin for NR. I'd be hard pressed to choose between the two.

05-24-2012, 04:25 PM   #8
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I use Topaz DeNoise, and I really like the results. But I only use it when I pull the shadows pretty far or really high ISO. Otherwise, LR3 and DxO does just fine for 95% of the situations for me.
05-24-2012, 05:34 PM   #9
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If you're using a K20D at high ISO, and you're shooting raw, then the absolutely-required number-one first thing you must do is run GordonBGood's raw correction tool (based on dlacouture's processing idea, I believe).

It totally eliminates that weird purple blotchy cast you get on photos above ISO 2000 or so.

Then, move ahead with Topaz, Lightroom, or whatever else you want to use on the rest of the noise. I don't know if current versions of Topaz and other packages duplicate this functionality, but back when I was shooting a K20D, nothing did.

Some background reading:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/67532-how-use-k20s...dden-dngs.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/72259-magenta-edge...-solution.html
Magenta edge tinging at high ISO and a possible solution... [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

And the tool itself:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=610bb9d47b109171&id=610BB9D47B109171!152

You want the 0.9 version. It requires Windows.

I should mention that it will modify your raw files, so have duplicates available if you're worried about losing them to an error or malfunction.
05-24-2012, 10:29 PM   #10
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Topaz DeNoise 5--RAWR

Hello rawr,

DeNoise is pretty straight forward to use. Not that complicated at all, however, to make the most of the program, follow the directions exactly as shown. If you use DXO Optics Pro like I do, zero out and turn off all the settings except the lens modules (I made a preset for that), then, the first thing you will do when you open the TIFF in Photoshop is to go straight to the DeNoise plugin and run it. I like to use it manually, but it is also possible to make presets for each ISO setting for your camera as a starting point.

Here is a link to a YouTube video webinar given by Nichole, demonstrating the complete workflow of DeNoise 5:


The tutorials on the web site by Dr. Yang are also very good.

I also spoke with Nichole on the phone regarding workflow and she is very knowledgeable and a great person. She is a photographer herself, so she is in a very good grasp of the product and its capabilities.

Also, there is a 30 day free trial that is fully functional, so there is nothing to lose here.

I look forward to your thoughts,
Don
05-24-2012, 11:51 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by donaldchalfy Quote
Also, there is a 30 day free trial that is fully functional, so there is nothing to lose here.
Thanks Don for that great information.

I will download DeNoise and give it a test drive. I sure have plenty of high ISO shots with varying degrees of noise to try it on.
05-25-2012, 05:01 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Philoslothical Quote
Topaz makes some great plugins. So does Nik. I really like their Nik Dfine plugin for NR. I'd be hard pressed to choose between the two.
I use Nik's Dfine 2 plugin in Aperture 3 to good results. I do not have the Topaz de-noise product, but I do use their Detail plugin, and one major difference that makes me prefer the Nik plugin is how when done it affects the original raw file directly. The Nik changes are still non destructive and can be removed. While the Topaz plugin creates a separate tiff with the changes included just in it. As I said I do use it that way with the Detail plugin, but would prefer if it instead incorporated the change directly into the raw file, so I didn't have many versions to manage. Possibly the Topaz noise plugin works differently than their Detail plugin. The advantage Topaz carries is in price, I believe they are generally cheaper.

Last edited by Schmidlapper; 05-25-2012 at 05:02 AM. Reason: continuity
12-24-2012, 07:46 AM   #13
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Does anyone know if the problem was corrected for the K20D with firmware update 1.4 or 1.04 (whichever it was)?

QuoteOriginally posted by Quicksand Quote
If you're using a K20D at high ISO, and you're shooting raw, then the absolutely-required number-one first thing you must do is run GordonBGood's raw correction tool (based on dlacouture's processing idea, I believe).

It totally eliminates that weird purple blotchy cast you get on photos above ISO 2000 or so.

Then, move ahead with Topaz, Lightroom, or whatever else you want to use on the rest of the noise. I don't know if current versions of Topaz and other packages duplicate this functionality, but back when I was shooting a K20D, nothing did.

Some background reading:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/67532-how-use-k20s...dden-dngs.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/72259-magenta-edge...-solution.html
Magenta edge tinging at high ISO and a possible solution... [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

And the tool itself:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=610bb9d47b109171&id=610BB9D47B109171!152

You want the 0.9 version. It requires Windows.

I should mention that it will modify your raw files, so have duplicates available if you're worried about losing them to an error or malfunction.
12-24-2012, 08:58 AM   #14
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I still use Noise Ninja. I was afraid it wouldn't work any more when I upgraded to Win 7 but happily it's still chugging along. I have tried Topaz, Nik, and Noiseware and NN continues to give the most pleasing results, IMHO.
12-24-2012, 02:32 PM   #15
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I use 2 programs:

1. Define in manual mode when I want to limit NR to a particular area(s)
and
2. Noiseware for a general overall NR when pic is too complex to use the above.

Works for me.
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