Do you use noise reduction software?

[coolie21]

I have been looking at noise reduction plug ins for Aperture, however they seem a bit pricey. Dfine for example is almost 2/3 the price of the full Aperture app - for a plug in.

Do you use noise reduction software, is it worth the $$$?

[Tannin]

Of course. No photographer should be without it. A real computer will always be far, far more capable of doing a good job than a little chip in a camera. Turn it off in-camera, do it in PP is a good rule.

Dfine is shockingly expensive. Unbelievable!

Yes, NR software is worth the money ...... if you buy a package that is sensibly priced. The long-established markety leader is Neat Image - http://neatimage.com/ - which seems to be getting a bit dear now at $75. The other well-respected one is Noise Ninja at about the same price.

[Kym]

Yes, but only when needed. I do it in PP using Neat Image.

[peterb666]

Generally I don't need it. Only rarely would I need to use it since moving from compact digital cameras to my current camera. Maybe 1 in 1000 shots!

[TheGuru]

Yes, I always have heaps of noise in the sky of my outdoor HDR's but if I don't need it then I won't use it. As you say, it is expensive but so is everything to do with digital cameras.

[jim]

Neat Image. That or something similar is an absolute must if you ever need to use high ISO. And often useful even if you don't.

[Tannin]

Of course. No photographer should be without it.

Unless, of course, you always shoot at base ISO. So some genres it probably doesn't apply to.

[jev]

Noise control is a matter of good exposure to begin with. I rarely need it, if ever.

[I @ M]

Of course I do, Neat Image is a necessity for any pre cmos sensor Nikon owner like me that occasionally ventures above 400 iso. :rolleyes:

[kiwi]

I suppose interestingly even at low Iso you can still introduce noise, maybe not the traditional sort, using some post processing techniques that I'll then use dfine (I really like nik software) to clean up again

[maccaroneski]

Yes - but in my "package" only (so to speak).

As an NX2 user, options are limited.

[ricktas]

I used to use Neat Image, but now use D-Fine (www.niksoftware.com)

[bigdazzler]

I use Nik D-Fine as well. All the Nik stuff is a little pricey but it is great software and they have EXCEPTIONAL customer service.

Quick story #1 .. I bought Color Efex Pro 3.0 for $300USD, then bought D-Fine for a further $90USD. I didnt realise at the time they offered a Complete Edition of ALL 5 of their programmes (incl. Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, and Pro Sharpener) for $600USD.

After a quick email explaining the situation and how much Id already spent they quickly cancelled the original licenses and allowed me to repurchase the Complete Edition. I was very happy with that reponse :)

Quick Story #2. In December of last year (2009) Viveza 2 came out. I missed the cut off date for the free upgrade by 10 days from the date that I bought the Complete Package so effectively the upgrade was going to cost me $99USD if I wanted it.

I fired off a quick polite email, and they were more than happy to give me the upgrade for free. Once again, excellent service :)

Sorry for going a little OT .. but its worth mentioning that the service you get from Nik is probably worth paying that little bit extra if something goes wrong. Plus its GREAT software :th3:

[Miaow]

I only use it if needed - ie iso 1600 and 800 sometimes. Use the Neat Image plugin :)

[Tannin]

Darren, it is things like the service you mention that set businesses apart. Don't apologisde for "going on" - this is really useful information. I will happily pay just about any price for a product if I think it really is te best there is and the service matches.

With that said, with D-fine we are not talking about "paying that little bit extra", we are looking at a product being sold for double the going rate; twice as much as the two established industry leaders are charging (Neat Image and Noise Ninja). That seems excessive, especially as (in my understanding) you only get half te product - Neat Image and Noise Ninja hive you complete stand-alone programs as well as Photoshop plug-insm where with D-fine, you must use Photoshop.

I agree that Nik make high quality products, but comparing my one Nik priduct (not D-fine) with my one Neat Image product, the Neat Image one is of even better quality than the Nik one.

I'be been meaning to try the free trial version of D-fine for a while; largely because I don't see where they get off charging that much for s noise reduction package, and I'm curious to find out what (if anything) it does to justfy the price. I'm a sucker for good software, so I have to be careful doing stuff like that. Winds up costing me money.

[bigdazzler]

Neat Image and Noise Ninja hive you complete stand-alone programs as well as Photoshop plug-insm where with D-fine, you must use Photoshop..

Not entirely true mate .. you can buy the Complete Collection plugins for Aperture and LR only for half the price ($299USD) than the Complete Collection "Ultimate Edition" which includes PS compatibility. ($599USD)

See here ... http://www.niksoftware.com/store/usa/entry.php?view=singlepurchase/usa_CC_ps_aa-family.shtml

I agree about the other NR software as well .. Ive had trial versions of both Neat image and Noise ninja. I didnt dislike either of them, probably preferring NN.

[dbax]

I use Noiseware http://www.imagenomic.com/nwpg.aspx. It was a necessity with the Oly E300 above iso200. Now that I have the 40D I only use it occasionally.

EDIT, oh by the way I use it as a photoshop plug in

[coolie21]

Well so far a majority consensus for the noise reduction software. I am trying the Dfine trial at the moment, has worked beautifully, but I haven't tried any of the others yet. I can be a bit of a software ##### so will have to be careful that I don't get tempted for the full package like Darren.

The US site mentions an academic discount hmm....

[bigdazzler]

Well so far a majority consensus for the noise reduction software. I am trying the Dfine trial at the moment, has worked beautifully, but I haven't tried any of the others yet. I can be a bit of a software ##### so will have to be careful that I don't get tempted for the full package like Darren.

The US site mentions an academic discount hmm....

You wont regret it if you do ... the software is very handy. I use CEP, SEP (awesome!!), and Viveza a lot. The only one that is really wasted on me is the sharpener. I tend to always gravitate back to PS for that.

[swifty]

I have to admit, I don't use any NR other than in-camera settings. And with those I keep it on the low setting (not NIL).
I tend to shoot ISO 100-400 these days and really only go to 800 if i have to.
When in situations where the required exposure is something like iso 1600, f1.8 1/30, I just accept that there will be noise.
If I underexpose something too much and try to 'fix' it PP, I know there's gonna be unnecessary noise too but basically the photo's a write off for me.

[Harves]

Purchased and downloaded a copy of Neat Image last night, had a bit of a play with it this morning, looks like an impressive bit of software. Really like the plug-in for CS4 idea. :th3:

[ving]

PSPx2 has 2 built in noise removers. the first is just a once over type job that works really well but can obliterate fine detail entirely, the second is much better in that you can choose areas to remove noise from, size and amount of noise "particles", and also it cn sharpen... very effective.

[mikew09]

Noise, tend to get noticeable on the 400D at ISO 800 and 1600. Hardly ever shoot at that ISO so on a rare occasion have wanted to reduce noise but I am still learning PSE 7 and not even sure at how capable it is at removing noise.

I really hope this will become a thing of the past once I upgrade my gear in about 12 months.

[Inspired]

ok this maybe a dumb question...but with the NR software..eg neat image - can you use it on your raw images? or do you do all your processing save as jpeg and then put it through the software?

[coolie21]

Well after a few days trying the Nik software aperture plug in package I decided I couldn't NOT get it (thank you Darren, its all your fault :) )

If you are considering this I recommend you google for a coupon. My complete package of ALL the Nik apps ended up costing less than 40 USD an app :D

[ricktas]

ok this maybe a dumb question...but with the NR software..eg neat image - can you use it on your raw images? or do you do all your processing save as jpeg and then put it through the software?

Anything you do to a RAW file really doesnt alter the orignal RAW file, no matter what software you use. What you are generally altering is a TIF or JPG rendering of the RAW file. Most of these plugins work as stand-alone or PS add-ons, therefore you will need to be working on a TIF or JPG (PSD and others also), when you use your noise reduction software.

[milspec]

There is an interesting review and comparison of Noise Reduction software here (http://www.prophotoshow.net/blog/2009/02/26/noise-reduction-shootout-straight-dope-comparisonreview/).