Working with AI Noise Reduction

[Mark Keefer]

I use Adobe Lightroom Classic. One of the new features is AI Noise reduction recently added to existing AI RAW Detail Enhancement and Super Resolution. These new AI features have improved the capabilities of images I can produce with a 7 year old 32 megapixel Canon camera introduced in September of 2016. The 5D MK IV has produced great images for me in low light and with proper exposure but with these new AI features in editing software, it is almost like I have a camera upgrade. I know there are other editing software products like Topaz, which has great reviews. I thought this would be a good topic for discussion, carrying this over from another thread as this discussion would have been off topic for that thread.
Here is a Link to an article comparing LR AI Noise Reduction to Topaz. I don't have Topaz so I hope some here can show some before and after samples of AI Noise reduction using the software you have.

This is a shot comparing a 5D MK IV image shot at 10,000 ISO, RAW (CR2) with no Noise reduction cropped at 100% compared to the same RAW image using LR AI noise reduction set at 30% and I have included the image that the camera produced as a JPEG using the in camera High ISO Noise reduction set on High.

Here is the full image with AI Noise Reduction.

And here is the full image from the RAW with no Noise reduction. This will give you an idea of how close in my comparison above was, pixel peeping at 100%.

 

[Papa Tango]

Seems like everyone is racing to add AI denoising of some sort to their platforms. I was very hopeful that the Lightroom updates would solve high ISO or older low-resolution image issues. The preface here is that I have never liked Lightroom and its sidecar schema. Now AI has popped up in Camera Raw. That's special if you are importing some flavor of RAW files. It is not remotely useful for JPG or PNG. That's why I added Capture One 23 to the workflow. But let's take a look at the difference in the processing between LR and CO.

Below are two images. The original is a Fuji RAF that was exposed at ISO 6400. These show the effect of Adobe's denoising at 200% enlargement size.

This is the best I could eke out of it.

The second one in Capture One was achieved by maximizing (100%) the luminance denoise slider--and is prior to any additional sharpening. NO AI...

This is why CO is highly recommended by Fujichrome. I have not tried this on Nikon or Canon RAW files yet. Mostly there, what I am interested in though are the thousands of HQ jpg files from many years past that could use a bit of help into the 21st century.

I am thinking maybe one of the Topaz solutions for that.

 

[Line M]

I use Topaz AI Denoise. Very pleased with the results. I use it to denoise and sharpen.
Here is an example of an image straight raw from the camera at 2000 ISO and the same with only Topaz filter applied

 

[Line M]

 

[Mark Keefer]

Topaz does a nice job. Fine detail looks good.

 

[Line M]

Topaz does a nice job. Fine detail looks good.

I sometimes get color contamination, as you can notice on the legs of the birds. So now, as a precaution I create a layer on top with the original and apply it as color. That solves that problem.

 

[Ken Katz]

I find the LR AI enhanced ND to be quite useful and works well on my Oly EM-5 iii high ISO images. It's slow and only works on RAW, but I don't shoot jpeg. I prefer the non destructive LR methodology because I don't have to keep track of multiple files of the same image. There might be a better mousetrap out there, but I am too old to want to climb up another application's learning curve.

 

[Mark Keefer]

I find the LR AI enhanced ND to be quite useful and works well on my Oly EM-5 iii high ISO images. It's slow and only works on RAW, but I don't shoot jpeg. I prefer the non destructive LR methodology because I don't have to keep track of multiple files of the same image. There might be a better mousetrap out there, but I am too old to want to climb up another application's learning curve.

I usually create a virtual copy and run NR and adjustments on that. That way I can do different aspect ratio crops and edits and see them side by side. And then I send some to edit in Photoshop and I have some actions there that work nice. I used to have external editors on my Windows 10 Pro laptop, (Corel Paintshoip Pro and Photoshop) I never got around to getting the Corel PSP working on the new laptop. It has forced me to get better at Photoshop.