Noise Reduction: Which Software?

[jwhite461]

I am getting ready to order and I am trying to decide between Noise Ninja and Neat Image. I've been to both websites and have read many reviews and now I would like to ask those of you which software you prefer. Is one easier to use then the other? Does one do a better job than the other? I use Photoshop CS, am not a pro and do shoot in Raw sometimes. I know that there is also some free software out there, but have narrowed it to the above two listed. Thanks for everyones input.

Jeff

[kb244]

Having used neatimage, its rather easy at it's default, but can become quite advanced if you choose it to be. I havent played with noise ninja so no clue there. I guess another option thats very easy and automatic would be the Kodak Digital GEM plugin for Photoshop CS. Probally cost the same as those two tho.

[Scottes]

I have Neat Image but both are fine products. When I chose Neat Image one of the deciding factors was that it could run as a filter inside Photoshop which Noise Ninja could not do. Noise Ninja now has a beta plugin for Photoshop so it might be a tougher decision. But keeping the workflow inside PS was *very* important to me so I got Neat Image.

Given that these two are both very good then I think the deciding factor would be which one you like to use. A great piece of software is less useful if it's a real pain to use. Try them both and see which works better for you. Does it fit well in your workflow? Is it easy to understand all the controls? Is one much faster than the other (if this is important)? Ease of use will mean that you get good results sooner, unless you mind a bit of a learning curve.

When used by a competent person who understands and knows the product then both of these will produce comparable results. Download the trials and play for a bit.

[jwhite461]

I had never heard of the Kodak Digital GEM plugin. Kb244 what can you tell me about them? I will go and see if they are on a website.

Thanks,
Jeff

[jwhite461]

Thanks Scottes... You brought up some good points I had already considered, ie. ease of use, speed, etc.

Jeff

[kb244]

Free trial is avalible at :

http://www.asf.com/
50$ for the normal version, 100$ for the pro. Its basically gets located right in your Filter pulldown. and by default gets rid of most things, you can tweak it a lil to work more on shadow noise, or highlights, and so on. I find it pretty straight forward if you just need something automatic for the most part and easy to use. Noise Ninja and Neat Image are more for people like myself , who want a gazillion controls if possible (least in comparism to the GEM).

[Kaylesh]

Hiya Jeff..
I use Noisware Community Edition.. and its free. :-).... I think it it is fantastic and getting rid of noise..
Kaylesh

[tim]

I use NeatImage demo version, but i'll upgrade to the Home+ version some time. It does a great job and is really easy to use.

Can anyone tell me how easy the photoshop plugin is to use in an action?

Also, after building noise profiles for ISO 100-3200, can Neat Image automatically select the correct profile based on EXIF data during a batch run? If I'd taken 100 photos at different ISO settings it'd be annoying to have to set it manually for each photo.

[Jesper]

I use the Pro+ version of Neat Image. Works great as a Photoshop plug-in.

The features and results of both Neat Image and Noise Ninja are very close, so I don't think one is clearly better than the other. I preferred Neat Image because I had the feeling I had more control over the parameters than with the other noise reduction programs.

Just try them out and see which one suits you best.

Tim: Yes, Neat Image can also select a noise profile based on the EXIF info. I've never tried to use Neat Image in an action, so can't tell you anything about that. Almost always I don't use pre-made noise profiles - I let Neat Image calculate a noise profile for each image individually (using the "Auto Profile" option). I chose the Pro+ version because I wanted 16-bit support and a Photoshop plug-in.

The great thing about being able to use it as a Photoshop plug-in is that it works together with other features of Photoshop: you could for example create a mask or make a selection and run the plug-in, and it filters only the exposed or selected area.

[Scottes]

I use the Pro+ version of Neat Image. Works great as a Photoshop plug-in.
...
I chose the Pro+ version because I wanted 16-bit support and a Photoshop plug-in.

The great thing about being able to use it as a Photoshop plug-in is that it works together with other features of Photoshop: you could for example create a mask or make a selection and run the plug-in, and it filters only the exposed or selected area.

I agree whole-heartedly.

Although, as I said earlier, Noise Ninja now has the ability to be a PS plugin so it would be tougher to make the decision today.