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A few questions on noise software
Dec 8, 2016 06:49:52   #
Mick 53 Loc: Minneapolis
 
Hello Friends.
I have been reading some posts on noise reducing software. I shoot in raw and do all of my post processing in lightroom 5. There is a good response to Topaz Denoise 6. If purchased would this include all of the updates? Also how would I get the plugin into Lightroom? Last question shooting with my Canons 70D and 60D at what ISO would I see the difference on correcting the noise ?
Thanks in advance.

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Dec 8, 2016 07:04:18   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
It depends on whether you get your best results removing noise on the raw file vs the bitmap. Topaz Denoise only works on the bitmap, Lightroom can do both. I use LR most of the time, with detail and sharpness enhancement in On1. I like to mask the darker areas that tend to get a little noisier and apply a little more contrast and more noise reduction to those areas.

As far as the ISO, it really depend on how noisy the image is. A well exposed image is least likely to show much noise, even at ISO 3200. An underexposed image taken at ISO 400 could be very noisy.

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Dec 8, 2016 07:06:42   #
warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA
 
http://www.topazlabs.com

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Dec 8, 2016 08:03:57   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Mick - I use the set-up you've described > LR5, Denoise6 and on some older work, I've been re-working RAW 7D images that have the same sensor as the 60D. You will see noise improvements for a pass through DeNoise at all ISOs. When installing DeNoise, the software will detect the LR installation and install the plug-in. Topaz Lab's policy is a single license allows access to ongoing updates to the licensed product. I started with DeNoise5 and the ver6 is almost a different product that I simply had to download and install.

I will put in a plug for the Topaz product PhotoFXLab. If you should get any addition Topaz module beyond DeNoise, purchase the PhotoFXLab product too. The lab product then lets you "layer" your use the various Topaz modules and then pass the results back to LR5 when done. The process would then be LR5 > FXLab > Module 1, ect, DeNoise > back to LR5.

Regarding LR5, Raw and DeNoise: I've set-up LR5 presets for my 7D RAW images, by ISO level and picture style (standard and landscape). The Adobe product does some Noise and sharpening automatically on a CR2 import. I've tweeked these values in my presets, but not by much, as my workflow assumes DeNoise to finish the processing. This was a good deal of work in hours spread out over weeks. But once done, I've been revisiting a few years worth of RAW from the 7D and an XTi and getting much better results than prior original efforts before I added LR5 to my RAW processing. Also, the presets are upward compatible for some future day when I change to a camera body that LR5 doesn't support and I need to change to the CC products.

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Dec 8, 2016 08:28:33   #
pecohen Loc: Central Maine
 
Mick 53 wrote:
Hello Friends.
I have been reading some posts on noise reducing software. I shoot in raw and do all of my post processing in lightroom 5. There is a good response to Topaz Denoise 6. If purchased would this include all of the updates? Also how would I get the plugin into Lightroom? Last question shooting with my Canons 70D and 60D at what ISO would I see the difference on correcting the noise ?
Thanks in advance.

Topaz Denoise is a great tool and a big improvement over the denoise capabilities of LR. I also use Adjust and Clarity from Topaz quite a lot.

Whatever approach you use for applying Topaz tools in LR, you have to save the image as either a DNG file or a TIFF file to transfer to another editor. That could be Photoshop, it could be Fusion, it could be photoFXlab or it could be some other editor.

Topaz has a tool for using their filters from within Lightroom - I think they call it "Fusion". It's a free download, but it does nothing but allow you to use one Topaz filter at a time and then return to Lightroom.

I tried Fusion, but there is a better approach (not a free one, however) and that is to use photoFXLab (call it FXLab). FXLab is more like a general purpose editor. Of course you can use Photoshop instead, but FXlab is simple and efficient if all you plan to do is apply a sequence of Topaz (or other) filters. FXlab is pretty convenient for basic layer applications and it provides a nice selection of blending modes; it provides basic masking capabilities but there are no gradient masks and no selection tools.

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Dec 9, 2016 07:41:33   #
mborn Loc: Massachusetts
 
I have gone to Neat Image for Noise reduction https://ni.neatvideo.com/ they do have an evaluation download

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Dec 9, 2016 07:55:03   #
Mick 53 Loc: Minneapolis
 
Thanks for all of your great replies. I will consider all of your options. Time for a new learning curve and Xmas present for myself.

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Dec 9, 2016 15:26:02   #
xptom Loc: Concord, CA
 
Nik software including Define 2 is free.

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Feb 1, 2017 10:22:10   #
Preachdude Loc: Geneva, OH
 
After reading a number of posts regarding Topaz DeNoise, I'm wondering if it is better than Noiseware. I've relied on it for quite a while. Has anyone used both and compared them?

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