Nalu wrote:
I'm new to DeNoise, only a few weeks now. I am blown away!
If you really want to get blown away....before using DENoise....use Curves to drag the darkest tones upward to the middle tones. Use DeNoise manually to remove 98% of the noise. Go back to curves and drag
the tones down to where they belong. All noise is gone, but not sharpness.
Most people that print and calibrate their monitor get prints that a darker than the monitor. I suggest you set your I1 calibrator to a lower brightness level. I have had success setting the level to about 70. Don't be afraid to go lower if needed.
Kiriakos wrote:
Can you explain to me how you select specific areas of the photo for sharpening?
Thanks
Photoshop has a tool called Sharpen and tool called
soften. I often shoot at high ISO (12,800) and sharpen only the important areas. If I over sharpen, I will use the Soften tool to repair. I do not overall sharpen, not even the default 25% sharpening in Camera Raw.
This enables me remove 95% of the noise with DeNoise, and without noticeable loss of detail. Try it, you will be surprised
Pablo8 wrote:
The Nikon and Sony high ISO's work for me. Sure, some models of Nikon and Sony go higher, but I'm happy with what I have got. FF and Crop.
Everyone has a choice, my choice is to get the picture. Therefore I will use whatever ISO it takes to get the photo. If I need Iso 12000, I will use it. Rule number 1, first get image. Worry about noise later on. Great photos were take in the 40's, 50's and 60's. They may have had noise, but so what, they were sill great images and many were iconic.
Not a rule, but a suggestion. Sometimes breaking the so called rule is the only way to get an image with good composition.
I'm mostly a street photography, the "P" mode works for me. I always have an adequate iso setting (100-6400+). I can usually remove 99% of noise "without losing detail" using my PP procedure.
The DxO Nik is not ready for prime time. Some dropdown menus are still muddled. I t does not play nice with OnOne Plugins. I am going to remove it put Google's Nik Back on.
Before you buy lights (Mono or Speedlites) first read some books (plural)on lighting. Only then will know what will suit your use. Speedlites are mobile, Mono's aren't
My suggestion is to ONLY fine tune if you know you have a problem. The pictures you showed were probable shot at a distance and wouldn't show a major difference. Try shooting an object at 5-7 ft away and lens wide open.
It always pay to check the conditions ahead of time......Next time use a Monopod, it will help with slow shutter speeds
Open your image in PS or PSE. Lower the auto sharpen (25%) to 0. Do not do any adjustments now. Apply a noise reducer ( I use Topaz DeNoise, it works great). After the noise is removed (lowered). Now you can do any adjustments you want...If any noise is still present in the darker areas, and usually not the important areas, you can use surface blur or just blur the areas. Just a reminder, "if you still are bothered by any remaining noise, then your image isn't interesting enough".
Certainly better than handheld, but properly used is important. Make it a semi-tripod by placing the monopod away from you to the front and your 2 legs spread wide. Lean a little forward and you now have a semi-tripod. This should give you about 3 shutter speeds gain.
I use hi iso very often, and deal with the noise in post processing. My camera is a Canon D60 and I shoot as high 6400 and clean it up 95% in Topaz DeNoise. Remember, your job is to get the images. Don't worry about the quality of the files, they can always be dealt with in PP. By the way, exp comp changes the shutter speed. Blurry images are a real problem.
I use xrite I1 profiler. I have my monitor calibrated using an illumination of 65. It seems unusual for such a low illumination, but my prints match the monitor perfectly under the light I use.
Is your monitor calibrated. I use an r3000 and set the luminense to 65. Gives me perfect results.