Can Anything Be Done to These Photos Noise-wise?

[Peruna]

Here are a couple of shots I took at ISO 1600 with a D200. The Lightroom noise reduction software didn't help at all so I'm wondering if stronger 3rd party software would be able to recover these photos.

[srdanz]

Did you try any noise reduction sw (noise ninja, neat image or similar?)

[Peruna]

No. All I have to Lightroom & CS3.

[srdanz]

Try Neat Image. Download it - it has a free version (with limited resolution and some other limitations) and try it out...(I'm not at home right now and this computer has no photo editing software other than ms paint so I can't try it now for you)

[Peruna]

Thanks. Both Noise Ninja and Noiseware seem to clean it up nicely with maybe a slight edge to Noiseware. However, with the grids it still difficult to know if the photo works. But I'm enticed enough to buy one of the two programs.

[DoctorWu]

Originally Posted by Peruna

Thanks. Both Noise Ninja and Noiseware seem to clean it up nicely with maybe a slight edge to Noiseware. However, with the grids it still difficult to know if the photo works. But I'm enticed enough to buy one of the two programs.

Here is what Nik Software DFINE 2.0 does to it...you can get a 15 day trial that doesn't give a grid like the others. Hope you don't mind me doing this to your photo and reposting it, if you do, let me know and I'll delete.

[rott]

These particular photos have such smooth gradients I would be tempted to hammer down on them with the blur tool in Photoshop. If you know you have others that need noise reduction, I prefer NoiseNinja.

[Peruna]

Thanks for the help. They clean up a bit.

[The Philos]

I ran one of them through Noiseware to show, hope you don't mind:

[Peruna]

Don't mind at all and I like it, but it also brings up a question. Should the noise reduction be at the beginning of my workflow or at the end. I assume the end as I suspect adjustment curves might cause more noise.

[The Philos]

I run adjustment layers (curves, hue/sat, levels, etc...) on top of a copy of the background layer that I'll run USM, noiseware and other "tools" on.

[DoctorWu]

Originally Posted by ThePhilosopher

I ran one of them through Noiseware to show, hope you don't mind:

Wow, between Dfine and Noiseware I think the clear winner looks like Noiseware!

[iCe]

I've always been told to do the noise reduction on the largest file first and then work your way down the line. I typically run Noiseware (used to use NoiseNinja but I like Noiseware better for now) on either the RAW file before converting to TIF or the 16 bit TIF file first and then do everything else.