Using Neat Image with Lightroom

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Chris Brandin

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One of the common complaints with Lightroom is that the noise reduction isn't as good as ...say... Neat Image or NoiseNinja. I've read that using Neat Image with Lightroom is problematic for a couple of reasons:

Noise reduction is best done first - before other adjustments, otherwise the noise profiles don't work well because they are based on a particular set of development settings (i.e. the settings you used when protographing the noise profile targets). Lightroom currently doesn't support plug-ins, except for export, so there isn't a way to control where in the chain of processing steps noise reduction is done.

Actually, there is a way around all this. I have been experimenting with a workflow that seems to do quite well:

  • Produce photographs of the noise profiling target for each ISO speed your cameras are capable of and save them as unprocessed raw files.
  • When you develop a new picture make adjustments as appropriate, except do not enable noise reduction.
  • Apply the same adjustments you used for your new picture to the picture of the noise profiling target taken at the same ISO level and export it to Neat Image and produce a new noise profile using that image.
  • Export your new image to a tiff and apply the new noise profile to your new image in Neat Image.
The theory behind all this is that, ideally, noise profiles should be based on images developed in exactly the same way as pictures you want to apply them to.

The workflow is a little elaborate, I know - but it seems to work very well and it isn't really all that difficult. All I've typically had to do is add a little sharpening afterwards to make up for the softening noise reduction imparts.

Chris
 
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That's a neat little workaround Chris - you're establishing yourself as quite the geek! ;) (Meant in the nicest way possible, you understand! :lol:) On that same basis, images opened through ACR should have the same treatment. I don't think I'd fancy doing that on every single picture though! :D
 
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Hmmm... I wonder if it could be automated in Photoshop ACR - that would make it really easy. Somehow you would have to figure out a way to automatically determine the image ISO and call up the right file for profiling. I'll have to look into that.
 
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I'm pretty sure you could script it in Photoshop, yes. How good's your javascript?!
 
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I have been delving into Noise reduction a bit further as I have made the move to Mac and I have a PC version of Neat Image. I thought resurrecting this thread might bring to light some improved process to use the Mac version via LR. Otherwise I think Noise Ninja looks the goods.

Lynn
 
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I don't know whether Neat Image is a cross-platform license, but if it's not, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Noise Ninja. They've just released (today) a 'sidekick' mode for the main app, which will run an automated process as part of a external editor or export action, without having to create droplets. Very neat!
 
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