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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Splotchs after NeatImage
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 07/12/2004 02:55:24 AM · #1


On my June Free Study shot, the surface of the water had some pretty serious noise. After other adjustments, but before sharpening, I ran it through NI, using the G5 profiles from them, at pretty much the basic settings. It did a passable, though not what I would have called a great job with the noise. The problem is, it made the surface of the water splotchy, particularly in the bottom left region. Resizing for the challenge seemed to sort of hide or mute it, but its definitely still there.

Does anyone know either how to avoid this side effect of NI, or how to get rid of it once it happens? (And this isn't the first time I've had this happen - in fact I don't use NI much any more because of this.) If it would be helpful, I can cut out a piece of the worst area and post it.
 07/12/2004 03:06:07 AM · #2
I am certainly no expert, but the splotches that I see look more like the effect of brightening a slightly underexposed image.

At an ISO of 50 you should not have had much noise at all.

David
 07/12/2004 12:06:07 PM · #3
With the G5 (or at least my G5), there is always noise under certain lighting conditions. The sky will almost always have noise, and I think its reflective surfaces (like the water here) that also tend to have it.

Here are examples of how it looked at various stages (cropped area of 500x500 pixels, from the tip of the birds beak down and left):

Untouched:


Processed (levels, colors, cloning):


After Neat Image (the second with a few, but not all, of the splotches circled):


And finally, here's one after sharpening:


The sharpening doesn't seem to enhance the splotchiness really (to my eyes anyway), but it does make other artifacts that NI didn't catch really jump out. Which adds to the generally messy feeling in that area.
 07/12/2004 12:30:43 PM · #4
were you shooting in a compressed image format? If so, what level of compression?

Having seen the original, it could be the result of lossy compression on a low contrast area as the splotches are visible (although less noticeable) in the original.

David
 07/12/2004 12:53:30 PM · #5
Originally posted by ScottK:
With the G5 (or at least my G5), there is always noise under certain lighting conditions. The sky will almost always have noise, and I think its reflective surfaces (like the water here) that also tend to have it.

Here are examples of how it looked at various stages (cropped area of 500x500 pixels, from the tip of the birds beak down and left):

Untouched:


Processed (levels, colors, cloning):


After Neat Image (the second with a few, but not all, of the splotches circled):


And finally, here's one after sharpening:


The sharpening doesn't seem to enhance the splotchiness really (to my eyes anyway), but it does make other artifacts that NI didn't catch really jump out. Which adds to the generally messy feeling in that area.


I think it is a compression issue. I also use Neat Image and I think it is one of the best for noise out there but I have noticed that the file size is always smaller then what I started with which tells me it uses a much higher compression. I can't find any option in the program to change this either.

Tom
//www.deltonalakes.com/gallery/tomh1000
 07/12/2004 01:06:57 PM · #6
Originally posted by TomH1000:
I think it is a compression issue. I also use Neat Image and I think it is one of the best for noise out there but I have noticed that the file size is always smaller then what I started with which tells me it uses a much higher compression. I can't find any option in the program to change this either.

Tom
//www.deltonalakes.com/gallery/tomh1000

When noise is removed, the compression is more efficient and the file size will be reduced, even at the same compression ratio.

That said, the free-to-all version of NeatImage uses a fairly high level of compression, but the pay version give more control on its use; the use of tiff's and on the more expensive versions a plugin for photoshop that allows it so be used as any other filter.

David
 07/12/2004 02:17:37 PM · #7
I always shoot in the highest quality, largest jpg setting in the camera. I've tried shooting in raw mode in the past, but the file size and extra processing required were too cumbersome for me.
 07/12/2004 02:19:33 PM · #8
Originally posted by Britannica:
Originally posted by TomH1000:
I think it is a compression issue. I also use Neat Image and I think it is one of the best for noise out there but I have noticed that the file size is always smaller then what I started with which tells me it uses a much higher compression. I can't find any option in the program to change this either.

Tom
//www.deltonalakes.com/gallery/tomh1000

When noise is removed, the compression is more efficient and the file size will be reduced, even at the same compression ratio.

That said, the free-to-all version of NeatImage uses a fairly high level of compression, but the pay version give more control on its use; the use of tiff's and on the more expensive versions a plugin for photoshop that allows it so be used as any other filter.

David


Yea I guess that makes sence but, in this case it does look like compression problem. I guess I should break down and buy the program. The only reason I don't is because I know as soon as I do something better will come along hehehe.

Tom
//www.deltonalakes.com/gallery/tomh1000
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