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05/20/2006 02:38:51 PM · #1 |
I often use a noise reduction product (Neat Image) when making photographs, but think that it is easy to overdo it. The link below may be guilty of excess noise reduction in the water area especially. I wonder what DPC members think, using this example for comment. Thanks for your thoughts.
//alohaphoto.my-expressions.com/archives/1472_1711322473/151199
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05/20/2006 02:46:54 PM · #2 |
Sometimes you can get away with it. In your linked photo, for example, I don't really know just exactly how much detail I am missing out on. Perhaps the orginal would look better because it still HAS that detail, but I can't tell (but I do think you need to straighten that pic :-).
However, when it comes to skin tones, THAT is the time where you need to be most careful. |
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05/20/2006 02:49:54 PM · #3 |
First impression is that the NI was overdone. Consequently, if it were in a challenge, *I'd* vote you down harder for overuse of NI than I would for noise.
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05/20/2006 03:09:32 PM · #4 |
Thanks for your thoughts. ...and Beetle, I straightened the photo. (Amazing how I can miss the obvious sometimes.) ;D
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05/20/2006 04:46:42 PM · #5 |
I don't know about the water, but the rest of the image looks a little overdone. For NI noise reduction you have a number of options available to you to keep from overdoing it.
Probably the most important is to look and see if there is an existing "device noise profile" for your camera and use that instead of building individual ones for each image. Device noise profiles are built specifically to properly balance artifact and color noise reduction against "smoothing".
It also helps to view your image at 200% or greater magnification to better see what NI is going to do to selected areas of the image before applying it to the whole thing. I do mine at 300-400% magnification to be sure noise is reduced properly for making high quality prints.
Noise reduction usually does not need to be applied universally across the whole image. Noise shows up mostly in uniform areas of the picturte, such as the sky, and in underexposed parts of the image.
If you own the plugin version of NI you can make a selection first and apply it only to the selected area within your image editing software.
However, even if you do NOT own the plugin you can apply NI selectively this way:
1-Duplicate data layer
2-Apply NI across the entire layer
3-Add mask to that layer
4-Brush with black on the mask with a brush of a carefully selected size, feathering and opacity to subtly mask out NI effects on the areas of the image that are "too smooth".
If you have to run NI completely outside your image editing software then I'd recommend exporting your unchanged background data layer to NI and applying NI to it. Then bring it back into it's own layer just above your background layer then do steps 3-5 above.
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05/20/2006 11:56:13 PM · #6 |
I thought I would publicly acknowledge the help given me by stdavidson. Many dpc members are very generous with their time, knowledge and talent. Stdavidson is another example of that generosity in this thread. Thanks.
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05/21/2006 12:02:58 AM · #7 |
that photo just looks out of focus to me. I use NI btw.
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