NeatImage VS Noise Ninja VS ?? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

03/19/2009 03:37:33 AM · #1

Opinions/preferences?
Is there another similar plugin that would be more useful? I need CS4 compatibility. Free is nice, but not a necessity if the features warrant it.
Any and all opinions wanted!
Thanks.

bobonacus

Canon EOS-7D

03/19/2009 03:45:05 AM · #2

I tested NeatImage, Noise Ninja and a couple of others about a year ago and found Noise Ninja the easiest to use and gave the best results just using the default settings. It's also easy to change the sampling areas and increase/decrease the noise reduction, smoothness, sharpness. I'd recommend it. They all have free demos I think.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

03/19/2009 03:55:10 AM · #3

Yeah, I found trial versions, but the trial for neat image only allows you to do part of a photo... any idea if you can choose which part or is it just whatever it feels like? The Noise Ninja trial is full, AFAIK.
Just trying to get some feedback before I d/l the thing is all.

Message edited by author 2009-03-19 03:55:34.

bergiekat

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

03/19/2009 09:51:49 AM · #4

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

Neat Image free version will let you do up to 1200x1200 pixels. Anything larger and it doesn't do the edges. My memory isn't long, thus when I tried Noise Ninja, I think the demo/trial had a time limit. (I've slept since then, so I may be totally off base.)Neat image doesn't.

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/19/2009 12:28:42 PM · #5

Not be an ass about it but there has been a ton of these threads, you should really search the forums before posting a question like this.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

03/19/2009 12:30:08 PM · #6

I'm using mostly Topaz DeNoise right now, got it bundled with Topaz Adjust and it's really working well for me. Neat Image was my brew of choice before. I've never used Noise Ninja...

R.

Rgarcia

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II M.Zuiko ED

03/19/2009 12:32:01 PM · #7

I've used both, now I'm using Noiseware and I'm liking it!!

NstiG8tr

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

03/19/2009 01:14:26 PM · #8

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

I'm using mostly Topaz DeNoise right now, R.

How do you like this Robert?

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/19/2009 03:07:01 PM · #9

Noiseware Pro is another possibility.

Tez

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

03/19/2009 07:02:45 PM · #10

I had NeatImage, but then switched to Noise Ninja. I found NI would have real trouble making hard coarse noise disappear whereas NN just does what it should do. It can get a bit trippy though and look a bit painterly if you overdo it, which can be interesting too.

EstimatedEyes

Fujifilm GFX 50R

Fujifilm GF 45mm f/2.8

03/19/2009 07:10:37 PM · #11

I used Neat Image free version for a long time, since the 1200x1200 limit for the public version was fine for applying noise reduction to challenge entries after resizing. NN's freeware put a watermark or something on the image, so it was useless other than for just checking out the program.

When I wanted to buy something to use on bigger images (i.e., prints), I switched to Noise Ninja. Can't remember what prompted the switch, but after using it I find the interface much more intuitive and easier to use than Neat Image.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/19/2009 09:46:35 PM · #12

Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:

Not be an ass about it but there has been a ton of these threads, you should really search the forums before posting a question like this.

I already did do a search, the most recent thread being from nine or so months back. Since a new version had come out since then, the information isn't as relevant to me, although I did read it. Perhaps I should have added new into my thread title to specify.

Zeuszen and

Rgarcia, what makes you prefer Noiseware as an alternative?

And

Bear_Music, would the DeNoise be worthwhile on it's own? How do you feel Topaz is compared to Photomatix, if I were to get the whole Topaz Suite (which seems more worth the money)?

Message edited by author 2009-03-19 22:16:35.

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

03/19/2009 11:17:53 PM · #13

I had NeatImage, used it and didn't like the way it smoothed. I trashed it and still use the Reduce Noise filter (CS4). NoiseNinja, supposedly, looks more natural. I haven't tried it yet. NoiseWare Pro is the favourite of some photographers whose work I respect. Haven't tried either one yet. Thus the label "possibility" in my previous post.

Not much help, I'm afraid, despite the options. Isn't there anyone else here who has tried NW?

Message edited by author 2009-03-19 23:40:15.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/19/2009 11:25:41 PM · #14

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

And Bear_Music, would the DeNoise be worthwhile on it's own? How do you feel Topaz is compared to Photomatix, if I were to get the whole Topaz Suite (which seems more worth the money)?

I think it makes much more sense to buy DeNoise en suite with Topaz Adjust. Since I got Topaz Adjust I have stopped using Photomatix for tone mapping of single exposures; Adjust seems to do a much better job, and it seems to be much more versatile. Not only can it produce complex, exaggerated effects, but it is useful for very subtle effects and, interestingly, for slight-to-extreme smoothing effects. Photomatix is still my vehicle of choice for actual HDRI work from multiple originals, something Topaz Adjust doesn't do at all.

Think of Topaz Adjust as Photomatix tone mapping plus, basically. And Topaz DeNoise is really powerful, but very slow on full size images, especially in 16-bit mode.

R.

Olympus 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II M.Zuiko ED

03/20/2009 12:11:57 AM · #15

I was wondering about Topaz because a lot of the examples I've seen are insanely cheesy looking, which I have little to no interest in, other than novelty. I'm interested that you can also be pretty subtle with it. Perhaps I'll have to give that trial a try too. I'm going to be overwhelmed trying all these new things out. Hopefully my bank account won't be. I guess that's what overtime and tax returns are for :-/
Do you, by chance, know what the "limits" of the trial are, if any?

Message edited by author 2009-03-20 00:12:28.

Rgarcia

Olympus OM-D E-M1

03/20/2009 12:30:48 AM · #16

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

Zeuszen and Rgarcia, what makes you prefer Noiseware as an alternative?

It's ease of use, versatility and that it cleans noise without affecting textures as the other programs I've tried.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/20/2009 12:41:11 AM · #17

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

Fully functional, 30 days free trial. Bear in mind that it comes with a preloaded group of "presets", but the meat of the program is in the 4 tabs with 4 to 6 sliders each. The difference between presets is in how the sliders are adjusted. You can save any setting you make as a preset of your own and will show on the list. So if you want subtle, you take a preset that's a little overcooked in the direction you wish to travel and adjust it back down to where you want it and save the preset with a descriptive name.

We're talking potential to be REALLY subtle here, and basically create a tunable preset that allows you to click a button and accomplish in one pass what you might need several photoshop adjustment layers to emulate. Really versatile tool. Great production tool if you do that sort of stuff, like senior portraits, stuff like that, in bulk. There's a learning curve to figure out what the different sliders do in the real world, but once you have climbed that curve it's all very intuitive. You can forget that cheesy stuff, the lucis-arts type images, that's just one direction you can go in of many.

R.

plugsnpixels

03/23/2009 01:24:33 AM · #18

Bear_Music is exactly right, Topaz Adjust users just need to be aware to back off the saturation a bit, then you've got some great results on the cheap.

I put a little Adjust before-and-after gallery together here. Compare it to LucisArt here.

As for DeNoise, it seems to be becoming a favorite of many. I also like Noiseware. I have licensed versions of all the others as well but gravitate to these two most often.

leaf

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/23/2009 04:17:20 AM · #19

I have been using noiseninja in photoshop as a plug in. It works nice to have it set as an action, press a button and have a new noise free later automatically generated. Then I can easily mask out the areas that don't need noise reduction.

filipkrolupper

04/18/2009 10:48:44 AM · #20

Btw do you know DenoiseMyImage? Results better then NeatImage. There is a freeware version and GPGPU accelerated version. //www.adptools.com/denoisemyimage