The guys at Topaz Labs have just released an update to the best image noise reduction program I have ever tested – Denoise AI.
This is a free upgrade for existing owners (bravo!) and is currently for sale at a reduced price of $59.99 from now until 7th February 2020.
DeNoise AI – What’s New?
Two new features:
- Batch processing
- Extreme chroma noise reduction
Denoise AI Batch Processing
Batch processing images doesn’t always make sense. But noise reduction can – if you have a bunch of images taken in the same light and taken at the same ISO setting then it makes perfect sense to batch process these. Noise characteristics are camera and ISO dependent so noise reduction is an ideal candidate for doing en masse.
Chroma Noise
Colour noise differs from luminance noise and at very high ISO settings is difficult to remove. Previous versions of DeNoise AI removed chroma noise automatically. It was good but not always perfect. This new setting lets you decide the degree of chroma noise removal. Removing chroma noise has the side effect of reducing colour saturation so it’s good to control the process.
DeNoise AI interface
The interface is simple, refreshingly so:
Topaz DeNoise AI Interface
You can choose between automatic and manual noise removal. A good trick is to select Auto and then switch back to manual. You then benefit from DeNoise AI’s assessment of the image and can tweak it if you want to.
In the above example, it applies the settings to all the images in the batch. Unticking any of the images allows you to make adjustments to a subset of the images.
DeNoise AI Results
It’s the results that matter. In my previous test I used 16-bit images from a full frame camera. Maybe that makes it too easy… Full frame cameras don’t produce that much noise, even at 800 and 1600 ISO. And there is so much detail in 16 bit TIF files. This time I used JPEGs from the Canon M50, a APS-C camera that produces far more noise than its full frame big brothers.
For this test, I put the same images through DeNoise AI, DXO Photo Lab 3 and PhotoNinja. DXO and Ninja are excellent noise removal tools, so this is a good test.
ISO 3200
This is about as high an ISO as I would normally use with this camera. The noise is there, but it’s not too bad. In the comparison pictures, Topaz DeNoise AI’s result is on the bottom right of the grid:
In each case, Topaz DeNoise AI has removed more noise and produced a clearer, sharper result that the others. None have done a bad job. In the past I’d be saying how good DXO and Ninja had done. It is the quality of DeNoise AI’s result that makes them seem substandard.
ISO 25600
Insanity! At this setting the images are so noisy that we could expect no program to make them perfect. The chroma (colour) noise is really grotty. Let’s see how they did:
I think it’s fair to say that Topaz DeNoise AI has produced an incredible result here.
Topaz DeNoise AI Conclusion
This tool just keeps on getting better. The only downside it has is speed – it is not the fastest noise removal tool. Noise Ninja is much faster. But look at the quality of the results…
Topaz offer a fully functional trial, so now would be a good time to test this program out.
Indeed Topaz does an incredible job. Why use jpg source? I did some tests with ISO 12800 and 25600 using RAW to TIFF files and color was there, not perfect but OK. Your comment?
Florin
Good question
No particular reason. I usually use DeNoise AI on TIF files after RAW conversion and, sometimes, editing. I must have had a reason for using JPEGs at the time, but I can’t remember why. Maybe I felt it was a stronger test, as a TIF has far more data in it and, therefore, has better chances of being improved…
Andy