Reducing "Noise"

[mom to 4]

I have a picture that I took with my old olympus D-550 zoom. I guess I used the zoom to go a little too far when I took this picture. It has a lot of "noise" ( or my favorite phrase: looks pixelated) I do not really know much about the reduce Noise filter, so I need some help. I have tried moving the sliders all different ways and the picture never changes. Any suggestions?

[Wendy]

Hi Colleen ...

I have to admit that I have never truied using this before ... what I did find was that even though I had preview ticked the main image didn't change properly until I pressed OK.

So go by the window in the noise panel not by your main image ...

Let us know how you go on :)

Wendy

[TonyW]

Wendy - my PSE3 noise filters works OK - maybe it's a Windows vs Mac difference.

Colleen : The other thing I did wonder is if it really is the kind of noise that the noise filter can handle. Pixelated might just be a result of not having enough pixels which the noise filter won't handle. If you post the picture it might be easier to tell and I could check to see if it responds to some other noise filters I have (Neat Image is a good one and comes in a free version)

Tony

[Daviskw]

Hi Mom

You should double click on your zoom tool to set zoom amount to 100 %. You will get the best idea of the work being done at this resolution.

I often use or try all the different noise reduction tools because some work better than others in certain situations and it is not always easy to predict.

I always duplicate a layer to work on so if I do not like the result I can drag it to the trashcan.

I often check to see if there is a lot of color noise. It will be small bits of different colors that do not belong. If this is the case I duplicate the layer…change its blendmode to color…then apply gaussian blur. This does not blur the image but will often remove or reduce the color noise.

Despeckle

Sometimes just a simple application of Despeckle will work wonders. I apply it then turn the layer on and off to see how it worked. If this is not enough I try another filter.

I generally try “Reduce Noise” first, then “Dust and Scratches” second, and “Median” last.

Reduce Noise

To use Reduce Noise I don’t worry about the “Reduce color noise” slider because I have already checked that. But if you want, slide it to see if it makes a difference.
I start with the strength set at “8”
Preserve Detail at 100 %
I slowly slide the preserve Detail to the left watching my picture. This is a ram gobbling procedure so it will be slow. Sometimes you need to move then stop awhile and let it catch up. If you do not get enough noise smoothing I set the slider back to 100% and change the strength to 10 and slide the preserve detail to the left again.
Some times it helps to click the preview button on and off a few times to see the results. If this does not work….on to Dust and Scratches.

Dust and Scratches

I start with Radius and Threshold set to their minimum values 1 and 0
I slowly slide the Radius to the right until the noise is gone then I slide a little bit more until things are a little blurry.
Then I grab the Threshold slider and slowly slide to the right watching my picture until the structure is back and the noise is reduced as needed.
Click the previw on and off to check.

Median

This is the last resort for me. I usually use it on pictures with strong vertical or horizontal lines or noise often with moiré. This is very powerful but often the only thing that makes a difference. Sometimes it does wonders and other times it is just better than nothing.

Now do not forget you are not limited to just one procedure per photo. You can try and use the above procedures in combination if needed.

Butch

[mom to 4]

Thanks for your help. all of you. But I haven't printed off your instructions to read through yet, but I will. I am also going to post the picture and you guys can tell me what you think. If I can remember how to post it!

[mom to 4]

Ok, I have it posted. Please let me know if I can do anything with it!

Thanks in advance!

www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1iQuQ21qiUHSlKNoHfvQzJ6kOhjjkl

[Daviskw]

Hi Colleen

I'm afraid you are seeing pixelation not noise. Other than adding a small amout of gaussian blur and removing the color cast I don't think you can do much with the image.

There is just not enough information to work with. I believe you have used digital zoom rather than optical zoom on your camera.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5539/1iquq21qiuhslknohfvqzj6kohj6wo.th.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1iquq21qiuhslknohfvqzj6kohj6wo.jpg)

Butch

[mom to 4]

I think you are right. That is probably what I did use. Live and Learn. Well, I now have my Rebel. I should do better next year!

[TonyW]

Butch is right. I was able to get some colour noise out but there's really not enough detail left to work with. If the original is the same size (700x525 pixels) then it does look like there's not much can be done. The "seamless" optical/digital zoom on that camera is clever but it does mean you can lose pixels - Although you can zoom in 10x - only about 2.8x is optical so the rest of the zoom is throwing away pixels.

Tony

[CarolLHB]

Hi Tony-my noise filters on the Mac work great!:)

[mom to 4]

Oh, I resized it for the web. The actual picture is a different size.......does that matter.... I had first posted it and when it showed up so large, I figured I was in trouble as I had not made it 700 pixels by whatever.....

Should I post it the actual size???

[Wendy]

Hi Colleen ...

Yes ... try posting at a larger size :)

Wendy

[mom to 4]

Ok, this is the original size. I ended up using another photo instead of this, but I have a few more that are like this, so I would like to know if there is a way to fix them. If you can figure it out that's great, but don't spend too much time on it!

Thanks everyone!

www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1chEymdhaPWOJk56anVHJUeZqJEl

[Daviskw]

Hello Colleen

You can remove the zoom noise without too much trouble but I'm afraid the picture is also out of focus and there is no way to repair that. If you have others like that with proper focus you should be able to improve them quite a bit.

Butch

[TonyW]

I'm afraid Butch is right - I see from the Exif data that it was taken at 1/40 sec at ISO 400 and no flash so you're going to have both noise from the high ISO and camera shake from the low shutter speed - you can see head and hand movement too.

Neat Image didn't do much better than the PSE reduce noise filter - try it at Strength 10, Preserve Details 0, Reduce Color Noise 100% - you'll see a big improvement in noise but it won't fix the camera shake

Tony

[rmartin]

Perhaps you could turn the pic into an artwork style pic by using filters. I think it would make a great watercolor picture.

[TonyW]

That's a good idea - it makes an interesting kaleidoscoped orb :D

http://www2.ebtech.net/~lara/pixellation.jpg

Tony

[rmartin]

That's not exactly what I had in mind Tony, but it's a nice pic. Although, I think you should have used the red eye removal tool first. ;-)

[Wendy]

Tony ...


That looks really good :eek:

Wendy

[mom to 4]

Tony:

Ok, I am make a complete fool out of myself with this question.........IS THAT MY PICTURE turned into an orb????? I like it much better that way if it is!!!!!

[Wendy]

Hi Colleen ...

I think that Tony did indeed use your image ... :)

Wendy

[TonyW]

Colleen: Yes I did - I cropped to a square and then used the Mehdhi Kaleidoscope plug-in followed by Wendy's orb effect. Both free and the whole process took all of 30 seconds. I think Wendy ought to start charging for her effect - it's getting a lot of use. Sorry to mess with your picture but it does show that even a problem pic can be put to good use :)

Tony

[Wendy]

Hi Tony ...

When I posted a note about the action I thought that maybe a dozen or so people would ask for it ... Ummm I sent out nearly 90 :eek: In the end I set up a standard letter to go with it :)

Wendy

[mom to 4]

Hey Tony....please don't be sorry, I think it looks terrific! Love it! What a great way to use a bum picture!

Wendy: What did you send out, and can I get it too??????

[Wendy]

Hi Colleen ...

You need to send me a pm with your email address in it ... I will then email you the file, Its only a tiny one but its fun to play with :)

Wendy