🤯 Game-Changing Noise Reduction - ACR Denoise

Have you ever taken your ISO to the limit?
Or is there only a specific limit you are comfortable with?

I'd say I was the latter before this experiment. I wasn't comfortable taking my ISO to extreme amounts due to fear of losing data and detail in the capture and noise reduction process. Regardless of what any camera review, manufacturer, etc told me, there is no way I was going above ISO 2000-3200.

Here we are in 2024, when "that's how I've always done it" really needs to get kicked to the curb. There have been incredible advancements in camera sensors and post-production software regarding noise handling and noise reduction. So, I decided to put it all to the test despite my silly fears. Setting my camera to ISO 102,000 seemed like a very bad idea. There I go with that fear again—let it go!

Topics Discussed:
00:00 Introduction
00:11 AI Clarification
00:46 Macro Opportunity
01:57 How I shoot Macro
03:11 ISO Experiment Discussed
04:47 How to Use AI Noise Reduction
06:24 Why is AI Denoise Grey & Unusable
08:44 AI Denoise + Manual NR
12:22 How far can you go?
13:06 ISO 102K Experiment
14:36 Thoughts from the Experiment
15:22 Conduct your experiment

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[selwynbear]

Blake, Denoise DOES work on DNG files. Maybe not all, but definitely Sony.

[brightboxstudio]

AI Denoise is a great tool. This comment is really about something else I liked about this video: The part near the beginning where you talked about learning the different behaviors of the caterpillars. For me that is one thing I love about photography: When we’re not just using a machine to make a picture, but when the act of close visual observation of a subject through photography (a form of paying attention) ends up teaching us something new and fascinating about the world.

[keithteschner]

Well done. You have a very nice way of explaining things to make me want to listen.

[SandraJsAdventuresOutdoors]

I always love your videos, I have bee using this procedure for awhile. Love it. Nice garden as well, I am going to plant some parsley next summer. :) thanks again.

[WilsonPhotography]

This is good stuff. So far, my experiments have told me the limit on my Canon 5D MKIII is ISO12, 500 with the AI Denoise.

[elen]

Thank you. Every moment in this video was precious, every example and explanation (your shooting habits included). And your energy is contagious and so inspiring.

[draughonc]

The Denoise function is available on files converted to DNG from the camera's native format upon importing into LrC. It is also available on Leice dng files (which are the native file type). The tool is great from my pov. I've found that I can shoot handled at iso 12500 with the Denoise and see great results. Add to this that if you downsize an image for screen or print, much of the noise will disappear in the downsampling.

[EdCatlett]

It does work on DJI Mavic 3 files presumably because they are stamped as Hasselblad in the metadata and that specific camera is in the ACR database with all the characteristics of it.

[ItsWillLee]

This is decent, however, I feel DxO PureRaw4 is still the King.
Glad there is competition to keep raising the bar tho.

[Steve-qihc]

Another great video. I kind of would like to see how the aphid looked.

[jjaylad]

It needs to be functional on JPEGS. Many sports shooters are dealing with high iso due to low light and shoot JPEG photos because RAW photos fill up their hard drive. The JPEGS can be denoised in huge batches using 3rd party plugins like Topaz, which also improves eye definition. Lightroom needs to get into the game. Adobe has been saying for over a year that the denoise functionality will be integrated into LrC for JPEGS, but they still leave subscribers with no choice other than paying for 3rd party plugins. C'mon Adobe!

[marcdwonn]

In Germany we just say "eezo". :)

[bentleybloodworth]

Using the Lens Blur is great for getting rid of noise for the unfocused areas then you can adjust with the brush options in it. Then go to masking and do the sharpening and noise reduction on the subject. This would allow for a lower setting in enhancement if using it to keep detail in the subject then the lens blur gets rid of the noise in the unfocused areas. I don't think lens blur was intended for noise reduction but it is my go to for the unfocused parts and I mostly set the blur amount about 25-30 and boost to the same 25-30.

[photonsonpixels]

Thank you for this tutorial, Blake. Very helpful. Question about sharpening in LR: I've seen videos where people routinely move the radius to the minimum setting and the detail to the maximum setting. Then using sharpening amount and masking they sharp the image to taste. I'm not sure but I think they call this "deconvolution sharpening". Do you ever use it or have any comments about it? Thank you!

[bryanthomas]

I do a fair amount of local band photography in poorly lit clubs and will go as high as 12, 800 on my Canon 6d mkII, with good results. And if I'm having a hard time balancing the detail vrs noise reduction, I've also used it in conjunction with Topaz Denoise with good results

[markwalker]

I noticed on the image at ISO 8000 you could see hundreds of tiny spiracles it uses for breathing. It would be easy to dismiss these spiracles as noise and try to remove them. Of course you also achieved this at 102, 000 in the plastic look

[misha]

Being snarky, I guess, but I wonder if people who say “eye-so” for ISO also say “ooh-suh” for USA? On topic, I use Lightroom Classic’s NR for 99+% of my noise reduction needs.

[StephenBridgett]

From my experience, ACR AI noise reduction is as good and may be better than the much advertised Topaz equivalent.

[michaell]

I shoot Sony, and unless updated Denoise Ai won't work with all raw files. Lossless Compressed Med and Small didn't work, whereas Uncompressed and Lossless compressed Lg did.

[eccod]

I shoot burlesque shows without flash in dimly lit bars, so I use LR’s AI denoise a ton. I love that it’s non-destructive to previous edits. For my niche use case, it also handles fishnets way better than Topaz.