Noise reduction software for lightroom

Before/After Neat Image Pro Noise Reduction

You can use it as a Photoshop plugin for the price of $39. You can check the software information here.

NEAT IMAGE PRO DEMO

As you can see, there is an overwhelming amount of software and plugin options to remove digital noise.

To help you decide which is best for you, in the next section, you’ll find a real comparison with the tests I run using all the best noise reduction software by trying to remove noise from the same image.

After comparing more images with all the different photo noise reduction software and carefully analyzing the graphic results, these are my conclusions:

• • The best overall noise reduction software is Topaz DeNoise AI. The AI capabilities, intuitive interface, and multiple AI models make this software my favorite noise reduction software.
•  
  • The best luminance noise reduction software is tied between Topaz DeNoise AI  and DxO PureRAW 2. They are even more effective when used as denoise plugins in Lightroom and Photoshop (only for DeNoise AI). ON1 NoNoise AI is also up there. 

• • The best denoise software in terms of detail conservation, according to all tests performed, is by far DxO PureRAW 2. Its AI noise reduction technology cleans the noise and keeps the detail in the stars and the landscape surprisingly well. The runner-up is Topaz DeNoise AI, and third place goes to ON1 NoNoise AI.

• • The best color noise reduction software is, without any doubt, Capture One. All you need to do is to review the test images to see it at a glance. Not only does it effectively eliminate all the color banding, but it also shows very natural colors.

Just so you can draw your own conclusions, below, you’ll find the graphic tests of all the noise reduction software used in the previous photo, with a 100% crop image so you can see the noise removal process in more detail.

Final image after applying the noise reduction with DeNoise AI as a plugin in Photoshop

Just as general advice, I would suggest:

• • If you are already working with Lightroom or Photoshop, you can take advantage of all the features they offer by using a plugin that is simple and effective, such as Topaz DeNoise AI,  or ON1 NoNoise AI; both are top of the line when it comes to noise reduction.

• • If you don’t use any photo editing software and Lightroom exceeds your budget ($9.99 per month), you can use DXO PureRAW 2 or DeNoise AI as a standalone version, or start with a cheaper photo editor that includes noise reduction tools, such as Luminar NEO, which has a fixed price of $59 for a yearly subscription. The standalone version of ON1 NoNoise AI is also worth considering.

• • ALL plugins and software covered in this article offer free trials, so you can download the different plugins, test them with your own images, and choose the plugin that best suits your needs.

What do you think the best noise reduction software is?

If you use any other plugin that I didn’t mention, please share it in the comments so I can include it in future updates. Thank you!

Lightroom Noise Reduction: Best Techniques & plugins

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Reducing noise in Lightroom is one of the easiest ways to get rid of the noise in your photos. If you already use this software, you’ll know that you can apply Lightroom Noise reduction to your RAW files, and that you can always use other software or plugins to remove noise in a more selective way.

Nowadays, there is a wide variety of noise reduction software, but Lightroom is the most used for a simple reason: It’s quick and easy to use.

5 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600. Nikon D800 + Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8

As you may know, noise is one of the most undesired effects in digital photography, so it is very important to know what the noise is and what types exist, and how to reduce digital noise using the right camera settings.

In this article, we will focus on Lightroom Noise Reduction:

1. Basic steps to reduce Noise in Lightroom
2. Best noise reduction settings in Lightroom
3. Best workflow to reduce noise in Lightroom
4. Local noise reduction in Lightroom
5. Best plugins to reduce noise in Lightroom
6. Noise reduction presets for Lightroom
7. Noise reduction in Lightroom mobile
8. Last tips to remove noise in Lightroom

In a nutshell, you can reduce the noise in Lightroom by following the steps below:

1. Upload your image in Lightroom.
2. Zoom in 100% on the image to see the noisy areas and the effect of the adjustments.
3. Go to the detail tab, where you will find all the sliders.
4. Increase the luminance slider until the luminance noise is reduced; try not to make the image too “washed” out, so you still have some sharpness and detail
5. Increase the luminance detail slightly and progressively, to recover part of the sharpness you might have lost with the noise reduction in Lightroom.
6. Increase the contrast to recover part of the contrast you might have lost with the initial luminance noise reduction.
7. Adjust the color slider if your picture has color noise until you get rid of the noise. Pay attention to the side effects in the other colors.
8. Adjust the color detail to fine-tune the previous setting.
9. Try adjusting the smoothness to finish the Lightroom color noise reduction.

Panorama of 6 vertical images at 30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200

Throughout the article, you will see how these adjustments work and the most effective way to use them to reduce noise in Lightroom quickly and easily.

Lightroom Noise reduction allows you to remove noise in an effective and customized way for each image.

To reduce noise in Lightroom, you can use different settings that will be globally applied to the RAW file, with the advantage of being able to control the noise reduction through different adjustments.

The basic option is to use the sliders found in the detail panel, but there are other Lightroom noise reduction tools, such as noise reductions plugins for Lightroom, local adjustments, and even Lightroom noise reduction presets.

Before moving on to the steps to remove noise in Lightroom, you need a solid understanding of the different ways to get rid of noise in Lightroom.

DETAIL PANEL TO REDUCE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM 5

This is the main tool to eliminate noise in the latest version of Lightroom. you’ll find it in the detail panel, where you’ll see different sliders to balance both the noise reduction and the detail.

Detail panel in Lightroom

LUMINANCE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM

If you want to reduce luminance noise in Lightroom, there are three settings:

• Luminance: Used to eliminate luminance noise in Lightroom. This adjustment works over the general RAW file. The more you move to the right, the more noise you reduce, but with a downside: you also sacrifice sharpness and contrast. In general, it’s more convenient to use lower values.

• Detail: After applying the luminance noise reduction, you can recover part of the detail lost with this slider.

• Contrast: After recovering the detail, with this slider, you can recover part of the contrast you had before the first luminance adjustment.

COLOR NOISE IN LIGHTROOM

To reduce color noise in Lightroom, we can adjust the following sliders:

• Color: With this setting, you can reduce chroma noise in Lightroom. It’s a very effective setting, but it does have possible side effects, such as color shift in areas that were previously fine.

• Detail: This slider helps to recover detail, but without adding noise as you would with the detail adjustment for luminance noise.

• Smoothness: This adjustment allows you to smooth all the areas where you’ve applied the color noise reduction in Lightroom.

With all these sliders, you can adjust the Lightroom noise reduction for each of your pictures.

It is also important to:

• Identifying if the digital noise in your image is luminance noise or color noise to know which settings you need to adjust. You’ll be able to see the noise with your naked eye when you zoom in and out.

• Balancing the different sliders to reduce noise in Lightroom,  keeping as many details of the image as possible.

Each sensor and each photograph has different characteristics, and, so we can’t give you general reference or values for the adjustments.

However, you can follow the same workflow we use in our images to apply the best possible Lightroom noise reduction. Below, I’ll show you the steps that I follow in my editing workflow to remove noise in Lightroom.

HOW TO REDUCE LUMINANCE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM

Luminance noise is the most common adjustment you’ll use in Lightroom.

This effect is very powerful. Keep it under control so it doesn’t leave the image with a “washed” or “waxed” look.

Each photograph requires different settings depending on the lighting conditions and noise, but you can follow the next few steps to reduce the luminance noise in Lightroom:

• Adjust the first luminance slider, moving it to the right until you can’t see the noise in the image when you zoom in at 100%. It doesn’t matter if the image loses a lot of detail, since you’ll recover it with the next few sliders, and then, you can lower the luminance noise reduction again.

• Tweak the detail adjustment until you find a point where you can recover details in the image without increasing the noise again.

• Move the contrast slider in the same way, recovering part of the contrast lost with the first luminance noise reduction.

• Go back to the first luminance slider and make some adjustments by moving the slider little by little until you find the perfect balance between noise reduction and detail conservation.

Below, you can see an example where I applied luminance noise reduction in Lightroom and the settings I used:

Luminance Noise reduction settings in Lightroom

Luminance Noise Reduction in Lightroom (10 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000)

And now zooming in at 100%:

Luminance Noise Reduction in Lightroom (10 sec, f/2. 8, ISO 5000)

HOW TO REDUCE COLOR NOISE IN LIGHTROOM

Color noise is not as common, but you’ll often find it in the same image as luminance noise, so you should adjust it after having reduced the luminance noise in Lightroom.

These are the steps to effectively reduce color noise in Lightroom:

• Move the color slider completely to the right.

• Move the detail slider completely to the right

• Tweak the color slider to the left until you find a point where you reduce the color noise without altering the original colors of the image. Pay attention to the color patterns that form, especially the infamous bands of color also known as “banding”.

• Adjust the smoothing slider, checking how it changes the noisy areas of the image and finding the sweet spot between color reduction and balance.

Below, you’ll find another example of applying color noise reduction in Lightroom. These are the settings I applied:

Color Noise reduction settings in Lightroom

Before/After Color Noise Reduction in  Lightroom. 25 sec, ISO 5000

And now zooming in:

Zooming in Before/After Color Noise Reduction in  Lightroom. 25 sec, ISO 5000

Note: The color detail slider will always be 100% since this, unlike the luminance detail slider, does not increase digital noise.

As you can see, reducing noise in Lightroom is relatively simple and effective. The main disadvantage is the inability to apply noise reduction in Lightroom to some areas of the image selectively, as you can, for instance, when reducing noise in Photoshop.

Even so, if your workflow is based solely on Lightroom, you have the option to reduce noise selectively through local noise reduction Lightroom settings.

In order to reduce noise locally in Lightroom, you have the following options:

• Noise reduction in Lightroom through the graduated filter
• Lightroom noise reduction through the radial filter
• Lightroom noise reduction with the brush

Local noise reduction in Lightroom through a gradient filter

HOW TO REDUCE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM WITH LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS

Reducing noise in Lightroom through selective adjustments has the great advantage of removing noise in specific areas of your image. However, there are limitations, since there’s only a single slider to reduce noise, and you can’t adjust the luminance or color noise reduction as you can in the detail tab.

You can apply selective noise reduction in Lightroom through local settings by following these steps:

1. Analyze the noise in the image and assess whether it’s better to reduce the noise in a general way or a specific way, especially if the noise only appears in one area of the image.

2. If the noise is in a specific area, check this area in order to decide the type of filter:

• In night photographs, noise commonly appears in the lower part of the image. If this is the case, we can try using a graduated filter.

• If noise appears in a specific and significant area of the image, such as a shaded area on the right side, try drawing a radial filter.

• If the grainy area is a small irregular section, try to paint the whole area with the Lightroom brush using a medium-lower opacity.

3. Slide the noise slider to the right until the noise vanishes.

4. Finally, you won’t be able to make any further adjustments on the noise reduction slider, but you can still adjust other local settings, so if you lose detail or contrast, you can recover it through the clarity and contrast settings.

Before talking in depth about noise reduction with plugins in Lightroom, I wanted to answer a question that many photographers often ask:

WHEN SHOULD I REMOVE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM?

When working non-destructively with Raw files, it doesn’t matter when or at what step you reduce noise in Lightroom, since you can undo this step at any time without affecting the file.

In my case, I like to do it at the end of the process, after having applied all the basic and color adjustments, although, as we said, there’d be no problem if you did it at the beginning.

In addition to the Lightroom noise reduction through the default Lightroom tools, you can also use plugins to remove noise in Lightroom.

These third-party plugins will allow you to use different ways to remove noise in Lightroom, and, in some cases, to compensate for Lightroom downsides, such as with more advanced local noise reduction adjustments.

BEST PLUGINS TO REDUCE NOISE IN LIGHTROOM

There is a wide variety, but these are the best noise reduction plugins in Lightroom:

TOPAZ DENOISE AI NOISE REDUCTION IN LIGHTROOM

After having performed many tests, in my opinion, Topaz Denoise AI is the best plugin to reduce noise in Lightroom.

Topaz uses an advanced algorithm to reduce noise in Lightroom while preserving great quality details.

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As you can see in the best noise reduction software comparison, Topaz includes Artificial Intelligence algorithms that keep the detail when canceling the digital noise. This adjustment is especially effective for starry skies since it doesn’t remove stars like other plugins.

Topaz Denoise Noise reduction panel as a plugin in Lightroom

Noise Reduction in Lightroom with Topaz Denoise (10 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250)

In addition, Topaz allows you to work with an advanced system of layers, masks, and opacity, which helps to adjust noise reduction in Lightroom in a very selective way.

You can download the Topaz Denoise AI plugin for Lightroom here.

Update: After this review, I have started using Topaz DeNoise AI to reduce noise in all my photos. Also, we have written a Topaz DeNoise AI review here.

LUMINAR NOISE REDUCTION IN LIGHTROOM

Luminar is a great plugin to reduce noise in Lightroom, since, in addition to reducing the luminance and color noise like in Lightroom does, it allows you to use masks and filters to apply the settings more selectively.

The main side effect I saw when reducing noise in Lightroom with Luminar was some star-removal after applying the luminance noise reduction. To avoid this, simply mask the starry area with a medium level of opacity.

Luminar Noise reduction panel as a plugin in Lightroom. Noise reduction applied using a mask created with the brush

Noise Reduction in Lightroom with Luminar 3 (10 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250)

You can install Luminar in Lightroom through this link. You also have the option to download the trial version.

 DFINE 2 NOISE REDUCTION IN LIGHTROOM

Another option is to reduce noise in Lightroom using Dfine 2, a plugin included in the Nik Collection package.

In Dfine 2, you have the option to use an automatic noise reduction and, also, the option to select the noisy areas of the image yourself so the software can adjust the noise reduction.

Dfine 2 Noise reduction panel as a plugin in Lightroom

Noise Reduction in Lightroom with Dfine 2 (10 sec, f/2. 8, ISO 1250)

Although you can use it for extra noise reduction in Lightroom, I find it too slow and I always end up selecting the noisy areas by myself. The local settings are not as selective as those of Topaz or Luminar.

You can get this plugin on the DXO website.

NOISE NINJA FOR LIGHTROOM

Noise Ninja is famous for being one of the best noise reduction plugins on the market for many years.

Although there are ways to use it as a noise reduction plugin in Lightroom, it’s not optimized for this, so it works better as a plugin for Photoshop. Because of this, I can’t consider Noise Ninja as a plugin for Lightroom.

After this list, you may be asking yourself the following question:

DO I REALLY NEED A NOISE REDUCTION PLUGIN IN LIGHTROOM?

The answer, however, will completely depend on your editing workflow.

The Lightroom noise reduction options included with the software are very powerful, but they can’t be applied selectively and all settings must be adjusted manually to be effective.

Thanks to the plugins, you can quickly make a thorough noise reduction with the option to apply noise reduction selectively.

Lightroom noise reduction using Topaz Denoise through an advanced mask.

On the other hand, if you’ve already decided to get a plugin, you may be asking yourself:

WHAT NOISE REDUCTION PLUGIN FOR LIGHTROOM SHOULD I USE?

The answer isn’t easy, since all the plugins on the list are effective and good options to reduce noise in Lightroom.

In my opinion, if I had to choose a noise reduction plugin for Lightroom, I would opt for one that allowed me to apply noise reduction more selectively in order to compensate for the great disadvantage of Lightroom. Furthermore, I’d look for a plugin with more functions besides noise reduction.

Both Luminar and Topaz are designed to work with advanced masks and opacity options to apply the Lightroom noise reduction locally.

Topaz Denoise preserves details in a far superior manner to Luminar, especially in terms of skies, thanks to its Artificial Intelligence algorithms. In addition, although the selective adjustments are similar, Topaz offers an edge localization function, something really useful for applying adjustments even more selectively.

However, Luminar, in addition to the function of noise reduction, allows you to use digital filters to fine-tune the reduction and extract more details. Moreover, for a similar price to Topaz, you can get a whole software with very useful processing tools and digital filters to get atmospheric light effects, micro contrast, etc.

If you’re still in doubt over which plugin is best for you,  I recommend you download the free trial versions of Luminar and Topaz, so you can perform your own tests and see which one best suits your processing needs.

* Note: Once you use a plugin in Lightroom with one of your photos, the file will no longer be a RAW file and will change to another format like Jpeg or TIFF. In that case, I suggest you apply the noise reduction at the end of the editing process.

One option to speed up the workflow editing process in Lightroom is to use Noise Reduction Lightroom presets. These preset adjustments will remove digital noise in your images with just the click of a button.

The main drawback of using presets is that by default, they apply general adjustments to all your images in the same way, and although you can always apply some adjustments automatically , such as profile correction, noise is something that changes in every image and requires specific adjustments according to each case.

Each photograph requires different settings and parameters, so I do not recommend the use of Presets. 4 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000

Therefore, and although some photographers do it, I wouldn’t recommend using Noise reduction presets for Lightroom.

In addition to the desktop version, Lightroom also has a mobile application, which includes the option to reduce noise in the Adobe Lightroom mobile app.

The Lightroom app offers a great variety of adjustments, and one of them is the noise reduction for phone images, since it’s one of the best noise reduction mobile apps for Android and iOS.

These are the steps to reduce noise in your mobile photos with the Lightroom mobile app:

• Download the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Mobile app. ($4.99/month)
• Load the picture you took with your smartphone that you want to apply the noise reduction to.
• Create a local adjustment in the noisy area, like a gradient or radial filter.
• Click the triangle in the central part.
• Adjust the necessary noise reduction to remove the noise from the image.
• Close the local adjustment and consider if the image requires you to increase the detail. If so, just add some clarity.

As you can see, reducing noise in your smartphone photos in Lightroom mobile is possible. It’s true that the application doesn’t include advanced noise reduction, but it’s useful for removing noise quickly.

Reducing noise in Lightroom is one of the best ways to get rid of noise if you already use this software in your editing workflow or if you want to use an easy tool to do it.

The noise reduction in Lightroom will depend on each image. It’s important that you tweak the different adjustments in your photographs to see how much noise reduction needs your image needs. Do not use automatic functions or Lightroom Presets for noise reduction.

Examine each photograph on a case-by-case basis to see what adjustments you need in order to reduce noise in Lightroom. 30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1250

IS LIGHTROOM THE BEST SOFTWARE TO REDUCE NOISE?

As a final thought, I would like to highlight the main disadvantage of removing noise in Lightroom: it is difficult to apply adjustments more selectively to specific areas of the image.

You can always apply Lightroom noise reduction selectively through local adjustments such as gradient filters, radial filters or even reducing noise with the Lightroom brush. However, these settings only allow the use of a single slider to reduce noise, which generally limits the adjustment.

Also, when you want to reduce noise in Lightroom, keep in mind that you can’t use luminosity or color masks to their full advantage.

For this reason, I would recommend using Lightroom in combination with any of the plugins we’ve previously suggested like Topaz or Luminar, or if you’re already familiar with Photoshop, apply the reduction selectively through this software.

In my case, during my workflow, I first make a small noise reduction in the Raw file in Lightroom, and later I remove the noise locally in Photoshop, using plugins, in a much more selective way.

What about you? How do you remove noise in Lightroom?

How to Reduce Noise in Lightroom Photos

Typically, the word “noise” is most often used to describe sound, often loud and causing irritation or other negative reactions. But sometimes noise means not only sound distortion that interferes with the transmission of a signal or information.

In photography, the word noise refers to graininess and false colors in an image, often resulting in loss of detail and color distortion.

Noise is the same electronic interference that you see on the TV screen, hear on the radio or during a telephone conversation. In cameras, this noise appears to be something like grains of sand, which, as the noise increases, themselves increase in size, color variations, and become more and more erratic. In most cases, good cameras can attenuate noise quite satisfactorily, and cameras with full-frame sensors do the job best. nine0003

Noise in photographs increases as the ISO value is increased or the shutter speed is slowed, as the so-called signal-to-noise ratio then increases. Trying to get more photo information, we amplify the signal, but this inevitably leads to errors in transmission (respectively, to the appearance of noise).

This image clearly illustrates the appearance of speckles and grains of false colors, the presence of this kind of noise is common when using large values ​​of ISO, i.e. when we try to make the image lighter and brighter. ISO 3200 on EOS 1D Mark IV.

The ability of a camera to reduce noise covers several different aspects: the size of the light sensor, technology, digital processor, software, and the contribution of the photographer himself (camera settings, etc.). To initially create photos with a minimum amount of noise, you need to familiarize yourself with all the factors that affect their appearance.

Noise reduction

The noise reduction function, roughly speaking, cleans up the signal received by the camera. Noise reduction algorithms try to eliminate various types of interference that are expressed as noise in photographs.

Even after a slight reduction in noise, there is a noticeable improvement in the overall appearance of the picture. False colors have been removed, grain has become more uniform, and detail has been increased.

Shot of a ring using daylight and a low power LED to add sparkle. Camera settings: 1/100sec, f/8.0, ISO 3200, 100mm macro. In program Noise reduction has been applied to Lightroom.

It is impossible to get rid of noise completely, because the signal cannot be perfectly pure. Noise suppression is not equivalent to its complete elimination. Also, excessive use of the noise reduction function may result in loss of image quality. Therefore, without fanaticism, always select the most optimal values ​​that do not affect the quality of the photo.

Excessive noise reduction results in loss of both detail and image sharpness. nine0012