AI Noise Reduction SHOWDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS! | Are Topaz & DXO Still BEST?

Another great video and fantastic tips to us! Thank you a lot!

Excellent video Jan :) I'm still amazed by how many folks I run into, that haven't gotten the whole noise situation straight yet. So often I see photos which are sharp, and really could be aesthetically pleasing, but the noise just kills them. I've been using DXO version 2 (sharpening turned off) and 90-95% of the time, that's all I need. Once in a while (usually due to a personal fail :) lol ) I might have to use Topaz as a final step to remove just a touch more noise, or add a tiny bit more selective sharpening. BTW, I'm still using DXO version 2, as I literally bought it for full price "2 weeks" before version 3 came out > and DXO would not give me ANY discount whatsoever for an upgrade to version 3. Urggg. I love the product, but I still kind of feel like that was poor business.... I might pay full price again for version 4, whenever it comes out, but just out of principle, I won't pay for version 3.

HI, Jan. I have to agree. I was pleasantly surprised when Adobe came out with ‘Enhance’. I started using it, and have been impressed with the results. As a hobbyist, I didn’t have a clear idea as to how much sharpening was too much; so I greatly appreciate the guidance you’ve provided here on what to aim for so as to not overdo the enhancements. I also appreciate your suggestion to run Enhance twice and then layer the results to apply to the end product of the editing process. I also subscribe to the Adobe Bundle, so saving the extra money (I originally purchased DxO Pure Raw), helps me decide against the need to update to DxO Pure Raw 3. NOW; I’ll get off the fence and use the money I’m saving to ‘finally’ invest in your ProSets, lol. Thanks for the informative video. It really helps novice hobbyists like me, lol!

Wow Jan. Thanks so much and very timely for me personally as I've been shooting last 2 days with my new z8 and doing some grey squirrel shots at iso8000 and iso12800 and noise was really so bad that I got disheartened over it. I tried my normal Topaz denoise but it introduced some weird patches on his fur and a random weird patch on the background (and result was ok after i tweaked it, but not brilliant). I find this a lot with topaz and have to either reduce the effect (I always add a layer on before using topaz) or add some slight blur between the subject and background to try and blend it in slightly. And I have to make sure i check every part of my image to see if there are any weird bits that have appeared (topaz sharpen does the same weird patches some times as well). This was frustrating me greatly today - so much so it almost spoiled my new Z8, so this has really helped me. And I didn't even know ACR had this enhance function. Just tried it, it did a great job i have to say. Can I ask though (as I'm not familiar with DNG files at all), do you then edit and work on the dng file (as you would if it was a raw file) and save that once finished as, say a tif file for example, (asking as thought dng files weren't a good as raw... i may have that wrong) or would you add it as a layer on to your Raw image for example, flatten it and then work on raw image in photoshop before saving. Also out of interest do you normally denoise at the end of processing or before. I often do at the end, but using iso8000 and iso12800 I did NR first because the noise was so awful i felt i couldn't edit properly before i got rid of some of it. And will this be covered in your masterclass please as think I am going to have to buy that or your prosets (or even both) as i find I take too long on editing. Thanks

Thanks for the comparison Jan, it’s much appreciated!!

I came to the same conclusion with Adobe Noise Reduction compared to all the other NR software. I use ACR for my RAW edits, so the Adobe NR is super easy, and I don't need yet another piece of software. That's a really clever tip with the two-layered approach using Adobe Noise Reduction. Great video, keep them coming.

Great (as usual) video, Jan. Personally, I’m really enjoying the Denoise feature in LRC now that I have a computer that runs it in 8-15 seconds vs 10-20 minutes. Very happy with the results and not having to “leave” the program when editing.

Thanks so much for the video. One point to mention about DxO is that it also provides lens correction which can be a bonus but it does take them longer to develop profiles for newer lenses which can be an issue. I find their CA removal to work very well in fact better than LR. Cheers.

Great video Jan! I added DXO pure raw 3 to my workflow earlier this summer and it has not disappointed me at all.

Very interesting video and analysis! Agree with your comments on Topaz Denoise and banding, artefacts. Selective modification of 'subject' adds further to this. Haven't tried enhance but will do now!

Thanks for taking the time to compare the various tools. I worked with all three, but stick to Adobe one, as is serves my files best at the moment and is covered with my subscription... Regarding double de-noise, you might also consider to do it all within LrC, de-noise first the overall file, then just mask in LrC the section you want to additionally de-noise, depending on the noise level, this might just do.

Great rundown!

Thank you for the continued inspiration and educational videos. Keep showing us more great bird photos from the Outback.

Great class Mr. Wegener, Thank You.

Hi Jan, I started using DXO 1 after your reviews a few years ago. It was SLOW. I got DXO 2 and only used it a few times befor LR enhance came with updates. I compared a few ISO 12,800 images and thought Enhance was better and have not looked back. Nice review and tips.

I was not happy with how Topaz handled feather detail. You can see the weirdness on the Topaz photo near the head at 3:00. PureRaw was too sharp causing artifacts (Halos) even with Lens Sharpness toggled off. DXO PhotoLab gave me the best results as it allowed me to tweak the settings.

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always 🐦🤗

Excellent review and information!

Great Review! Like the tip with "double enhance". What makes Topaz outstanding is to sharpen pictures with motion blur or slightly out of focus subjects, for everything else I prefer DXO or Enhance. Toller Bericht, danke Jan. Der Tipp Enhance doppelt laufen zu lassen und in PS zu kombinieren ist Gold wert! Ich nutze DXO PR3 und Enhance, dazu das alte Topaz Denaoise. Ein Vorteil von Topaz Photo AI sind eben die "Sonderfunktionen" wie das das Schärfen verwackelter oder "out of focus" Bilder. Das können die anderen beiden nicht. Grüße vom Bodensee Ralph

I used DxO pure Raw, but since LR added the new NR, I switched to LR. Its IMO as good if not better and nicely integrated in my workflow. And saves me some money too 😉