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URL: www.camerabits.com
Cost: $189
Platforms: Mac & PC
Version Tested: 2.1r3
Demo available: yes
Quantum mechanic Pro is a plugin that reduces noise and artifacts in
the chrominance by using an adaptive median-like filter. It can also
despeckle luminance and sharpen the image.
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The large amount of chroma noise in this image
proved just a little too much for Quantum Mechanic Pro. It did
a good job of holding color where I wanted it though. After trying
many settings, a very low theshold had most of the noise under
control.
Settings:
- Filter amount: 100%
- Red radius: 8
- Red threshold: 1
- Blue radius: 8
- Blue threshold: 1
- Despeckle luminance: on
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The simple despeckle luminance algorithm cannot
clean up this image as well as other techniques. The minor chroma
noise is effectively removed however.
Settings:
- Filter amount: 100%
- Red radius: 10
- Red threshold: 1
- Blue radius: 10
- Blue threshold: 1
- Despeckle luminance: on
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As with the previous image, despeckle luminance
just doesn't cut it.
Settings:
- Filter amount: 100%
- Red radius: 10
- Red threshold: 1
- Blue radius: 10
- Blue threshold: 1
- Despeckle luminance: on
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Pros:
- Fast way of doing standard noise reduction methods, without having
to use inflexible actions.
- Good at removing chroma noise without destroying desired color details.
Cons:
- Not very good at removing luminance noise due to inflexible, simple
despeckle method.
- Expensive
URL: www.theimagingfactory.com
Cost: $100
Platforms: Mac & PC
Version tested: 1.28
Demo available: yes
Noise Reduction Pro is similar to Quantum Mechanic Pro, but allows
a lot more control over the luminance channel.
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The large amount of chroma noise in this image
was easily dispatched by Noise Reduction Pro, although it did
result in a reduction in color saturation overall in the image
(which can easily be boosted back). The luminance noise could
not be reduced as effectively before it got too blurry.
Settings:
- Luminance radius: 2
- Luminance reduction: 40
- Light tones: 100%
- Mid tones: 30%
- Dark tones: 100%
- Red radius: 9
- Red reduction: 50
- Blue radius: 9
- Blue reduction: 50
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Noise Reduction Pro does a pretty good job with
this image's limited luminance and chroma noise, a better job
than Quantum Mechanic Pro.
Settings:
- Luminance radius: 1.5
- Luminance reduction: 40
- Light tones: 100%
- Mid tones: 100%
- Dark tones: 100%
- Red radius: 6
- Red reduction: 50
- Blue radius: 6
- Blue reduction: 50
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As with the first image, luminance noise is not
reduced very effectively before blurring occurs. Color also suffers.
Settings:
- Luminance radius: 1.5
- Luminance reduction: 40
- Light tones: 100%
- Mid tones: 100%
- Dark tones: 100%
- Red radius: 6.5
- Red reduction: 50
- Blue radius: 4
- Blue reduction: 50
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Pros:
- Great at removing chroma noise, slight tweaks to the settings can
be made to remove most, if not all, chroma noise.
- Very large preview.
- Fast.
Cons:
- Even with great flexibility in its algorithm (radius, strength,
degree to apply to light, mid and dark tones) Noise Reduction Pro
does not seem to be able to remove much luminance noise before the
image gets too blurry.
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