by Gavin Seim. Updated 07/10/09: Even with cameras getting amazing at high ISO, low noise images, there’s plenty of room in our kits for good noise reduction software. It allows you to push the limits and keep your images clean and vivid. Nearly every serious photographer should have a good noise reduction tool in his arsenal.
The showdown has come. I see lots of talk about what’s the best noise reduction software, but mostly it’s all talk. Rather than just talk, I’ve made comparisons. Lots of comparisons. I’ll give you examples with various products, images, cameras and ISO settings, including some HDR. At the end I’ll give my final opinions of each product and let you decide for yourself. Let’s get started.
The Contenders:
Neat Image VS Noise Ninja VS Noiseware VS Dfine VS Lightroom VS Topaz Denoise VS Photoshop:
All tests were made using the Photoshop plugin versions of the products but some are available as standalone apps. Settings varied, but I used mostly default settings and automatic profiles, with occasional tweaks to get the best results. This means these images represent the results you would get with a single pass and minimal hassle.
Often I found that one product maybe great on one image, while another product may work better on the next. Tweaking the settings would perhaps improve results a little depending on the image, however I wanted a real feel of the results we’ll get everyday and on the go. You can click any image for a large view, but some results are similar so you may want to download the large image bundle below. Forum discussion is here.
Continue reading ‘Noise Reduction Shootout: Straight Dope Comparison Review’
Tuesday morning I’ll be in Seattle to catch Virgin America to Vegas for the PMA 2009 convention March 3-5.
This will be my first time at PMA, but I hope to come back with many tales of great new gear gadgets and goodies for us photographers and maybe a bit of new knowledge to share. Stay tune to the site for updates.
If you’re headed to PMA, give a shout out. Hopefully I can meet some of you face to face. You can follow me on Twitter so we can stay connected. Post your twitter in the PMA forum thread so I’ll be sure to follow you… Gavin Seim
For my first article on Pro Photo Show I’d like to draw your attention to a product that I’ve been using for a travel industry website that I’ve been working on, but which would make a great addition to any photographer’s website or blog. That product is called MonoSlideShow.
Monoslideshow is a photo gallery plug-in that can be inserted into almost any website. It is written in Flash, and has been designed from the ground up to be fully flexible and to be a true showcase for beautiful photography.
For photographers who insist on having traditional HTML-based websites rather than Flash (generally for reasons of search engine optimization), this product offers the perfect compromise between design and “searchability”. Plugging this product into any blog will instantly add a bit of “WOW” to the site and bring a huge amount of functionality in the process.
The key to MonoslideShow’s flexibility is its XML-based configuration file. XML is simply an agreed format and standard for a markup language, and even if you are not familiar with it, you will still be able to use the product using the handy XML file generator that the product’s author provides on their website.
The product is extremely flexible and can go from a simple image viewer, basic slideshow, or full blown gallery browser, and at whatever size you wish. It even includes wonderful transition effects and a Ken Burns style panning and zooming effect to add a bit of dynamic movement to your images.
For copyright and or branding, logo’s and text can also be automatically overlaid on top of images. You can even incorporate marketing messages into your images as they appear. Continue reading ‘Mini Product Review: MonoSlideShow Gallery Plug-in’
In an effort to try and produce more quantity and variety on the website I’ve been doing some recruiting for new writers.
The first is Alan Hutchison. He’s an award-winning photographer based in Scotland who has been taking photographs since he was 6 years old and even had his own darkroom at the tender age of 11. You can learn more about him on the about PPS page.
You can find Alan’s work at www.alanhutchison.co.uk or hook up with me on Facebook. Stay tune for more great content and more variety from our new writers. Welcome to the PPS team Alan.
by Gavin Seim:
Click To Listen>> Photography Podcast. PPS #55
Review in iTunes, or Vote on Podcast Alley
Today’s topics: Pet Photography
Host: Gavin Seim
Special Guest: Paul Walker
Notes, Deals & Links:
Podcast #55 forum discussion:
- Time Index 0:00. We start off with quick news and PPS updates.
- Time Index 7:00. Paul joins us for an informative talk about pet photography, pretty much from A-Z
- Time Index 1:24:57. Show ends. Join us for some general business and photo talk in the after show.
OnOne Software is giving listeners 20% off, good till Feb 28th. Use Promo Code PRPHT2
Photomatix Pro from HDR Soft. Save 15% with code PPS15
Seim Effects. Save 15% with promo code PPS
Follow Gavin on Twitter.
Colbert video about Amtrak photographer
Paul’s Pet Photography Workshop.
Shooting Animal Companions. 2 Day workshop.
May 19-20 2009 In New York
Check out Paul’s book. Pet Photography Now
More talk about online proofing coming soon, including updates on Smugmug.
Smugmug, Zenfolio, Exposure Manager, Instaproofs, Collages. Even install your own with somethihg like Pictures Pro.
Most of us know about print templates in Lightroom, but the cool secret is that you can make multi image page layouts too.
This article over on Seim Effects give the details, as well as a set of FREE layout presets to get you going. I’m pretty stoked about the new possibilities of making multi image layouts right from Lightroom. While it won’t replace In Design for my full scale albums, it’s so fast at making quick attractive layouts for things like Press Printed Books. Check it out.
