Better Available Light Digital Photography : How to Make the Most of Your Night and Low-light Shots

Digital noise 71

Stoic STOIK

Noise Autofi x (www.stoik.com/stoik_noise_autofi x/index.html)

from STOIK is Windows-only software that automatically

cleans noise in photographs. The program’s detection, analysis,

and fi ltration modules provide optimal balance between noise

reduction and image-detail preservation. STOIK claims that

the noise in digital photos can be reduced by two to three

stops, so the noise levels of the photo shot at ISO 1600 is

effectively reduced to ISO 200–400 levels. You can take it

out of Automatic mode using controls that allow manual

fi ne-tuning to change noise detection and adjust image-detail-

preservation levels or noise-reduction amount. Noise Autofi x

imports 24- and 48-bit color JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP, and

PSD fi les, and outputs JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and BMP formats

while preserving EXIF data. A 15-day demo is free, or you

can purchase it for $29.

For less than a hundred bucks,
Noise Reduction Pro features
separate controls for luminance
(brightness) and color noise. Noise
Reduction Pro is not the strongest
grain-removal product available,
but its application avoids the
mushy look that some noise-
reduction solutions produce. ©
2005 Joe Farace.