The Noise Reduction Tool

Process pictures to reduce the effects of image noise.

[Noise Reduction]

Select this option to enable noise reduction. You can then choose an option for [Method] and a noise-reduction amount.

[Method]

The options available vary with the camera used to create the current picture.

• [Camera’s noise reduction] (RAW pictures only): This option is displayed only if no other options are available. Select the amount () from the pull-down menu.

• [Faster]/[Better Quality]/[Better Quality 2013] (RAW pictures only): Choose [Faster] for faster processing, [Better Quality] or [Better Quality 2013] for higher-quality results.

  • [Intensity]: The higher the value, the smoother the results and the less visible the artifacts caused by image “noise”.
  • [Sharpness]: Choosing higher values for [Intensity] may smooth the image to the point that details are lost. This can be countered by increasing [Sharpness].

[Better Quality 2013]

This option excels in reducing color noise at short wavelengths and over evenly-colored areas of the image. Selecting [Better Quality 2013] displays additional [Luminance] and [Color] items, allowing intensity and sharpness to be adjusted separately for each of these parameters.

Amount

Choose the amount of noise reduction performed when [Camera’s noise reduction] is the only option available in the [Method] menu.

[Edge Noise Reduction] (RAW Pictures Only)

Select this option to make outlines more distinct by reducing the occurrence of noise artifacts around edges.

[Astro Noise Reduction] (RAW Pictures Only)

Select this option to reduce the occurrence of randomly-spaced bright pixels in long exposures.

[Astro Noise Reduction]

This option cannot be applied to small RAW pictures taken with the D4S, D810, or D810A.