One of the biggest challenges for photographers is minimizing photo noise. And no matter how good you’re, some photos have too much noise. It blurs the important details and affects the overall quality of an image.
Don't despair yet, as tons of tools give you the freedom to tweak and adjust noisy areas in your photos. But choosing a competent program is important to get satisfactory results.
This article will discuss several user-trusted image noise reduction software that anyone can use with ease. So, without any delays, let's dive in!
Part 1: A Brief Introduction to Photo Noise
The first question that pops up is, what exactly is noise in photography? Consider noise as small, grain-like particles or artifacts that appear on your image. These grains be in different colors or brightness and disrupt the clarity of a picture.
When it comes to factors that cause grain, it isn't easy to pinpoint the exact reasons. But in most cases, the below reasons are responsible for photo noise:
1. Setting your camera at too high ISO to capture photos.
2. The photo is taken in a low-light studio or environment without adjusting the ISO and aperture.
3. Using a poor-quality camera lens.
Part 2: 3 Clicks to Fix Grainy Photo Online/on Desktop
Wondershare Repairit is one of the best programs for removing grain from photo with great precision. It uses artificial intelligence to automatically analyze an image, detect noise, and fix it to the best possible quality.
One unique quality of Repairit is its batch processing, which lets you fix multiple photos simultaneously with simple clicks, with no technical skills needed. Additionally, it is compatible with all popular image formats and Mac and Windows. The program automatically enables the Advanced Repair feature to fix severely corrupt or damaged photos.
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Support to repair damaged photos with different corruption issues, such as grainy photos, dark photos, pixelated photos, faded photos, etc.
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Support to repair images of diverse formats, such as JPG, PNG, CR3, CR2, NEF, NRW, etc.
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Repair critically damaged photos available on SD cards, phones, cameras, USB flash drives, and more.
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The "AI Image Upscaler" feature can enlarge the repaired photos to 2X, 4X, and 8X.
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Intelligently restore old/scatched photo and colorize black and white photos with various AI effects.
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Compatible with Windows PC, Mac OS, and supports PC to mobile transferring/sharing.
Attention:
If you do not want to download software on your computer and your damaged photo is no more than 300MB, you can try the online version of Repairit to fix grainy photos with ease. And the free version support repairing photo that is at most 5MB.
Step 1: Download and install the Repair on your PC or Mac.
Select "Photo Repair" in the "More Types Repair" section and hit "+Add" to import your grainy images.
Step 2: Hit "Repair" to begin the photo repairing process.
After uploading the grainy photos, Repairit will display the details of all photos, then hit "Repair" to begin the photo repairing process.
Step 3: Preview and save the fixed photos.
After your photos are fixed by Repairit, you can click "Preview" to check the photo quality. If it's perfect now, hit "Save" or "Save All" to export them to your device.
Before saving the repaired photos, you can also use the "AI Image Upscaler" feature to enlarge your photos to 2x, 4x, and 8x.
If you're unsafisfied with the fixed result, try the "Advanced Repair" function to make a more professional photo repairing process. Repairit will need to add a good sample photo that has the same format as the fixed one. See the detailed guide for "Advanced Photo Repair".
Pros
Fix any photo corruption issues with a very high success rate.
Enhance picture resolution and sharpness with 3 simple clicks.
It supports enlarging a photo withiout affecting its clarity.
It is very easy to operate for beginners. No techniques required.
Cons
The desktop version is not for free.
Part 3: Other 7 Popular Noise Reduction Software to Fix Grainy Photo.
1. Lightroom Classic
Developed by Adobe, Lightroom Classic is considered one of the best tools to fix grainy photos. It has a noise reduction filter that allows you to adjust grains as you want. Plus, you can use its Color feature to enhance image sharpness and clarity. Detail and Smoothness sliders will help you get additional control of the image.
Overall, Lightroom has all the basic and advanced editing features expected from a premium program. But don't expect to start using it immediately if you're new to this app.
Pros
A massive collection of editing features on one platform.
Enhance picture resolution and sharpness easily.
It comes with many built-in tutorials.
Camera and lens-specific photo editing.
Cons
It is Difficult to operate for beginners.
No free trial version, users need to get their monthly subscription
2. DXO PureRAW 2
Are you looking for a simple yet feature-rich program to denoise image? Look no further and get DXO PureRAW 2 to fix grainy photos quickly. All its editing features are accessible on its main page, which you can try until the image is restored to your expectations.
Play with its features like Exposure, White Balance, Smart lighting, Selective Tone, and more.
Pros
Perfect integration with the RAW Denoising function of Lightroom and Photoshop.
It uses advanced AI models to remove noise from picture.
Cons
It doesn't offer advanced editing tools like Masking for the exorbitant price it charges.
Very expensive for noise reduction.
3. Capture One
Capture One is good as you expect from premium noise reduction software. It comes loaded with a “single-pixel” slider targeted at hot pixels’ reduction. Plus, you can work with advanced filters for luminance or chromatic noise removal.
Some of its advanced features include importing Lr catalogs, editing RAW files, and many more. But note that it has a steep learning curve. Thus beginners might need some time to get used to its features.
Pros
Satisfactory color correction and chromatic noise removal tools.
Its features are easily customizable.
Edit RAW files.
Luminosity range, linear-gradient, radial-gradient masking.
Cons
Its premium packages are costly.
Interface is complicated for beginners.
4. Skylum Luminar
If you're a Mac user, Skylum Luminar is a handy choice to eliminate graininess from your photos. Using its “Denoise” filter, users can reduce the grains as much as possible. What’s best is you can decrease luminance and chromatic noise separately and adjust your photos' opacity.
In addition, it offers advanced editing features like auto-correction, face-recognizing, and geo-tagging. This tool has a Windows version, but that isn't as effective as the Mac version. However, compared to its competitors, Luminar has an easy-to-use interface.
Pros
AI-powered portrait enhancer and skin enhancer.
Users, the smart contrast filter to improve your image.
Its edits are responsive.
Cons
The Windows version isn't satisfactory.
Its editing speed is relatively slow.
It doesn't offer any advanced tools for the price it charges.
5. Noise Ninja
Noise Ninja is another powerful noise reduction software that has earned users’ praise for the last few years. It is essentially a photo editing program that provides many tools to adjust noisy photos.
You can use its Smoothing, Residual Noise, and Detail sliders to adjust graininess without any hassles. For reducing color noise, it has Strength and Defringe sliders. All the features are visible on its main interface, and even first-time users won't have much trouble navigating its functions.
However, Noise Ninja doesn’t provide any other editing features, which is a big deal-breaker for the price it demands.
Pros
It offers a simple procedure to minimize graininess.
It applies the effects in real-time and lets you preview it.
You can make precise changes.
Cons
It doesn't let you zoom the picture.
Limited functions.
6. Topaz Denoise
Not many programs can provide such precision to fix grainy photos as Topaz Denoise. The program analyzes your image, detects noise and grains, and recovers details automatically. In addition, it allows you to play with Color and Luminance sliders.
Similarly, users can perform advanced editing like removing demanding and restoring shadows and color casts. Users like the most the fantastic control over the noise reduction procedure. But you may need some time to master its interface.
Pros
Universal compatibility.
It lets you preview the effects in real-time.
You can apply the effects to specific areas.
Cons
Users may need to create presets across photos.
Less responsive when opening or hiding the side panels.
The editing process is relatively slow.
7. Topaz Labs Denoise AI
Topaz Labs Denoise AI is the last software on our list to fix photo noise. This tool is superior to normal programs because it removes grains from specific areas, not the whole photo.
Its traits like batch processing, easily customizable settings for batch or individual photos, and universal compatibility make it one of the best noise reduction software in the market.
Pros
Superior noise reduction.
It includes advanced noise reduction options for night photography and masking
Suitable for all skills levels.
It has a sleek interface.
Cons
Processing times are a bit slow, particularly on low-end PCs.
High graphic card requirements.
Conclusion
All photographers are susceptible to getting photo noise, irrespective of camera quality or skills. But with the afore-mentioned tools at disposal, one can reduce the noise to the minimum.
Choose the tool that meets your requirements – and budget. But as far as our recommendation goes, use Wondershare Repairit to get professional-grade results. It is cheaper, easy to use, and uses Advanced Repair model to remove noise and grains.
