Spectacular ISO 12800 Results with Adobe Camera Raw AI Denoise
Related: Adobe, Adobe Camera Raw, Adobe Camera Raw AI Denoise, Artificial Intelligence, Jason W, noise
See the previous post with discussion and examples.
This post shows a crop with fine detail, background blur, an overall graying effect from ISO 12800 noise, etc.
ACR AI Denoise addresses multiple image quality details, some less than obvious:
- Contrast is hugely improved in dark areas; the noise level is effectively subtracted.
- Chroma noise is eliminated.
- Fine details are preserved even as all types of noise are minimized.
- Noise reduction is good enough to allow extra sharpening which accentuates in-focus details.
View at full resolution to appreciate the incredible image quality improvement. Here at ISO 12800 the results after AI Denoise are incredibly good. This massively extends the quality ISO range of any camera!
STD = no noise reduction, CNR8 = chroma noise reduction = 8, AID_50 = AI Denoise @ 50
Sony A1 + Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS @ 441mm
RAW: Enhance Details, LACA corrected, AI Denoise 50, SmartSharpen{45,0.8,0,0}
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Can you believe this is ISO 12800!? Check it out at full resolution.
Sony A1 + Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS @ 441mm
RAW: Enhance Details, LACA corrected, AI Denoise 50s, SmartSharpen{40,0.8,0,0}
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I tried an older image shot with the Leica M240. This night shot at ISO 200 suffers from coarse chunky noise as well as horizontal streaking. Both are largely eliminated, as are certain other smaller defects, with edges and sharpness enhanced, and stars much improved.
LEICA M (Typ 240) + Summilux-M 1:1.4/28 ASPH @ 28mm RAW: Enhance Details
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Jason W writes:
So, this is the biggest leap in photography technology in years, no?
Next step would be getting it streamlined and fast enough to replace the regular NR sliders? I don't know it should be in-camera. I think RAW files should still be un-modified with RAW data.
I think there's also some low ISO relevant questions here. Like, does the Fujifilm GFX100S now actually possess any SNR advantage over the Sony A7R V? Can you make the GFX encroach on the IQ150 quality? I'm discounting lenses, but this seems like a win for smaller chips.
DIGLLOYD: it's not of any particular use when shooting at base ISO 99% of the time as I do, barring underexposure and night shooting. But lots of people do shoot at high ISO, and for such users I’d agree that it’s a very nice development. And of course it might expand the viable handheld range considerably.
The GFX100S has no significant (if any) resolution advantage over the Sony A7R V—and now its 2/3 large sensor area might cease to have any meaningful advantage as well. But to be sure, I’ll have to see how it does at ISO 100 in real-world situations. My hunch is that it's game over for medium format advantage.
Also highly relevant to JPEG shooters as it is roughly like shooting 3 or 4 stops lower ISO, indeed a huge leap forward. There is no reason that both a real RAW and a denoised RAW could not be stored by the camera. Few if any cameras have anywhere near the required processing power for doing that kind of processsing, but given the advantages, that might change, as it would be a compelling quality advantage.
On my 2019 Mac Pro with 28-core CPU and AMD Radeon Pro Vega II 32 GB, it takes about 15 seconds for a 50MP Sony A1 raw file, vs ~1 second without AI Denoise. Slooooooooow.
A streamlined workflow matters a lot, even if slow—vastly preferable to the make-work housekeeping headache of huge denoised raw files, demanding my time and attention—a major irritant vs using my time for other tasks while it gets the job done automatically. And a few more years as GPUs get faster it will matter less and less.
