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LR2 / High ISO D300 NEF Files / Improved ?

While only briefly perusing the new features in LR2 last night, I got the impression that it was rendering my NEF files in a much more pleasing way - I was never happy with Lightroom's rendition, but I THOUGHT I noticed improvement - especially in high ISO files..

Has anyone else gotten this impression or done any direct comparision?
 

Richard McNeil

New member
I have loaded LR2.0 and also downloaded the beta camera profiles. It looks like ACR 4.5 with the profiles has finally gotten the colors right. I am a Canon shooter by the way but I think that Nikon user have noticed the same thing.
 
Richard,

I am delighted to see camera standard color profiles for my Nikon equipment - I think its a wonderful start. Now I have the power to create my own profile - although I'm not sure when I'll get to it... Maybe the camera profiles will be enough...

The phenomenom I was seeing is related to the chroma noise in high iso images. In LR1 (now uninstalled), anything less than 100% magnification would display full chroma noise.

It seems like LR2 is applying noise reduction to the <100% magnifications... I'm not sure what was happening because after testing exports of the same image with LR1 and LR2, the output seems identical.

So, perhaps it was just a difference in the image processing workflow in LR2 that I noticed, I'm not sure after doing the exports.

It reminds me of a childhood memory. I recieved a new pair of tennis shoes when I was about 8 and I just knew I was finally going to be able to beat my older brother in a foot race with those new tennis shoes... ;)
 

John Sheehy

New member
It seems like LR2 is applying noise reduction to the <100% magnifications... I'm not sure what was happening because after testing exports of the same image with LR1 and LR2, the output seems identical.

Very simply, they have probably gone from using a very poor method of downsizing on screen, to a better one. Adobe downsizing on-screen has historically been *HORRENDOUS*, and has fed the myth that higher pixel density necessarily yields to more image noise.

I don't have LR, but I have CS2, and in CS2 it is very easy to demonstrate how poor the <100% zoom is. Make a canvas of 50% grey, about 400x400 pixels, and add 20% gaussian chromatic noise to it. Duplicate the canvas a few times, and zoom each one to a different amount, say 100%,50%, 25%, 13%, and you'll see (in CS2), the same visual noise in each. Now, duplicate the same amounts again, and this time, downsample with bicubic by the same amounts as the zooms you used, and then view all of these at 100% zoom. The ones downsampled the most should have the least amount of visible noise. When noise remains the same at the visual pixel level with downsizing, the method used is not only increasing apparent image noise, but is also severely aliasing the image as well (as CS2 also does).
 
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