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Adobe Lightroom Introduces AI Noise Reduction Feature
by Keenan Hursh
We’ve all been there. You’re out shooting in a very low light situation, and you find yourself having to bump your ISO up quite high to compensate for the lack of light. Maybe you’re shooting without a tripod or maybe there’s a lot of movement in your scene and a longer shutter speed simply isn’t an option. Regardless of the situation, too much noise in your image is sometimes an unavoidable issue.
Modern mirrorless cameras can achieve quite high ISOs without introducing too much noise but even then, it’s not uncommon to pull your images up on your computer monitor after a shoot only to see those pesky little dots all over the dark parts of a photograph. Luckily there are a few post-processing tricks you can employ to counteract this.
Noise reduction is anything but a new concept. Many photo editing platforms have included this feature in one form or another for quite some time now. Lightroom has had its classic “Noise Reduction” feature with sliders for adjusting the luminance, color, detail, and sharpness for as long as I can remember. This tool has served countless photographers quite well over the years, but in recent times the world of noise reduction software has undergone quite a dramatic transformation.
With the evolution and recent explosion of artificial intelligence across all industries and aspects of our digital world, noise reduction software has recently seen some incredibly powerful and transformative updates. We can now train software using deep learning algorithms to study a photograph and add information to get rid of digital noise. And this isn’t the only aspect of photography that’s being affected. With AI you can easily increase the resolution of your image, sharpen a blurry photo, and so much more. We are entering a new age of post-processing and photo editing thanks to these new advances in AI.
With that being said, Adobe Lightroom has recently taken the plunge, along with many others, and introduced their own AI noise reduction tool into Lightroom. So, let’s take a deeper look at this new update and see how Lightroom’s AI noise reduction compares to their original noise reduction tool, how it compares to competitors, what this means for those competitors, and if Adobe is simply too late to the game. Let’s get into it!
Modern mirrorless cameras can achieve quite high ISOs without introducing too much noise but even then, it’s not uncommon to pull your images up on your computer monitor after a shoot only to see those pesky little dots all over the dark parts of a photograph. Luckily there are a few post-processing tricks you can employ to counteract this.
Noise reduction is anything but a new concept. Many photo editing platforms have included this feature in one form or another for quite some time now. Lightroom has had its classic “Noise Reduction” feature with sliders for adjusting the luminance, color, detail, and sharpness for as long as I can remember. This tool has served countless photographers quite well over the years, but in recent times the world of noise reduction software has undergone quite a dramatic transformation.
With the evolution and recent explosion of artificial intelligence across all industries and aspects of our digital world, noise reduction software has recently seen some incredibly powerful and transformative updates. We can now train software using deep learning algorithms to study a photograph and add information to get rid of digital noise. And this isn’t the only aspect of photography that’s being affected. With AI you can easily increase the resolution of your image, sharpen a blurry photo, and so much more. We are entering a new age of post-processing and photo editing thanks to these new advances in AI.
With that being said, Adobe Lightroom has recently taken the plunge, along with many others, and introduced their own AI noise reduction tool into Lightroom. So, let’s take a deeper look at this new update and see how Lightroom’s AI noise reduction compares to their original noise reduction tool, how it compares to competitors, what this means for those competitors, and if Adobe is simply too late to the game. Let’s get into it!
How does Lightroom’s AI Noise Reduction Compare to its Classic Noise Reduction Tool?
To start off, Adobe’s new AI noise reduction tool is not replacing the original version. You now have both options available to you and are free to choose which one you’d like to use. But based on initial reviews, I think I’ll be opting for the new AI feature almost all the time, and here’s why:
One of the main differences is the actual workflow involved. With the old tool, you had to carefully adjust several sliders back and forth until you ultimately arrived at something that was passable. You would have to identify what type of noise you had and slowly work to correct it. With the new AI feature, you simply adjust one slider and the software does all the rest. You will also probably end up with a cleaner image, that has maintained its sharpness and brightness better than the original version. Less time and work invested, and better results sounds like a win to me.
Another noticeable difference is that whereas the original noise reduction feature is simply modifying your RAW file this new AI feature is actually creating a brand-new DNG file that sits next to your original image. This is the same thing that would occur if you were combining multiple exposures into an HDR image. You can still make all the same edits as a RAW file and maintain the same amount of information and flexibility, but this is worth noting. Adobe plans to eventually allow you to use the AI noise reduction tool on RAW files, but this isn’t available at the moment. You can also only apply this new tool to RAW files. Eventually, you will be able to apply AI noise reduction to DNGs but for now, you have to start out with a RAW image. Because of this workflow, it is recommended that you apply the AI noise reduction early on in your workflow and especially before applying any masks.
If their original noise reduction tool was a regular car, then this new AI-powered version is a self-driving Tesla. It’s much more advanced, produces great results, and requires substantially less input from the user.
To start off, Adobe’s new AI noise reduction tool is not replacing the original version. You now have both options available to you and are free to choose which one you’d like to use. But based on initial reviews, I think I’ll be opting for the new AI feature almost all the time, and here’s why:
One of the main differences is the actual workflow involved. With the old tool, you had to carefully adjust several sliders back and forth until you ultimately arrived at something that was passable. You would have to identify what type of noise you had and slowly work to correct it. With the new AI feature, you simply adjust one slider and the software does all the rest. You will also probably end up with a cleaner image, that has maintained its sharpness and brightness better than the original version. Less time and work invested, and better results sounds like a win to me.
Another noticeable difference is that whereas the original noise reduction feature is simply modifying your RAW file this new AI feature is actually creating a brand-new DNG file that sits next to your original image. This is the same thing that would occur if you were combining multiple exposures into an HDR image. You can still make all the same edits as a RAW file and maintain the same amount of information and flexibility, but this is worth noting. Adobe plans to eventually allow you to use the AI noise reduction tool on RAW files, but this isn’t available at the moment. You can also only apply this new tool to RAW files. Eventually, you will be able to apply AI noise reduction to DNGs but for now, you have to start out with a RAW image. Because of this workflow, it is recommended that you apply the AI noise reduction early on in your workflow and especially before applying any masks.
If their original noise reduction tool was a regular car, then this new AI-powered version is a self-driving Tesla. It’s much more advanced, produces great results, and requires substantially less input from the user.
How Does Lightroom’s AI Noise Reduction Compare to Competitors?
As I mentioned before, AI noise reduction is not a brand-new thing. Other companies such as Topaz, DxO, and ON1 have been implementing this technology for a while and some of them have even found much success in their Lightroom plugins. Let’s take a deeper look into how Adobe’s AI noise reduction compares to its competitors who have been in the space longer.
Probably the most recognizable name in the list of competitors, or at least the one I’ve seen the most, is Topaz DeNoise AI. For the sake of this article, we will primarily focus on this software for comparison. Topaz has been around for a while now and they are very experienced in implementing artificial intelligence in their software suite. They were one of the first companies to start implementing this technology and have made many updates and improvements since.
One of the key differences between Topaz and Lightroom is that you get much more fine-tuned control in Topaz. Whereas the new Lightroom tool only allows you to adjust one slider and only provides one AI model to work with, Topaz provides you with multiple AI models for slightly different outcomes and provides you with multiple sliders to fine-tune your results even more. You can also compare previews of multiple models at the same time to see which one will work best for the image you’re editing. Certain models will work better for different types of images, whereas Lightroom’s model is more of a jack of all trades.
When comparing final results these two tools are very similar. In many videos I’ve watched and articles I’ve read it seems that Topaz DeNoise AI has a slight edge over Lightroom and ultimately produces slightly sharper and higher-quality results. Of course, you have to put slightly more time and work into getting those results so it’s worth considering the tradeoffs. If you want a quick and easy solution then maybe Lightroom is better for you, if you want to really put the time in and get the absolute highest quality results by a thin margin then maybe Topaz is the way to go.
If you’re interested in seeing how the new Lightroom AI Noise Reduction compares to other competitors, a quick Google search will deliver tons of quality comparisons. For the sake of keeping this article short, I chose to focus on Topaz specifically.
As I mentioned before, AI noise reduction is not a brand-new thing. Other companies such as Topaz, DxO, and ON1 have been implementing this technology for a while and some of them have even found much success in their Lightroom plugins. Let’s take a deeper look into how Adobe’s AI noise reduction compares to its competitors who have been in the space longer.
Probably the most recognizable name in the list of competitors, or at least the one I’ve seen the most, is Topaz DeNoise AI. For the sake of this article, we will primarily focus on this software for comparison. Topaz has been around for a while now and they are very experienced in implementing artificial intelligence in their software suite. They were one of the first companies to start implementing this technology and have made many updates and improvements since.
One of the key differences between Topaz and Lightroom is that you get much more fine-tuned control in Topaz. Whereas the new Lightroom tool only allows you to adjust one slider and only provides one AI model to work with, Topaz provides you with multiple AI models for slightly different outcomes and provides you with multiple sliders to fine-tune your results even more. You can also compare previews of multiple models at the same time to see which one will work best for the image you’re editing. Certain models will work better for different types of images, whereas Lightroom’s model is more of a jack of all trades.
When comparing final results these two tools are very similar. In many videos I’ve watched and articles I’ve read it seems that Topaz DeNoise AI has a slight edge over Lightroom and ultimately produces slightly sharper and higher-quality results. Of course, you have to put slightly more time and work into getting those results so it’s worth considering the tradeoffs. If you want a quick and easy solution then maybe Lightroom is better for you, if you want to really put the time in and get the absolute highest quality results by a thin margin then maybe Topaz is the way to go.
If you’re interested in seeing how the new Lightroom AI Noise Reduction compares to other competitors, a quick Google search will deliver tons of quality comparisons. For the sake of keeping this article short, I chose to focus on Topaz specifically.
What Does This Mean for Adobe’s Competitors?
So, now that Adobe has released its own version of this powerful software, what does this mean for Topaz and other key competitors in the space? Especially competitors whose lightroom plugins have largely contributed to their success. Let’s take a look.
To start, many people are concerned that Adobe is now creating a monopoly in this space. Why would you spend extra money on a third-party plugin when you can get pretty darn good results in the application you’re already using? Perhaps Adobe’s new AI noise reduction feature will make any plugins redundant and therefore obsolete. Of course, people will still continue to use Topaz, DxO, ON1, and other plugins but their revenue and usage will likely see a drastic reduction.
That being said, these competitors don’t just produce Lightroom plugins. They all have their own proprietary stand-alone programs that many users prefer to Adobe offerings. Many of these programs offer unique features, different user interfaces, and a different experience altogether. The sales and usage of these stand-alone platforms will likely not change much at all.
Still, Adobe is an absolute juggernaut in the world of photo editing and post-processing and the introduction of this brand-new AI Noise Reduction tool is helping them seep into more corners of the market and they will absolutely steal business from competitors. Only time will tell us how much of an impact this release is going to have on the market.
So, now that Adobe has released its own version of this powerful software, what does this mean for Topaz and other key competitors in the space? Especially competitors whose lightroom plugins have largely contributed to their success. Let’s take a look.
To start, many people are concerned that Adobe is now creating a monopoly in this space. Why would you spend extra money on a third-party plugin when you can get pretty darn good results in the application you’re already using? Perhaps Adobe’s new AI noise reduction feature will make any plugins redundant and therefore obsolete. Of course, people will still continue to use Topaz, DxO, ON1, and other plugins but their revenue and usage will likely see a drastic reduction.
That being said, these competitors don’t just produce Lightroom plugins. They all have their own proprietary stand-alone programs that many users prefer to Adobe offerings. Many of these programs offer unique features, different user interfaces, and a different experience altogether. The sales and usage of these stand-alone platforms will likely not change much at all.
Still, Adobe is an absolute juggernaut in the world of photo editing and post-processing and the introduction of this brand-new AI Noise Reduction tool is helping them seep into more corners of the market and they will absolutely steal business from competitors. Only time will tell us how much of an impact this release is going to have on the market.
Is Adobe Too Late to the Game?
Another perspective that is frequently brought up is that perhaps Adobe is entering this game slightly too late. As I mentioned before, Topaz and other competitors have been using AI-assisted photo editing tools for years. Have they already proven the effectiveness of their platforms and secured customers?
It’s difficult to predict how this will play out. If someone has already paid for a competitor’s product whether it’s a plugin or not they will likely continue to use it. If someone is new to photo editing or recently purchased an Adobe subscription, I doubt they would want to spend an extra couple hundred dollars for something marginally better than what they already have.
It’s also worth noting that Adobe’s first iteration of AI-assisted noise reduction performs very similarly to later-generation offerings from its competitors. Perhaps, after a year or two the Adobe offering will add new features, more fine-tuned controls, and perhaps outperform all competitors.
At the end of the day, I don’t think Adobe is necessarily too late to the game. Of course, they would have secured a larger majority of the market if they had released this tool 2-3 years ago but with how many Lightroom users there already are and considering how this new tool is seamlessly included in their platform I think Adobe will be just fine, to say the least.
Another perspective that is frequently brought up is that perhaps Adobe is entering this game slightly too late. As I mentioned before, Topaz and other competitors have been using AI-assisted photo editing tools for years. Have they already proven the effectiveness of their platforms and secured customers?
It’s difficult to predict how this will play out. If someone has already paid for a competitor’s product whether it’s a plugin or not they will likely continue to use it. If someone is new to photo editing or recently purchased an Adobe subscription, I doubt they would want to spend an extra couple hundred dollars for something marginally better than what they already have.
It’s also worth noting that Adobe’s first iteration of AI-assisted noise reduction performs very similarly to later-generation offerings from its competitors. Perhaps, after a year or two the Adobe offering will add new features, more fine-tuned controls, and perhaps outperform all competitors.
At the end of the day, I don’t think Adobe is necessarily too late to the game. Of course, they would have secured a larger majority of the market if they had released this tool 2-3 years ago but with how many Lightroom users there already are and considering how this new tool is seamlessly included in their platform I think Adobe will be just fine, to say the least.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, this is a big deal, and the introduction of Adobe’s new AI noise reduction software will make a huge splash in the industry. This simple and easy-to-use tool is exceptionally more powerful and better than their traditional noise reduction method and it stacks up very well against all competitors. If you’re already a Lightroom user, then you’ve just been gifted a powerful new tool to add to your arsenal. If you use Topaz or any other stand-alone competitor products, then you’re probably just fine to keep using those as they all compare quite well. If you’re using a third-party plugin within Lightroom then you now have multiple options at your disposal.
In my opinion, it’s about time Adobe introduced an AI-assisted noise reduction feature to Lightroom and I’d say it works exceptionally well off the bat. I’m excited to see how this all plays out and to see how Adobe updates and modifies this tool moving forward.
To wrap things up, this is a big deal, and the introduction of Adobe’s new AI noise reduction software will make a huge splash in the industry. This simple and easy-to-use tool is exceptionally more powerful and better than their traditional noise reduction method and it stacks up very well against all competitors. If you’re already a Lightroom user, then you’ve just been gifted a powerful new tool to add to your arsenal. If you use Topaz or any other stand-alone competitor products, then you’re probably just fine to keep using those as they all compare quite well. If you’re using a third-party plugin within Lightroom then you now have multiple options at your disposal.
In my opinion, it’s about time Adobe introduced an AI-assisted noise reduction feature to Lightroom and I’d say it works exceptionally well off the bat. I’m excited to see how this all plays out and to see how Adobe updates and modifies this tool moving forward.
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AUTHOR
Keenan Hursh is a Photographer, visual designer, and creative story teller based out of Bozeman, Montana. He draws inspiration from his frequent excursions into the natural world and always brings his camera along to capture whatever adventures he finds himself in. Keenan is passionate about documenting and sharing fleeting moments from the natural world and focuses primarily on wildlife, landscape, and adventure photography.
When it comes to gear, he primarily shoots digital with his Canon EOS R5 and EOS 6D mark ii but also has several 35mm film cameras that get out every now and then.
At a very young age, Keenan started bringing a camera along on his excursions and immediately fell in love with the art of photography. He started out with his parent’s cheap point and shoot and has continuously improved his craft and gear refining his shooting style and producing more compelling and intriguing images.
Growing up in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, surrounded by mountains and wilderness, Keenan has developed a deep passion for many outdoor activities. When he’s not out on a shoot or using his camera, Keenan enjoys skiing, climbing, hiking, backpacking, cycling, whitewater rafting, and paragliding. If he’s outside, away from the distractions of society and civilization, he’s in his happy place.
Keenan studied Emergent Digital Practices at the University of Denver while minoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Since earning his degree in 2019 he was worked with a wide range of clients, companies, and organizations throughout his career. Apart from photography he specializes in content creation, writing, brand development, and graphic design.
You can view Keenan’s portfolio on his website at www.keenanhurshmedia.com
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