Noiseware: Reduces file too much?

[jpeka65844]

I'm noticing after I run my pics through Noiseware, that it greatly affects their size (going from 1+ MB to 600-700 KB). Will this affect the quality of my print when I go to blow it up?

I'm doing some things in Shutterfly and want to make sure my filtered pictures look good! THANKS!

 

[ukcatfan]

Noise removal is basically a type of blurring. Images become more compressible when blurred. If it was a non-compressed format, you would not likely see the size drop. Basically, what you are seeing is normal. I personally stay in TIFF until the very last step in my post processing.

Kevin

 

[Miss Kelly]

Are you using the Free version of Noiseware? If so, that's your problem. I read somewhere that it reduces your dpi to 72? I hope I have that correct. I have the Professional version (plugin) of Noiseware and it is excellent. With a discount code, it was only about $55. Money well spent imho.

 

[ukcatfan]

Are you using the Free version of Noiseware? If so, that's your problem. I read somewhere that it reduces your dpi to 72? I hope I have that correct. I have the Professional version (plugin) of Noiseware and it is excellent. With a discount code, it was only about $55. Money well spent imho.

Changing the DPI does nothing to the file size and amount of data it contains. It basically tells the computer how to interpret the image resolution into physical size. It would lose data if say it reduces the image size from 3000x2000 to 1500x1000. That software does not do that. Any noise reduction software should reduce the actual data size on a JPG due to compression.

Think of it with this example:

Image A:

1111111111
1111111111
1111111111
1111111111

The compression says: four rows of 1 ten times
This is easily compressed and takes up little data size. This is what noise reduction does to data size because it makes the image more like this.

Image B:

1234567890
0123456789
9012345678
8901234567

On this example, there is no compression because nothing repeats. This is an image with much detail even though that detail might be noise.

Kevin

 

[Anewman]

When you open a jpeg and then resave it as a jpeg, the image gets compressed again(which is not a good thing) with or without noise reduction.

If you are using the stand alone version this is pretty much unavoidable(unless it opens RAW or tiff files), if you are using the photoshop plug-in you should not resave as jpegs.

 

[KrazyPete]

Changing the DPI does nothing to the file size and amount of data it contains. It basically tells the computer how to interpret the image resolution into physical size. It would lose data if say it reduces the image size from 3000x2000 to 1500x1000. That software does not do that.

I would guess that she meant that it reduces the DPI while maintaining the printable size. A 4x6in image at 72dpi is indeed a great deal smaller than a 4x6in image at 300dpi.

That would be a strange thing for a trail version of noise removal software to do. I don't know you would judge the result.

 

[ukcatfan]

I would guess that she meant that it reduces the DPI while maintaining the printable size. A 4x6in image at 72dpi is indeed a great deal smaller than a 4x6in image at 300dpi.

That would be a strange thing for a trail version of noise removal software to do. I don't know you would judge the result.

It might change the DPI setting to 72, but it would not do anything to the physical dimensions. Actually, I believe that some camera files are 72 DPI to begin with. A 4x6 at 72 DPI would probably only be a ~50k file size.

Kevin

 

[Amy]

Denice - all this talk about compression and dpi is confusing me! (I'm a total amateur, so all this technical stuff goes right over my head; I always need to stop and think if a kb is larger or smalle than a mb! )

Anyway, my advice in non-technical terms: I use Noiseware often, and I just had some of my Dec. WDW photos printed at Shutterfly. I had 5x7's and 8x10's made of my night castle shots, and they came out really nice. I "upgraded" from the free version of Noiseware to the $29.95 standard stand-alone version (not the Photoshop plug-in); I wasn't aware that the free version reduced the file size more than the paid-for version.

Anyway, I checked the file size of this shot on Shutterfly - I ran it thru Noiseware before uploading to Shutterfly (note that what is posted here is from Photobucket):

I use a Canon S3 IS, set to superfine. The file size shown on Shutterfly was 1310kb, 2112 x 2816. According to Shutterfly, I can print it to 20x30 if I wanted to!

Here's what Shutterfly says about resolution and printing:

When you order pictures, you may get a "not recommended" message. This means that the resolution of your picture is too low for the size of print you want. We recommend comparing the resolution of your pictures to our resolution guidelines. Using these resolutions as a guide will help you print the best pictures possible.

(Please note that our recommendations are based ONLY on the overall resolution of your picture, and not on the overall quality or clarity of the original picture. We are not and cannot be responsible for the original picture being blurry or out-of-focus, even if there is sufficient resolution to be 'recommended'.)

Pictures that fall below our recommended resolution guidelines may look okay when viewed online, but will appear blurry and pixilated — that is, the image will appear in blocks, with jagged rather than straight edges — when enlarged and printed.

To check the resolution of your pictures once you have transferred them to Shutterfly, go to the View page and click on the thumbnail image; you will then see a larger version of the picture, with recommended print sizes. Click on the 'picture info' link. Among the information displayed you will find the resolution. Click on the picture information box again to close the box.

Our resolution recommendations are as follows:

Image Resolution | Maximum print size
less than 640 x 480 | Only wallet-size prints recommended
640 x 480 | Absolute minimum resolution for 4x6(results will vary)
1024 x 768 | Minimum recommended resolution for 4x6
1152 x 864 | Minimum recommended resolution for 5x7
1600 x 1200 | Minimum recommended resolution for 8x10 or larger

For large-format prints (11x14, 16x20, and 20x30), our recommendations are similar to those for an 8x10, although you may wish to help ensure the best possible print by using an image that is 3 megapixels or larger.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I "upgraded" from the free version of Noiseware to the $29.95 standard stand-alone version (not the Photoshop plug-in); I wasn't aware that the free version reduced the file size more than the paid-for version.

With saving any JPEG (regardless of the program saving it) the amount of JPEG compression can (usually) be controlled from "very little" compression to "a lot" of compression. The more compression used, the smaller the resultant image file will be but the more fine detail will be lost and vice-versa.

For example, I mostly use the Open Source GIMP 2.0 for my image editing, here's a clip from the GIMP Help describing JPEG saving: 'When you save a file in JPEG format, you get a dialog that allows you to set the Quality level, which ranges from 1 to 100. Values above 95 are generally not useful, though. The default quality of 85 usually produces excellent results, but in many cases it is possible to set the quality substantially lower without noticably degrading the image. You can test the effect of different quality settings by checking "Show Preview in image window" in the JPEG dialog."

The problem with the Trial version of Noiseware is that the compression setting is 'hard coded' and a little smaller (more compression) than some people would like. In the 'paid-for' versions, you can set the output compression yourself.