Can Lightroom use third-party noise reduction directly on RAW files?
Asked 1/22/2018
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I’d like to use a different noise-reduction algorithm in Lightroom without creating an extra TIFF copy. My current workflow uses Nik Dfine 2 from Lightroom, but it sends the image out as a TIFF, which leaves me with both the original RAW and a processed TIFF. Are there any Lightroom plugins or third-party tools that can apply noise reduction directly to the RAW data inside Lightroom’s normal RAW-processing pipeline?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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It sounds like you want to use an alternate noise reduction algorithm integrated into Lightroom's RAW conversion, as an alternate for or addition to the built-in noise reduction.
I don't think there are any plugins that work that way. Everything I can find uses Lightroom's external editing functionality — which sends a processed TIFF or JPEG to the other application. (See for example the instructions for Topaz Labs.)
The program Photo Ninja, which can operate as either a stand-alone program or a RAW converter, apparently has some workarounds where it will match up previous settings to the linked file. That might be Good Enough for your workflow, depending on what you want.
The other good news is that Lightroom's internal noise reduction functionality is quite good. Make sure you master that first and are sure you'll benefit from an external piece of software.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Generally, no. Lightroom does not let third-party plugins replace or directly hook into its internal RAW-processing pipeline for noise reduction. Most external noise-reduction tools work through Lightroom’s external editor workflow, which means Lightroom renders the photo out to a TIFF or JPEG and the plugin edits that file instead of the original RAW.
So if your goal is to apply a different noise-reduction engine while staying entirely on the RAW file inside Lightroom, that usually isn’t possible.
Your practical options are:
- use Lightroom’s built-in noise reduction, which is generally quite capable
- use an external editor/plugin and accept a rendered TIFF/JPEG copy
- use a different RAW converter that includes the noise-reduction approach you prefer
Some third-party RAW converters may offer workflow workarounds, but that is outside Lightroom’s native RAW editing path.
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