Why do RAW files look noisier and brighter in darktable than in other programs?
Asked 8/25/2015
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2 answers
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When I open my RAW files in darktable, they look noticeably noisier and a bit brighter than the same files in other software like digiKam or Corel AfterShot. In lighttable they may look different from darkroom, and enabling lens correction seems to brighten the image further, which makes the noise more visible. I’m using darktable’s default settings. Why does this happen, and how can I reduce the noise?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
13
Michael is right. More precisely:
The RAW image contains two images: the embedded JPEG preview, which has your camera's processing applied including noise reduction, and the RAW data. When you open your image with an image viewer, you usually see the JPEG preview. In darktable, by default, you will see the JPEG preview in lighttable mode before you start editing the image. In darkroom mode, you will see the result of darktable processing the image, which by default does not do noise reduction. After editing in darkroom mode, the thumbnails in lighttable mode are computed by processing the RAW image.
Activating "denoise (profiled)" is the simplest way to reduce noise. Basically, you trust darkable to apply the right amount of denoising based on your camera and ISO setting (if your camera is supported). There are many other ways to denoise a picture in darktable. Read the manual about the correction group for details.
You can make the denoise module a preset if you want darktable to automatically apply it to all images you open.
Originally by user40449. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user40449
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is normal behavior for RAW files. A RAW file usually contains the sensor data plus an embedded JPEG preview. Many viewers show that preview, which already has in-camera processing such as noise reduction, contrast, white balance, and exposure adjustments applied.
darktable’s darkroom view typically shows its own rendering of the RAW data instead of the embedded JPEG. By default, that rendering may have little or no noise reduction, so the image can look noisier than it does in other programs. If darktable’s rendering is also brighter, that can make the noise easier to see. Lens correction can brighten edges or parts of the frame as well, which can reveal more noise there.
To reduce the noise, enable darktable’s denoising—"denoise (profiled)" is the usual starting point. In short: the difference is mostly due to different default processing, not because darktable is damaging the files.
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