The next-generation noise reduction tools in Topaz DeNoise are not only extremely powerful, but they're also quite easy to use. Read on to find out more about this noise removal plugin that works with a wide variety of photo editing applications, including Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.
Topaz DeNoise v2.2
Three of the most common technical problems you’ll see in digital photographs are exposure errors where the image appears too dark or too bright, excessive amounts of noise, and unplanned blurred objects in the image. These last two issues are usually the worst since most major photo editing applications can easily correct brightness issues, but it’s at the expense of introducing more noise and blurriness to the image.
Topaz DeNoise is a noise reduction plugin developed by Topaz Labs that works with several major photo editing applications, including Adobe Photoshop and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate. To start out with a rough test of the plugin, I looked for one of the noisiest photos I had. I found this one shown below which has a great deal of visible noise in addition to a lot of other problems. (Click any image for a larger view.)
Now, I knew that Topaz DeNoise wouldn’t be able to fix all the issues with this photo, but I did want to see how it would handle the noise. Just applying the basic filter (one click), gave me this modified image.
Again, there’s still a lot of work to be done on this photo, but I was pretty impressed with the initial results of the plugin. Now, let’s take a look at the product’s other features.
Setup and Installation
Rating 
The download file for Topaz DeNoise includes an installation wizard so the application is easy to setup and install. Depending on which photo editing program you’re using, you may have to perform an additional step or two in order for the software to recognize the plugin. For instance, if you’re using Paint Shop Pro, you’ll need to make sure the Topaz DeNoise directory has been added to the list of plugin locations.
No reboot of the computer is required, but you may need to shut down and restart the software application before you’re able to access the plugin, depending on which program you have.
User Interface
Rating
Just as with Topaz Adjust and other plugins from Topaz Labs, the interface of Topaz DeNoise is very simple and incredibly easy to use and understand. When you first open the plugin, you’ll be met with the software’s initial recommendations for noise reduction settings and be able to see a preview of how those results would change the image. Many times, you’ll be able to stop right here without making any further adjustments.
If you do need to make some additional changes, all you have to do is navigate through each tab and adjust the slider for any attribute you want to modify. If you’re new to the plugin, and want a bit more information about what each slider does, you can put a check in the box next to Enable popup help. With this option chosen, a small popup balloon will appear each time you mouse over a slider, giving you more information about that setting’s function.
Next: Continue on to the next page of this review to find out more about the features, user support, and price to value of Topaz DeNoise.