New update for Lightroom Classic enables AI noise reduction

Thursday 20 April 2023, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 8,821 views | 12 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Adobe has released a new update for Lightroom Classic. The most notable new option is AI-powered noise reduction. At first glance, this update promises to make other software for smart noise reduction completely unnecessary.

A notification from LrC about the new features.
Until recently, you had to rely on third-party software for advanced noise reduction. The existing noise reduction options worked perfectly well in most cases. But they still fell far short of what was possible with smart noise reduction using machine learning techniques.

Reduce noise with AI. The result is saved as a separate DNG file.
The latest update to Lightroom Classic has finally made AI noise reduction available. The result is saved as a separate DNG file, leaving the original file untouched. Non-destructive editing is therefore maintained.

The results of my own first attempts look fantastic. It is easy to use, with just one slider. Details are preserved very well, and at first glance it seems to perform better than the competition.

A comparison of an edited photo taken at ISO 10,000. On the left without noise reduction, in the middle with manual noise reduction, and on the right with AI noise reduction. Pay particular attention to the preservation of details, such as the wrinkles on the forehead and the loose hairs and eyelashes.
Noise reduction is not the only change Adobe has introduced with the update. The masks have also been updated, and automatic detection for people can now recognise facial hair and clothing. You will also see these masks listed as an adaptive preset.

AI masking for people can now also recognise facial hair and clothing. This is available as an adaptive preset.
The adjustment options for masks now also include curves. Until now, this was only available in Camera Raw. You can now apply curves to every mask in Lightroom Classic as well.

Curves are now also available in a mask. Finally.
With this update, Adobe has made third-party noise reduction software almost unnecessary. However, there is one important limitation.

AI noise reduction currently only works with raw files. If you have a JPEG or TIFF file, AI noise reduction is not yet available. We will have to be patient a little longer for that.

Haven't installed the latest version of Lightroom Classic yet? Do it soon, because the features you get with it make it well worth doing.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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12 comments

Ellen Keizer wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 10:18 | reply
Thank you very much for the clear explanation. I immediately performed the update after reading it. Unfortunately, I get the message “denoise is currently not compatible with the format of this photo”. These are RAW files, taken with a Canon R6. How do I solve this?
Translated from Dutch.

wilmers wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 10:22 | reply
That is strange Ellen, we have exactly the same combo also an R6 and in both Photoshop and Lightroom the new function is fully available.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 10:27 | reply
@Ellen:
I just tried reducing noise with AI using the raw files (c-raw to be precise) from both the Canon EOS R6 and the EOS R6 Mark II. In both cases it works perfectly.
Why it doesn't work for you is the question. I don't (yet) have an answer to that.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 11:39 | reply
I have the same experience as Ellen. RAW files with the Sony @7MIV and also RAW in HDR.
Translated from Dutch.

rob vosse wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:01 | reply
This has been possible in Luminar Neo for a long time, but I hear and see very little about that, always Photoshop and or Lightroom!!
Translated from Dutch.

fotosvanrob wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:15 | reply
Using a RAW photo from my Canon R5, I made a comparison between Lightroom's new noise reduction and that of Topaz Denoise. For Topaz, I made a TIFF from LR and had Topaz work on the TIFF. I was able to draw two conclusions from this.
1. The noise reduction of the two results was comparable, but the Topaz photo was sharper
2. Lightroom took half an hour, while Topaz needed more than 5 minutes.
Translated from Dutch.

Frans Visser wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:17 | reply
Same here as Ellen. Strange is that I did have success on the first attempt, but with subsequent RAW photos I get the same message. (EOS R7).
Translated from Dutch.

Gerhard wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 12:40 | reply
RAW files taken with my Sony A7iv are processed and 'denoised' just fine in LrC. Very satisfied with the result.

Translated from Dutch.

Paul wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 13:38 | reply
It works perfectly with the raw files on both my EOS R5 and EOS R6 Mark II.
Translated from Dutch.

Cees wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 15:02 | reply
My experience with the new possibilities for noise reduction in Lightroom (Classic) is positive in terms of the results. However, what is a problem is that L.R. takes a very, very long time, even though I have a computer that is quite fast with the other operations in Lightroom.
Apparently, it is essential that your computer has a fast processor, but especially the graphics card seems to have a lot of influence on the "noise reduction" operation.
This is also the case when using Topaz Photo A.I. software, but that still takes much less time for me than Lightroom.
Translated from Dutch.

Ellen Keizer wrote on Tuesday 25 April 2023 at 15:26 | reply
It looks like I’ve discovered the problem: I always import my photos to store them on a NAS server. When I load the photos into LrC from this storage, noise reduction doesn’t work.
Just imported photos directly from the memory card into LrC, and noise reduction became active immediately.
Translated from Dutch.

Lotte wrote on Monday 29 May 2023 at 14:20 | reply
I’m trying to apply this to my photos, but every time Lightroom is busy improving the photo, an unknown error occurs. And the process is aborted. I have no idea what’s causing it. It does work on another computer / laptop, so it can’t be the photos.
Translated from Dutch.

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