Topaz Labs has just released DeNoise 4, another noise reduction plug-in for Adobe Photoshop.
I downloaded the free trial version and gave it a thorough once-over and thought I'd share my findings with you.
I've created three files using Adobe Lightroom 2.7 and exported to Photoshop CS4.
Each image is a 100% crop and gives you a fair look at how well things compare. The original image is a RAW file from a Canon EOS 50D, taken in low light at ISO 400 and underexposed by about 1.5 stops. This is a good sample for reviewing how well you can reduce noise and still maintain detail in a high resolution camera.
Keep in mind, I didn't do a full blown scientific analysis and make dozens of test prints to compare this software to the others. My main goal was to see if it was even in the ballpark and something worth considering.
The first file is a Lightroom Export of the original with no sharpening or noise reduction applied. The Second file is a Lightroom export using Noise Ninja at default settings with no tweaking and the third file is Topaz DeNoise 4 using default settings.
Lightroom, No NR.
Noise Ninja = Default
Topaz DeNoise 4 = Default
Okay, this isn't obviously conclusive, but you can see that both Noise Ninja and Topaz DeNoise 4 do a pretty good job of stripping excessive noise from the image and still keeping some detail. I also didn't just leave everything at defaults to make my judgments. I did lots of tweaking to get a feel for effectiveness and quality of the final results and I believe I gave it a good test flight.
Either plug-in is an improvement over Lightroom and/or Photoshop's built in noise reduction. You can find the software at these links.
Noise Ninja: $ $79.95 (Pro Bundle)
Topaz Labs DeNoise 4: $79.99 (US)
My verdict on Topaz DeNoise 4 is this...
While I think that Topaz DeNoise can do a good job, what I don't like about it compared to Noise Ninja is that it has less adjustment capacity and I noticed a tendency for it to do some strange blurring in darker shadow areas. Midrange and Highlight noise reduction seems to be very effective and it is very good with removing luminance noise from the image. I also noticed a greater tendency for Topaz DeNoise 4 to create artifacts. The interface with photoshop is a little more clunky too. It takes longer to process an image using Topaz DeNoise 4 then it does with Noise Ninja. I discovered it's best used with a light foot so to speak, as it is very easy to over-do it if you aren't paying close attention.
I recommend you download the free 30day trial and test it for yourself. Your mileage may vary but I'll be sticking with Noise Ninja for now. With both costing roughly the same, Noise Ninja is a better choice in my opinion.
Don't forget to take the lens cap off.