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Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise

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Offline MM

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Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« on: 02 / September / 2009, 08:28:10 »
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Hi everyone,

some month ago I made my first steps with CHDK trying to get some nice HDR-images using my IXUS 70. Although I have a fast SD-card (Sandisk Ultra II) it took to long shooting in RAW (5-6 seconds between each shot with simple bracketing funktion) for the later HDR-images always were not very sharp (because of moition of the object). Shooting in JPG-format was fast enough to get sharp HDR-images, but it also produced to much noise. I was glad when I found a program that is able to reduce noise by comparing (or merging?) 2 or more JPGs. So I made a series with 5 Ev-steps and 2 JPGs for every Ev-step, and creating the HDR-image from these "denoised" JPGs then produced very good results (at least from my point of view  ;)). And now the big problem: I just can't remember the name of that program I used to "denoise" the JPGs. Although I'm quite sure I read it somewhere here in this forum I can't find it anymore - although I used the "search" for hours  :(. Does anybody know this (very "small" and freeware) program? Many, many thanks in advance...

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Offline fbonomi

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Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #1 on: 02 / September / 2009, 08:57:23 »
registax ?

Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #2 on: 02 / September / 2009, 08:57:32 »
A bunch tested and listed here:
http://www.michaelalmond.com/Articles/noise_print.html
You may be thinking of PictureCooler which gets fairly good recommendations for a free program (PC only though).
There is also the GREYCstoration or G'MIC plugins for GIMP.

Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #3 on: 02 / September / 2009, 09:01:19 »
A bunch tested and listed here:
http://www.michaelalmond.com/Articles/noise_print.html
You may be thinking of PictureCooler which gets fairly good recommendations for a free program (PC only though).
There is also the GREYCstoration or G'MIC plugins for GIMP.

These are for single picture noise removal.  As fbonomi pointed out, registax is pretty good for combining multiple images for denoising.

Thinking of this idea, perhaps I should add the option of multiple shots per step to my HDR script...


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Offline MM

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Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #4 on: 02 / September / 2009, 16:05:28 »
Many thanks for your answers, fbonomi and barberofcivil. I had a look on "registax" but the usage seems to be a little bit tricky. Now I found a program called "image stacker" that is very easy to use (maybe that's the reason why it's not for free :() The thing this program does is called "averaging" or so.
I don't know your HDR-script, barberofcivil, but I think it can be very helpful to have the option of multiple shots per step. I just tried some scripts from the german CHDK-Forum (http://www.wirklemms.de/chdk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=171) but these scripts work a little bit slow because - for example - the camera focus before each shot (As I pointed out above, my problem with HDR is the moition of objekts - for example moving clouds at the sky).
For I surely have no skills for writing scripts by myself, I'd be glad if someone is able (and interested) to write a very fast working HDR-script with the option of 2 or 3 shots per step.

P.S.: And I just want to say "Thank you" to all the people who make this whole "CHDK-thing" possible  :) !

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Offline fbonomi

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Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #5 on: 02 / September / 2009, 16:08:04 »
Yes Image Stacker from tawbaware is the one I use too.

maybe you were thinking about Enfuse?

otherwise, see here: http://alternativeto.net/desktop/tufuse/
« Last Edit: 02 / September / 2009, 16:10:15 by fbonomi »

Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #6 on: 02 / September / 2009, 17:01:11 »
I don't know your HDR-script, barberofcivil, but I think it can be very helpful to have the option of multiple shots per step.

http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,4128.0.html
I will perhaps add this option then and update the script in the next couple of days.

Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #7 on: 03 / September / 2009, 02:33:53 »
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Stacking_Software This list may be quite helpful for you MM.

Picolay - as found on that list - works well, and is nice and small.


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Offline MM

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Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #8 on: 03 / September / 2009, 08:30:38 »
To fbonomi:
Although "Enfuse" is not the program I had in mind, it looks very interesting. I'll keep that in mind for "further creative projects"!

To gremmy:
Thanks for the link to Picolay - I will test it...

To barberofcivil:
The people from the german CHDK-forum gave me a link to this "HDR-Script": http://www.wirklemms.de/chdk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4695#4695. I've tested it and it works quite fast if you shoot in JPG and with fixed focus (You can fix the focus manually before the shooting). Maybe you want to have a look on this to implement it in your script?

To all:
Thanks again for all your help - perhaps weather and job now allow me to take some good HDR-images within the next days  ;)

Greetings from Bottrop (Germany) - MM

Re: Program for comparing (or merging?) JPGs to reduce noise
« Reply #9 on: 03 / September / 2009, 09:06:57 »
To barberofcivil:
The people from the german CHDK-forum gave me a link to this "HDR-Script": http://www.wirklemms.de/chdk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4695#4695. I've tested it and it works quite fast if you shoot in JPG and with fixed focus (You can fix the focus manually before the shooting). Maybe you want to have a look on this to implement it in your script?

You can preset the focus on my script, or have it prefocus itself on the first shot and lock it in.
The big advantage in the way I set mine up is that you can set the bottom and top exposure levels 'live'.
- Start the script (best in manual mode, but Tv will work too).
- From the adjust menu, select the start exposure, the script will pause and you can close the <alt> menu and manually adjust your shutter speed unitl you see the exposure level you want to start with, then restart the <alt> menu.  When a button is pressed to resume the script, it reads the selected shutter speed and sets the start exposure to it.  You can then do the same with the end exposure.
- You can then set how many shots or steps you want to iterate through from start to end


This takes some of the guesswork out of determining the appropriate exposure range and step values.  Once, the shootiong has started, it should be as fast as the one you linked (unless prefocus and manual focus is off).

 

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