http://www.neatimage.com
Reviewed November, 2006
What’s it do?
Neat Image is a filter designed to reduce visible noise and grain in
photographic images produced by digital cameras and scanners, particularly
in low-light (indoors, night, astro) and high-speed (sport, action)
photography.
Does it Do What It Promises?
Reviewer 1: Compared to many programs that try to do all things for
all people, often with mediocre results, Neat Image concentrates on a
limited area of digital enhancement and does it extremely well. It
concentrates on noise reduction and sharpening of digital images with
excellent results.
Reviewer 2: Yes. The program claims that it is “a filter
designed to reduce visible noise and grain [those tiny speckles in your
digital images or sometimes small variations in the color or brightness
especially in large empty areas such as skies] in photographic images
produced by digital cameras and scanners.” It also claims that it
“provides the most accurate noise reduction currently available.” Several
of my friends are professional photographers (one for National Geographic)
and they tell me that more professional photographers use Neat Image than
any other noise-filtering program.
Reviewer 3: An unqualified "Yes." The Neat Image motto is "To make
images look better", and it does. There are times and places where it does
not, either because the image is already as good as it will get, or
because you may want, for artistic or other reasons, to leave it the way
it is. But, there are many times and cases when you will find yourself
"reaching for" Neat Image to improve the quality of a photo or other image
before uploading it somewhere, printing it out, putting it into a
slide-show or album, or burning the final copy on a CD or DVD. This is a
program that cleans up "digital noise": -- Enlarged pixels or extra
bits of digital data scattered throughout a photo. Often a result of
enlarging a photo with relatively few pixels to begin with. (ref:
http://www.sjmclib.umn.edu/viscomm/glossary) The Neat Image Web
site will give you a good visual idea, under the heading “Examples”. In
other words, digital noise makes photos look "grainy". Neat Image
specializes in fixing this all-to-common result of our efforts in taking
photos. Pictures that were practically useless were made quite presentable
with a few simple steps. If this were all that Neat Image could do, it
would be worth the price. However, it is a much more sophisticated
program, for it can deal with a very wide range of "Image Devices"
including digital camera, flatbed scanner, slide scanner, microfilm
scanner, astronomy CCD camera, Video Capturing Device, and "other". Within
the category of Digital Camera, when you "Import" an image to work with it
in Neat Image, the camera is identified, along with details of the
properties of the particular image (photo) that you are going to work
with. These properties (which you can usually see in imaging programs,
called the EXIF information) are used by Neat Image to determine the exact
formula that it will use to try to clean up as much of the digital noise
as possible. You can go through the process letting Neat Image do
everything automatically. But at each step, a small window shows what all
the defaults are that the program is using so that you can control any of
the individual elements that together produce the final outcome. This is
almost like being in the darkroom, processing actual film. In the
darkroom, you control all the elements that will produce your final photo
(or image) -- here too, you can control the elements that lead to your
final result. In automatic mode, Neat Image can be easily used by a
novice. But with all the controls built into the program, the professional
can manipulate it in many ways to produce a wide range of results.
Was It Easy To Install?
Reviewer 1: Installation was fast and easy. The version we are
reviewing can be installed as a standalone version or as a filter plug in
within Adobe Photoshop. I installed and used it both ways.
Reviewer 2: Yes. The download is a tiny 2.8MB (sans plug in) that
installs quickly and easily using a standard installation wizard allowing
the choice of the directory or file for installation, as well as multiple
choices as to placement of icons and shortcuts. A very nice touch is the
introduction page that appears during the installation
Reviewer 3: Yes. It was straightforward and very quick (less than
one minute on my computer). You can choose where you want it to be
installed and there are check boxes for all the shortcuts it proposes,
including exactly where it will go in your Start Menu. The EULA is quite
standard, one license per computer. A “Read me” file describing the
program comes up during the installation. Registration was simple, using
cut and paste. The program can be launched immediately without need to
reboot. The opening screen explains that Neat Image can be run in Standard
or Advanced Mode. The program will start in Standard Mode, but this can be
changed under the Tools Menu.
Good Points.
Reviewer 1: The User Guide is written clearly and in a
well-organized fashion. It gives a nice overview of what the program does
and then gives clear, detailed instructions for accomplishing each step.
Another source of help is the Neat Image Community Forum. Users can post
issues, problems, or suggestions and the Neat Image staff appears to be
online regularly and provides fast and responsive replies. Neat Image
takes the process of image sharpening and filtering noise from digital
images to a new level by using device-specific profiles to remove the
specific pattern of digital noise produced by your individual imaging
device (digital camera or scanner). In my hands, Neat Image produced both
better and faster results than the noise reduction filters native to
Photoshop CS2. Neat Image concentrates on removing color aberrations more
than black and white (luminosity) aberrations. This method really shines
when you are trying to remove the “speckling” pattern commonly seen on
underexposed images taken in low light settings. There are multiple ways
to obtain the profile used to do your custom filtering. The simplest is to
download the profile for your imaging device from their Web site. You can
develop your own custom profile(s) by taking an out-of-focus image of a
calibration target and allow Neat Image to automatically process it to
develop a profile automatically. This method allows generation of profiles
for your individual device and can be extended to generate sub-profiles
for specific shooting modes including various compression levels, white
balances, and ISO settings. Finally, you can develop a profile for the
individual image you are working with. If you select this option, the
program will automatically seek out a “featureless” area of the image
where the noise pattern is not masked by complex patterns in the image.
You can let the program select the area automatically or you can “fine
tune” the process by selecting the area of the image to be used for
profile generation. The chief advantage of this method is that the profile
can be generated for any image regardless of whether you know what device
was used to capture it. In the “noise filter settings” mode, you can see
the image as well as a sidebar with the filter settings for different
components of the noise reduction and image sharpening settings. These
settings can all be customized by moving the slide bars adjacent to each
one. There is a “variant selector” option that captures snapshots of a
small area of the image to enable you to compare the effects of different
filter settings on each part of the image. Since most of the effects of
noise reduction and sharpening are subtle, looking at the sequential
snapshots in the variant selector really helps you to see what the effects
of your filter settings are. Another option in the preview mode is the
“component viewer” which shows the filtration effects in various channels.
Once you are pleased with the results of your customization, you “apply
changes” to process the image. The modified image can then be saved. There
is also a batch mode that is useful if you have similar corrections to do
on a large number of images. If you install this program as a Photoshop
plug in, the process works about the same as with the standalone version
described above. Advantages of working as a plug in include: 1)
Incorporation into your normal Photoshop workflow; 2) Not having to do an
intermediate save of your work. If you are working in a compressed format
such as .JPG, you lose some details due to compression every time you
save; 3) Expanding the range of image formats you can work with. The only
downside I saw to working within Photoshop is that you are limited to
running batches within the batch capabilities of Photoshop since the Neat
Images batch function does not work here. Finally, the layout of the
common processing tools is logical and clear. There are four boxes across
the top of the screen which represent the four major steps. The first is
“Input Image” and it will display the original image once you open it. The
second is “Device Noise Profile” and it contains the tools you use to open
or generate the profile you use for filtering. The third is “Noise filter
Settings” it is where you preview the filtration results and can modify
the settings to obtain the results you desire. The “Output Image” is where
you see and save the final results of the filtration process. It also has
a convenient button that allows flashing between the original image and
the filtered image. To make changes at any point in your workflow, click
on any of those boxes to go back to that step
Reviewer 2: While it may at first seem a rather complicated program
to use, Neat Image is actually very simple program and easy enough for the
beginner, notwithstanding, that it is the choice of professional
photographers who make their living in photography. The controls are
simple and there are default settings and automatic features that are
perfect for the most amateur photo bug. For the professional, every
setting in the program can be finely adjusted and customized for the exact
degree of noise reduction to suit their requirements. To list all of the
features, many of which are quite technical, would be of little value here
so allow me to select one or two and relate my own experiences while
testing and using this program on some photographs. First, the highlight
of the program is what it calls its “noise profiles.” While there is an
automatic setting that does a remarkably good job of noise filtering, it
is by making “noise profiles” that you can truly move your photography
from amateur to professional. First, you can simply select a noise profile
based on your camera make and ISO or you can make a customized profile. To
make a customized profile, however, once you have selected your input
image and the file has opened, click the Device Noise Profile Tab along
the top. The program will need an area in the image that has very little
detail such as an expanse of sky, a solid background, or an area made up
of a solid color. Neat Image will select an area for you or you can select
one for yourself. Once you click Auto Profile, the program outlines an
area of the photograph to build its noise profile. Once this is done,
click, the Noise Filter Settings tab. Along the right side of the screen
you will see a set of controls having to do with luminance, chrominance,
and sharpening to fine tune (adjust) the settings already determined by
the program. Now if you have no clue as to what luminance or chrominance
are and still want to do a little customizing, fear not; there is truly
exceptional documentation provided online for in depth help. Once you are
satisfied, click the Preview button for a small preview area on the
image—a small blue square outlined inside of which the noise reduction
settings have been applied. If you like what you see and are done
tweaking, click the Output Image tab and then the Apply button to generate
the final image. You can then either save that image or return to the
image to make further adjustments. It really is just that simple! Now with
some experimentation you will find that you will want to do some of the
aforementioned customizing especially the sharpening settings. As with any
“filter” you tend to get the inevitable soft, but clean—sometimes almost
plastic—images until you apply the sharpening tools to retain sharpness
while eliminating the noise and graininess. I shot several images at ISO
1600 with 100-400L, wide open at 400mm and found setting all three
sharpening filters to 60% and setting the Noise Reduction Amounts in the
Red, Green and Blue rows to around 55% after doing a Device noise profile
for my camera. These settings turned out consistently clean images, but
you will need to experiment to achieve your own desire results. I can tell
you that I rarely shoot ISO 1000 film due to the awful graininess but it
was amazing how good a 4X6 image you can achieve even with this film using
Neat Image. I have heard of some complaints regarding speed of producing
an image, but my results were more than satisfactory. While I am sure the
amount of time needed for Neat Image to process an image depends a lot on
your computer, I can process a 230mb image with Neat Image in about one
minute using a Pentium 4, 3+ghz, 1GB RAM computer. Neat Image does require
a Pentium computer and a minimum of 64MB of RAM—a number I suspect is
actually not practical even as a minimum. There are a large number of
profiles for a wide range of digital cameras available for download on the
developer’s website, and there are five versions of the program available,
ranging from a free demo version to the $74.90 Pro+ version which provides
unlimited batch queuing, 48-bit RGB/16 bit TIFF output, and support for
the included Photoshop plug in. The EULA (End User License Agreement) is
simple and straightforward, and allows use on multiple computers. The
support was quick, knowledgeable, and professional. This software program
gets my unreserved and wholehearted recommendation and for the majority,
the Home Version at $29.90 will meet and probably exceed needs.
Reviewer 3: Neat Image does an excellent job in making your work
look better. There are good examples on the Web site and the Neat Image
Community Forum (you can Google this phrase and you will get there). You
do not have to log in and you can browse any of the threads in the Forum.
Take a look at the Discussion called "Examples" to see what other people
have done with their own photos using Neat Image. The photos there are not
put in by the developers, but by the users of the program. The help is
excellent. I started with the examples on the Web site to see what Neat
Image could do for my images. The Quick Start Guide isn’t really
necessary, as the layout of the steps that need to be taken are quite
clear. What began as a completely unusable grainy photo is now one that I
can actually print, or put in a slide show or album. The help (shortcut:
the F1 key) is context-sensitive and jumps to the section in the help file
that is relevant to the stage or part of the program that you are actually
using. The Neat Image Community Forum is a valuable resource. You have
easy access to the forum, directly from the Help Menu, from the Web site,
or by going directly to the forum on the Internet. You do not have to
register to be able to browse through the different Discussion Topics. You
can ask questions and be answered by other users. The support staff
monitors the forum actively. I often had a reply to my questions within
minutes. A really interesting touch is the Discussion called “Contacts”,
where you can get to the developers if email fails. There are also good
resources on the Web site. In addition to the literature normally expected
about features, purchasing, downloading, FAQ’s , etc., there is quite a
rich assortment of other information. For example, you can “build a
profile” for your particular model of camera, scanner, or other input
device. There are scores of profiles that have already been built for many
different brands and models of “input devices”. The “Reviews” section
contains not only reviews but also informative and instructional articles
involving Neat Image. If your imaging program supports plug ins, it may be
possible to incorporate Neat Image into that program. Several widely-used
programs are specifically supported, including Photoshop. This is an
additional tool enabling use of Neat Image without having to switch over
to the other program, open the file, and continue to work on it. This
program does what it’s supposed to do and it has reliable and responsive
support and a development team that seeks feedback to improve the program
and make it more responsive.
Weak Points.
Reviewer 1: By default, the stand-alone program can load the common
types of digital images (.jpeg, .jpg, .tiff, bmp,), but is unable to
recognize camera-specific RAW formats such as the .NEF format used by my
digital camera, the Nikon D2X. This was not a problem when using this
program as a plug-in in Photoshop CS2. In the standalone version, the
“Open File” screen that permits viewing of directory comments only opens
to about one-fourth the screen area of my display. It would be
user-friendly to have the ability to maximize this to the full scan to
permit a quicker view of a larger number of thumbnail images.
Reviewer 2: For the first time, I actually can find no serious
faults with this program. I found it a bit confusing that the plug in
installed into the Photoshop filter menu as ABSoft rather than Neat Image
and I would suggest you will need a minimum of 1G of RAM if processing
large images with the plug-in (this is in part because of Adobe
Photoshop’s huge use of resources as well). But I can truly find no fault
with the stand-alone version of Neat Images. It is a superb piece of
software.
Reviewer 3: I would have to dig very deep in order to find
something to criticize. I would like to see plug-ins developed for some
other imaging programs, although it seems that most of the “big name”
programs are already supported. An individual license should allow the
user to install the program on several machines such as a work computer,
home computer, and laptop under the same license, not limited to one
machine. Although the prices for Neat Image are reduced when purchases are
made for multiple licenses, the reduction per additional license is quite
small.
Other Comments.
Reviewer 1: Many of the changes made by this filter are subtle, and
it is not until you zoom in to higher magnification level that they can be
seen. If you are just “shooting snapshots” and not doing much else to
enhance your photographs, you will probably not see much advantage from
Neat Image. But if you are enhancing and enlarging your images, then the
noise reduction and sharpening enhancements are probably just the thing
you are looking for to take your work to the next level.
Reviewer 2: I used photographs shot on a Nikon D80 DSLR with ISO’s
ranging from 400 to 1000 for my testing of this software. Neat Image 5.6
Pro+ does exactly what it says it will do and it is a must for any digital
photographer who takes pride in his or her results—yes, even those home
snapshots (why not capture your memories the way you remembered them?).
With this software you do not need to be a professional photographer or
even much of an expert to realize professional looking images. The ease of
use, the excellent documentation, the rich number of features, and the
reputation of Neat Images sets it apart from any other noise reducing
software I have tried. I am certain that if you try the free demo version
you will purchase a licensed version within days. It really is that good.
Reviewer 3: Although this is a review of the "Pro+" version of Neat
Image, it is worth pointing out that there are several other versions of
the program designed to fit the varying needs of different users. If you
want to see how well Neat Image works, start with the Demo version. This
is essentially a freeware version of Neat Image. It does have a number of
limitations when compared to the Home or Pro versions. But for someone who
would like to be able to see how well Neat Image works on his or her own
images, this would be an excellent place to start. The quality of the
output image (i.e. the result of running an image through Neat Image) is
in no way inferior to the output on an image run through any of the other
paid versions. You can look at the "Feature Map" page on the Neat Image
Web site to see the different versions of the program compared together,
and can select the one which best suits your needs.
Will You Continue To Use It?
Reviewer 1: Yes. The more I worked with this program, the more I
appreciated its quality and excellence. Now I wouldn’t want to be without
it.
Reviewer 2: Yes, and I feel no need or desire to look elsewhere.
Reviewer 3: Yes, definitely.
OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center
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