Neat Image

Neat Image is a digital filter application specially designed to efficiently reduce visible noise in digital photographic images Noise is a serious problem that hinders high-quality digital image processing. In digital photography, even the latest consumer- and prosumer-level cameras produce images with an easily noticeable noise component.

This component is especially strong in images taken at high ISO/ASA rates. The noise reduces the visual quality of digital images and resulting printouts. Some image processing operations, like sharpening, make quality of noisy images even worse.

Neat Image is a program that reduces visible noise in digital photographic images.

Neat Image is a digital filter application specially designed to efficiently reduce visible noise in digital photographic images.

Neat Image detects, analyzes and removes image noise. The filtration quality is higher than that of other programs because Neat Image takes into account specific characteristics of particular image acquisition devices, making the filtration more accurate.

You can train the program to adapt to almost any input tool (digital camera, scanner, etc.). Access to the rich set of filter settings allows you to easily achieve desired level of noise reduction.

In addition to noise filtration, Neat Image can make images look sharper. This is done without any degradation of image quality (which is usually inevitable with noisy images). The combination of the sharpening and noise filter makes such an effect possible.

Neat Image is currently produced in four editions: Demo, Home, Pro and Pro+. Demo is a free edition of the software with slightly-limited functionality. Home is the retail edition of Neat Image for home users. Pro is the retail edition of Neat Image for professional users. Pro+ additionally includes a plug-in version of the noise filter.

Here are some key features of "Neat Image":
Premium Noise Reduction and Image Sharpening

Advanced Noise Filter to reduce noise and grain in digital images
Neat Image incorporates the most advanced noise reduction algorithms in the industry that surpass the quality of all classic noise reduction methods and even that of the wavelet-based methods. Although the wavelet-based methods were developed only 10-15 years ago and still considered relatively modern, Neat Image uses an even newer and more efficient approach to noise reduction. This approach enables drawing a more clear distinction between noise and details in noisy images. This helps Neat Image reduce more noise and better preserve true image details in digital photos and scans.
Complete control over the noise filter to achieve desired level of noise reduction
Neat Image provides direct access to virtually all important noise filter settings. For every channel component and spatial frequency component of input image, you can adjust the noise level estimation and specify how much of the detected noise must be removed. Default filter settings work very well and if you want to tweak filter then the complete control is under your tips.
Smart Sharpening Filter to make images look sharper without amplification of noise
Neat Image includes an intelligent sharpening filter. Working together with the noise filter, the sharpening filter makes the image look sharper without any degradation of image quality (which is usually inevitable with noisy images). Neat Image sharpening has a halo-free mode.
16-bit image support to fully utilize capabilities of modern image acquisition devices
The professional editions of Neat Image fully support 48-bit RGB and 16-bit grayscale images. This capability complements the recent advances in both hardware and software technologies (for example, Photoshop CS2 / CS) used in professional digital imaging.

Photoshop plug-in and standalone application
Photoshop-compatible plug-in to integrate Neat Image noise reduction in Photoshop-based workflow
Using Neat Image plugin in the convenient environment of Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements, or another compatible editor) you can apply noise reduction exactly where it is required: in a layer, channel or selection. Using Photoshop selection tools, you can apply noise reduction with different strength to different parts of the image. You can use Neat Image plug-in as a smart filter in Photoshop CS3.
Neat Image plug-in is compatible with the following plug-in hosts:
Adobe Photoshop CS3 / CS3 Ext / CS2 / CS / 7 / 6 / 5
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 / 4 / 3 / 2
Corel / Jasc Paint Shop Pro XI / X / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7
Corel Photopaint 12 / X3
Ulead PhotoImpact 12 / 11 / 10 / XL / 8
PhotoLine32
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
Microsoft Digital Image Pro
Serif PhotoPlus
IrfanView
XnView
and more
Any file format supported by Photoshop or other used plug-in host
Any file format supported by the plug-in host can be processed by the Neat Image plug-in. For example, you can open a PSD, TIFF, JPEG, JPEG2000, RAW, DNG, etc., image in Photoshop and then directly process it with the Neat Image plug-in. This streamlines the use of Neat Image noise reduction in your workflow.
Standalone application to work directly with image files
When Photoshop (or compatible plug-in host) is not available, you can use the standalone version of Neat Image to work directly with image files (TIFF, JPEG, BMP).

Device Noise Profiles
Device noise profiles to make noise reduction device-specific
Neat Image uses device noise profiles - reusable analysis of noise properties of particular image acquisition device (digital camera, scanner, etc.) working in a certain mode. That makes Neat Image noise reduction custom-tailored to devices described by noise profiles and provides the highest accuracy of noise reduction.
Auto Profiler to automatically build profiles for your camera or scanner
Neat Image can automatically make necessary noise analysis of the input image to build a custom noise profile specifically for this image. You can use the automatics or override it and use the semi-automatic or fully-manual noise analyzers.
Profile Viewer and profile quality indicators to help you build accurate profiles and control profile quality
Profile Viewer provides detailed information about a noise profile: analyzed noise sample, measured noise levels, device data. The profile indicators show whether a profile was accurately built and fine-tuned. Using quality profiles is the most important step to quality noise reduction.
Batch Profiler to automate profiling with the Calibration Target
Using several test images prepared by shooting (scanning) the built-in Calibration Target in different camera (scanner) modes, Neat Image can automatically build a set of noise profiles for these modes. The Batch Profiler makes building noise profiles very easy and quick.
Profile library: a rich set of free ready-made noise profiles
There are many free sets of noise profiles for digital cameras and scanners prepared by Neat Image users and made available in the online profile library. Everyone can build a good profile set (yes, this is really easy) and get it published.
Profile Matcher for automatic matching of noise profiles to images
When a ready-made profile set is available, Neat Image can automatically select the profile that best matches the input image based on its EXIF data. This capability is especially useful in batch processing and in fully automatic Photoshop actions.

Batch processing
Queued processing / batch processing of image series
The standalone Neat Image can process many images put in the filtration queue. You can create individual filtration jobs one by one or in batch.
The Neat Image plug-in recorded into an action can be used by the Photoshop built-in batch facility.
In both standalone and plug-in, you can use Profile Matcher and Auto Profile to make batch processing fully automatic.
Background processing
Working with the standalone Neat Image, you can create new filtration jobs when other filtration jobs are processed by Neat Image in the background. You can easily use other applications during processing too Neat Image will behave nicely in a multi-task environment.

Visual feedback
Embedded preview for any selected image area
When adjusting the filter settings, you can immediately see the preview results in a selected image area. You can select any area and move selection across the image to get better feeling of how the filtered image will look like as compared with the original.
Preview of filtration results separately for each channel and frequency component
Using Component Viewer, you can see the preview details on a per channel and per frequency basis. This capability greatly helps to tune the filter settings exactly where needed in a specific channel or frequency component.
Variant Selector for easier optimization of filters settings
Variant Selector enables convenient comparison of applying several filter setting variants. You can consecutively adjust the filter settings and then quickly select the best variant by visually comparing the corresponding filtration results.
Full-size comparison of original vs. filtered images
When the whole image is filtered in the standalone Neat Image, you can in one click switch between original and filtered image to compare them before accepting and saving the result.


Requirements:
Pentium I or better
64MB RAM or more
True color display


Note: The free demo version of this software may only be used for non-commercial purposes.