Noise and workflow?

[gurtch]

I am in process to have my first print made on metal. It is an image made with a GFX 100S. I I am getting a 24”x32 which needs no up sizing. Please see the enclosed queries regarding workflow and noise. Dan owns the print shop making my image.

Thanks all very much

Dave in NJ

See below:

Thanks Dan. Very, very helpful.
TO ALL HELPFUL FOLKS HERE: what is your typical workflow for printing?
Mine is
1. Develop raw files using DXO Photolab 8. Applies lens fault corrections, and allows other tweaks to the image
2. Use Photoshop to dodge, burn, replace sky, add gulls, etc.
3. Apply Capture Sharpening. Up res if necessary. Apply Output Sharpening
4. Print via inkjet
Dan has noticed on my non enlarged file I sent him for metal printing, that there is noise, especially in the sky area. I made full sized ink jet prints, and never really noticed it, but Dan said dye sublimation printer drivers behave a little differently and recommended I think about an additional step of Noise reduction. I have Topaz Photo AI and Topaz Gigapixel, both of which have noise reduction. But I have read great things about DXO Deep Prime noise reduction built into Photolab. When I tried to use it, it was greyed out (not available). It turns out it only works on RAW files. It means I need to build that step into my work flow very early on. When I combine skies or birds in flight, I needed to build in noise reduction very early on (too late for that)!
Thanks all
Dave

 

[tenmangu81]

Topaz labs recommend to apply noise reduction before any other step, and, when possible, on the RAW (I think Photo AI can do it). As far as I know, DxO Pure RAW allows you to reduce noise very efficiently as well, but, yes, it works only on RAW files and delivers a linear DNG that you can open, in principle, in your favorite RAW converter.
I use Lightroom (Adobe Cameraw RAW) for opening my Hasselblad files and I don't use Topaz labs software very often, as the noise in the files of my X1D II can be easily managed using the noise reduction tool in LR/ACR. But usually, I open my .fff files in Lightroom, apply some adjustments when needed (not very often, indeed), and then edit the file in Topaz apps when necessary, i.e. the opposite of what I said just above....

 

[gurtch]

Thanks Robert. For my new files I will check for noise when converting in DXO Photolab, which has several levels of Denoice selections. For files that have already been converted to TIF and massaged in Photoshop, if noise reduction seems warranted I can use Topaz Photo AI which does allow noise reduction to TIFs.
Dave