First, however, let’s talk about two kinds of noise all photographers should understand. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. This is why, in most cases, noise is considered persona non grata.įortunately, there are ways to incorporate noise into your concept, avoid it altogether, or limit its appearance in post-processing.

In the case of digital noise, that usually means thousands of little speckles that can muddy up details or create distracting patterns across the darker and lighter portions of your image. Artifacts in this sense are imperfections. The word “artifact” can be confusing the first time you hear it in this context, but we aren’t talking about historical treasures here. We’ll get to that in a moment, but first: What Is Noise?Īlthough there are several different potential causes of noise in digital photography, the result is the same: artifacts that appear in your image. Sometimes, noise even has a positive impact on the finished photo. If it’s managed well and incorporated thoughtfully, we don’t even notice it.

At worst, it’s seen as a sign of poor quality.īut if you look very closely, you’ll find that some level of noise exists in almost all digital photography. Whereas grain is usually considered to add character to a photo, noise is generally regarded as… well, a nuisance at best. You may be aware that it’s called digital noise, and that there’s a lot of technology floating around to help photographers try and stamp it out of their images.Īlthough it’s often used to mimic the grainy appearance of traditional film photography, digital noise and film grain are completely different animals.

If you’ve ever wondered about the “grainy” look that keeps popping up in your digital photos, you’re in the right place.

Noise ninja vs topaz denoise