Running Neat Image on a sample image

There is a test-kit prepared to help you start using Neat Image. You can download it from the Neat Image web page: Neat Image test-kit (http://www.neatimage.net/files/Testkit5.zip), 250KB. Having downloaded, please unzip it to a new folder on the hard disk.

The test-kit contains a sample image: the SampleImage.jpg file. This image is a part of typical photo taken with digital camera (Nikon CoolPix 950 in this case). Detailed information about the test image is available in the SampleImageInfo.txt file.

Please start Neat Image and go through the stages below to see how it can improve the image:

Stage 1. Open the sample image

1. Click on the toolbar of the Input Image tab:

2. In the Open input image file dialog, navigate to the folder where the sample image has been unzipped and double click on the SampleImage.jpg file.

Neat Image will open the sample image.

You will see that there is strong noise in the image, especially in the sky area (use zoom and scroll to see it). This is the typical noise produced by the Nikon CoolPix 950 digital camera. The task of Neat Image is to reduce this noise. To do that the software generally needs a noise profile describing noise properties of the image. We have prepared such a noise profile in advance. The profile is supplied with the test-kit in the SampleProfile.dnp file. Using the noise profile, Neat Image can efficiently reduce the noise in the image.

Stage 2. Open the sample noise profile

1. Switch to the Device Noise Profile tab:

2. Click (blue disk) in the Device Noise Profile box on the right panel;

3. In the Open device noise profile dialog, navigate to the folder where the sample device noise profile has been unzipped and double click on the SampleProfile.dnp file.

Now the sample device noise profile is opened and Neat Image is almost ready to filter the sample image. Usually, you would adjust the filter settings at this stage. To make things easier for the first run of Neat Image, we have prepared a sample preset file that stores "good" filter settings suitable for the sample image.

Stage 3. Open the sample filter preset

1. Switch to the Noise Filter Settings tab:

2. Click (pink disk) in the Filter Preset box on the right panel;

3. In the Open filter preset dialog, navigate to the folder where the sample filter preset has been unzipped and double click on the SamplePreset.nfp file.

Now the sample filter preset is opened and the filter settings are adjusted to process the sample image.

Stage 4. Apply the filter

1. Switch to the Output Image tab:

2. Click on the toolbar and wait until the progress indicator disappears.

Processing may take some time. Then the filtered output image is displayed. You can click the output image to compare it with the input image. Notice that the noise - especially in the sky area - has been significantly reduced while the image details have been preserved.

Please note that the sample noise profile and sample filter preset supplied with the test-kit are suitable only for images taken with that particular digital camera working in the same or similar mode. Neat Image can perform similar noise reduction on images captured or acquired by any other camera or scanner working in any mode. To be able to do that Neat Image needs device noise profiles that describe the noise characteristics of those devices. With Neat Image you can build these profiles yourself. The software can completely automatically build a profile given an input image. Also, you can find ready-made device noise profiles for many digital cameras and scanners in the Profiles section of Neat Image web page.

Filtration process details and Device noise profiles sections contain detailed descriptions of the filtration and profiling processes. There are also several examples of profiling and filtration in the Examples section of Neat Image web page.