Band Aide is a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop designed to reduce or eliminate luminance noise. It operates by implementing a filter to help enhance image quality.
Band Aide is an Adobe Photoshop filter plug-in that is specifically designed to eliminate or reduce luminance noise. Originally made to address "banding" noise in early Nikon D1 digital cameras, it is now useful in removing other kinds of noise like "shadow noise" in underexposed photos, higher noise levels in high ISO photos, and the "long exposure" noise resulting from exposures lasting several seconds.
Shadow noise is commonly seen in the darker areas of photos. This type of noise is usually enhanced when a photo that was initially underexposed is made brighter using software like "levels" or "curves". However, this kind of noise becomes even more evident in darker or flatter parts of the picture. High ISO noise occurs when the camera's ISO setting is on the higher end of the available range. The amount of noise varies depending on the camera model and the used sensor (CCD, CMOS, etc.). A camera with larger pixels generally creates less noise for a given ISO than one with smaller pixels, but other factors come into play.
Long Exposure noise occurs as a result of an increase in exposure time or temperature. One way to reduce this noise is by taking a "noise reference" photo with the same ISO, exposure time, temperature, and under complete darkness. However, this is not an easy feat.
Band Aide is designed to remove a large amount of luminance noise. For cameras that produce more color noise, Camera Bits suggests using the Quantum Mechanic™ Pro filter plug-in. This filter works differently and has only a minimal effect on significant amounts of luminance noise, which is what Band Aide was designed to handle.
One of the biggest problems with luminance noise is that sharpening the photo tends to make the noise more prominent, particularly in the darker areas. Given that pictures need to be sharpened before pre-press, it is advisable to reduce the noise before sharpening the photos. Band Aide reduces the noise, and this makes a significant difference, especially when the affected photos are sharpened later.
Some essential features of Band Aide include eliminating shadow noise, maintaining edge detail, and improving post-sharpening. However, it has some restrictions. It allows only 20 uses or a two-week trial, and it requires Adobe Photoshop to function.
Shadow noise is commonly seen in the darker areas of photos. This type of noise is usually enhanced when a photo that was initially underexposed is made brighter using software like "levels" or "curves". However, this kind of noise becomes even more evident in darker or flatter parts of the picture. High ISO noise occurs when the camera's ISO setting is on the higher end of the available range. The amount of noise varies depending on the camera model and the used sensor (CCD, CMOS, etc.). A camera with larger pixels generally creates less noise for a given ISO than one with smaller pixels, but other factors come into play.
Long Exposure noise occurs as a result of an increase in exposure time or temperature. One way to reduce this noise is by taking a "noise reference" photo with the same ISO, exposure time, temperature, and under complete darkness. However, this is not an easy feat.
Band Aide is designed to remove a large amount of luminance noise. For cameras that produce more color noise, Camera Bits suggests using the Quantum Mechanic™ Pro filter plug-in. This filter works differently and has only a minimal effect on significant amounts of luminance noise, which is what Band Aide was designed to handle.
One of the biggest problems with luminance noise is that sharpening the photo tends to make the noise more prominent, particularly in the darker areas. Given that pictures need to be sharpened before pre-press, it is advisable to reduce the noise before sharpening the photos. Band Aide reduces the noise, and this makes a significant difference, especially when the affected photos are sharpened later.
Some essential features of Band Aide include eliminating shadow noise, maintaining edge detail, and improving post-sharpening. However, it has some restrictions. It allows only 20 uses or a two-week trial, and it requires Adobe Photoshop to function.
What's New
Version 2.5: N/A