ABSTRACT
Digital noise is best described as ‘pixels out of place’ in the regular pattern of the pixel mosaic. Digital noise can be produced by using high International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sensitivity settings on the camera or from long exposures. Some cameras have long exposure noise reduction settings to reduce this latter effect. Digital noise can be reduced in-camera or can be handled at the raw file conversion stage or later by noise-reduction software. In-camera settings can be too severe and are not always best for big enlargements. Dealing with noise at the raw conversion stage is theoretically ideal but the results seem to be best with moderate levels of noise. Third-party stand-alone noise-reduction software and Photoshop plug-ins do a good job of reducing noise from even the highest ISO settings.
