AKVIS Noise Buster is a plug-in for image processing programs that support plugins such as Adobe Photoshop for Windows and Mac, Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows and Mac, Corel (Jasc) PaintShop Pro, Ulead PhotoImpact, ACD FotoCanvas / Photo Editor, Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004, Microsoft Digital Image Suite, GraphicConverter X for Mac and etc.
AKVIS Noise Buster reduces both luminance and color noise on digital images without spoiling other aspects of the photo so that your photos look neat and accomplished. Digital noise is grains that compromise the smoothness of the photo, especially annoying on the skin as it makes it uneven. This kind of noise is called luminance noise. There can also be chroma (color) noise which is perceived as random red and blue pixels spoiling the color accuracy of the snap-shot.
Bjorn3d (link dead) reviewed the Noise Buster plug-in by using Jasc PaintShop Pro version 9.01, decided that it’s worth the Bjorn3D Seal of Approval with score 8 out of 10, and concluded that “Although I’ll never be a professional photographer, I fully intend to add this package to my arsenal and use it with almost every digital image I produce in the future. For that reason alone I know both you and I will prosper from exposure to this excellent product! I highly recommend it to those you that fit in the same category as me, the artistically challenged. For those serious professionals that certainly better know how to manipulate the buttons than I, you’ll too prosper from this product’s manual noise reduction features, unless of course the photos you take never have this problem.”
Pros:
+ Easy setup and implementation + Automatic Filtering + Excellent manual controls for both noise reduction and smoothing + Overall ease of use + Blur & Sharpen Edge parameters
Cons:
– Price tag is a bit high – Not as feature laden as I would have liked for the asking price
Apple Matters used Noise Buster with Adobe Photoshop for Mac and recommended the plug-in with score of 8 out of 10. It concluded that “from a results perspective Noise Blaster certainly delivers. It is simple to use, fairly powerful feature-wise and it produces very nice results. However, it might take a little while to get those results on a machine that doesn’t have two 2.5GHz processors with 2.5 GB of RAM. So if you are using this on a laptop you will probably have to wait a bit longer than I did. However, that isn’t really so much of a problem as an inconvenience. The only other complaint I have is with the price. Noise Blaster will run you $49. Now, I realize that doesn’t seem like much to a serious user, but an amateur photographer who only spent $89 for Adobe Elements might balk at dropping $49 for a plug-in. In the end it comes down to this. If you are going to invest in several hundred dollars in a digital camera, image editing software and a photo quality printer, then another 50 bucks for this plug-in shouldn’t even be an issue. However if the extent of your image editing prowess is clicking the Enhance button in iPhoto then Noise Blaster is probably overkill for you. Otherwise this is a solid piece of software that I will soon be buying myself.”
LK is a technology writer for Tech Journey with background of system and network administrator. He has be documenting his experiences in digital and technology world for over 15 years.Connect with LK through Tech Journey on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
