- Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Noise Buster or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS Noise Buster).
-
Step 2. Open an image.
- If you work with the plugin:
Open an image in your photo editor by calling the command File -> Open or using the key combination Ctrl+O (or 
+O on Macintosh).
- If you work with the standalone edition:
The dialog box Select file to open appears if you double-click on the empty workspace of the program or if you click on the button 
on the Control Panel. You can also drag the required image into the workspace of the program.
The Standalone edition of AKVIS Noise Buster supports BMP, JPEG, PNG and TIFF file formats.
- Step 3. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS Noise Buster plug-in.
For this purpose call the command Filter
–> AKVIS –> Noise Buster in Adobe Photoshop; Effects –> Plugins
-> AKVIS
–> Noise Buster in Corel Paint
Shop Pro; Effects –> AKVIS –> Noise Buster in Corel PHOTO-PAINT.
- Step 4. Once the program is open, it will begin processing the image using
the default settings (the Automatic Filtering preset).
Auto Filtering automatically chooses the best settings for particular kinds of noise by adjusting 4 noise suppression parameters.
The result of the filtration will be shown in the preview window of the Before tab.
The preview area is represented by a dotted frame. You can drag the frame or draw it anew on any part of the image, thus analysing
different parts of the photo.
If the After tab is pressed, the filtration will be applied to the entire image and the preview window in the Before tab will disappear. It will reappear if the value for a parameter is changed.
You can compare the filtered result with the original state of the image by left clicking in the preview area.
To filter the whole image, press the button 
.
Filtering of the entire image also starts when the After tab is pressed.
After processing it is possible to switch between tabs by pressing the left mouse button anywhere in the image window. It is also possible to switch between tabs by pressing Tab.
- Step 5. If the result of automatic filtration is not wholly satisfying
you can adjust the settings to achieve the best result.
The task of noise reduction is to find the golden mean
between suppressing noise and keeping detail. Besides, it is important
to take into account the psychological characteristics of visual perception:
when comparing the original and the filtered photo pay your attention not
only to details but to the overall impression as well. A
certain amount
of noise does not necessarily spoil a picture, while some smoothness
of a photo may add to the visual effect (especially in portrait retouching
where it is not desirable to see the skin structure in detail).
Noise on any color picture can be divided into: luminance
noise and color noise. Luminance noise is
perceived as dark dots or small blots, color noise represents
color spots on areas having a different color. Another name for color noise
is chroma noise.
The Histogram below the Settings
is a graphical depiction of the noise level and noise components of the
original picture. The gray area shows the luminance noise;
the red area shows the color noise. The more the histogram
is shifted to the right, the higher the noise level is. And vice versa,
if the histogram is shifted to the left, the image has a low noise level.
The height of the histogram displays the number of pixels having this noise
level. When adjusting the parameters, pay attention to the right part of
the histogram, as it shows the amount of highly noised pixels. The amount
of pixels in the left part shows low noised pixels that are a part of the
picture, its natural background.
To reduce noise of each
type there are two parameters to manipulate: Noise Level and Smooth
Level.
- Noise Level. The parameter defines
which elements of the image are to be considered noise (luminance
or color) and which are to be considered important details. At high
value of the
parameter small details can be defined as noise and, therefore, be
smoothed.
- Smooth Level. The parameter sets
the extent to which the elements defined as noise should
be smoothed. The higher the parameter, the smoother the filtration
result. However, at high values of the parameter, an image can lose
detail and look flat. High values of the parameter Smooth
Level for color noise can produce
an alteration of colors and loss of small color details.
Attention! On a grayscale photo there
is no color component and therefore no color noise. To suppress noise on
a grayscale photo it is enough to regulate the parameters of the Luminance
Noise.
Attention! The Histogram
is only a graphic representation of the picture's noise
level. It does not change as you change the settings. The
histogram helps you estimate the noise level and decide what parameters
should be adjusted.
Fade. This parameter sets the mixing ratio
of the filtered image and the original. The parameter values vary between
0 and 100%. At 100 % all elements of the photo defined as noise are smoothed
in accordance with the value of the parameter Smooth Level.
As you move the slider to the left (i.e. reduce the value of the parameter),
the original
image noise mixes into the filtered image; at 0% there is no filtration
at all. In most cases a certain amount of original noise adds to the natural
look of an image and allows restoring small details.
In addition to the five main parameters there is an optional
parameter Microdetail. This parameter restores
small details on the image. The default value usually offers a satisfactory
result, but it is possible to increase the value of the parameter to improve
sharpness.
The result of the current settings is shown in the preview
area - a dotted frame. You can
drag the frame or draw it anew on any part of the image, thus analysing
different parts of the photo.
Compare the original image and the result
by left-clicking on the image.
-
Step 6. The check-box Unsharp Mask. When this option is
selected, the filtered image is compared with its blurred copy. If the pixel
on the filtered image contrasts with the corresponding pixel on its copy,
the contrast will increase. Otherwise the pixel will not change. In this
way all pixels on the image are compared.
The Amount parameter defines the level of contrast.
The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 300%. At 100% the contrast
increases twice, at 200%- by 4 times, at 300% - by 6 times etc.
The Radius parameter defines size of the area in which pixels are compared. The values of the parameter vary between 0,1 to 3 pixels. At lower levels, contrast will be lower and fine details will be more blurred. At higher levels, contrast increases, and fine details become sharper and more pronounced.
- Step 7. To apply filtration to the whole image, press the button .
- Step 8. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. To save a preset, enter a name for the preset into the Presets field and press the button Save. Now, as you start the program, it will use the settings of this preset. If you change the values of the parameters, you can always come back to the default settings of the preset by pressing the button Reset.
To delete a preset, select it from the list and press Delete.
To process an image with the settings of a certain preset, you should select it from the drop-down menu and press the button .
- Step 9. In plug-in version only: to apply the filtration result to the image and close
the plug-in's window, press the button
.
-
Step 10. Save the processed image.
- If you work with the plugin:
Call the Save As dialog box using the command File -> Save As, enter a name for the file, choose the format and indicate the target folder.
- If you work with the standalone edition:
Click on the button 
to open the Save as dialog box. Enter a name for the file, choose the format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG) and indicate the target folder.
-
Step 11. The standalone edition of AKVIS Noise Buster allows printing the image. For this purpose press the button
, adjust print settings in the Print dialog box and press the button Print.
-
Step 12. Close the program AKVIS Noise Buster.
— How To Use The Program