Software Opinion Needed

C

Coo1eo

Member
Needing a little help here to make a decision. I will be looking to buy some software in the near future for Batch Processing my photos. I am looking for opinions on what you guys find to be the best all around program for Batch Processing with emphasis on Noise Reduction & Sharpening. Should I go the Plug-In route for Photoshop or is there a good stand alone program that you guys feel would be as good or better than the Plug-Ins?
 
I use NIK Define for noise reduction and I really like it, but I've never tried to use it in a photoshop action, so I don't know how well it would work for batch processing. ;
 
i use a combo of things, photoshop cs3 for batch action stuff, imagineomics noiseware for my noise reduction, run as part of an action in cs3, i have written a large amount of actions for cs3, they all have anywhere from 1-5 steps, depending on what the photo is of, time of day, lighting etc
ie: if it's a night outside wdw photo without any neon, i have an action that has imagineomics night, kelby lab color correction with 15% pin light overlay, then kelby lab sharpening, i open 1 photo up, see how it looks with the action, if it's what i want, i then close without saving changes and run the action on the whole folder
i do all my basic processing in lightroom, then export like photos in folders as psd files, do my batch actions,put my brush stamp signature on them, reimport back to lightroom, where i then make the final decision on which ones go to my phanfare site, i have an export preset in lightroom to directly set up albums and sections and export as jpegs, sharpened for the screen
imagineomics runs as a ps plug-in
 
I do all my noise reduction one image at a time using Nik define.

For batch work, I find Acdsee pro the best and easiest. It resizes, watermarks, reduces quality, sharpens the reduced image all at the same time. Here is a screen shot of the different option:

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I've always just done my batch processing in PSP. ; I write all my actions in PSP, including with plug-ins, including Helicon noise reduction. ; I can go back and specifically reprocess some shots if I want to pay more attention to them, or try some specific corrections, and I always save originals. ; I've got lots of batch options - my main one is noise reduce, resize, and USM...it lets me get 800 pixel wide versions of all my shots ready for posting. ; I've got contrast masking scripts, high ISO scripts, and general processing with no resize scripts.
 
FWIW, I'm really liking the batch processing of Dfine inside A2. ; Noise Ninja will batch as well, but Dfine's auto profiling seems to work better for my workflow, and is a bit quicker.
 
Sounds like we have several opinions here. I was discussing with a coworker of mine & he informed that he likes to use DXO Optics Pro 5. He explained that the software will correct any abnormalities of your lens. You choose your lens that the picture(s) was shot with & the software goes to work based on the parameters you set. Basically the people at DXO have taken the different lenses available on the market & they run lasers through them to determine what the camera will see. They then program the software to correct any anomolies / abnormalities the lens may produce. It seems to be a pretty nice software that is all encompassing & comes in at less than $300 for the the Elite Package. Right now they are running a 25% discount which bringks the Elite package in @ $224. http://www.dxo.com/us/photo/dxo_optics_pro The software performs Optics Corrections, RAW Conversion, Dust Removal, Exposure Optimization, Color Control & Workflow. Furthermore, with the purchase of any DXO package, you will receive the Photoshop & Lightroom Plugins along with the Stand Alone Software. There is a Trial Version which I have downloaded & will give a try. I will let you all know what I think. BTW - Have any of you ever used this software?
 
I use Lightroom often to batch change/sync many settings of a photo such as white balance, noise, clarity,etc to other photo(s). ; DXO is something I have looked into, but have not pulled the trigger. ;

Still wondering if any of the Noise Reduction software plug-ins for LR are any better than what is built-in. ; So far I have not been convinced they are.
 
I tried DXO a few years ago but didn't like the interface/workflow. ; As for the lens stuff, I know that DPP has this, and Bibble has the ability to add lens info if they don't have the lens already.
 
Wow, what an interesting array of software. ; I would have thought that it was limited to maybe 2 or 3. ; Thanks for posting the topic, and even more thanks for all of the answers. ; I use Photoshop Elements 7, and have wondered how to write some actions, like one for the gallery print effect, so I don't have to do each step, over and over for the photo's that I want to do that way. ; Does anyone know if the ability exists in Photoshop Elements 7, and if so, how to go about doing it?
 
OK, here is my first attempt using the Trial version of DXO Optics Pro. It has limited functionality, but I was able to do a little Noise Reduction, Chromatic Aberration correction, Exposure Compensation & a couple other small adjustments. Tell me what you think:

Cabo San Lucas (Before)



Cabo San Lucas (After)



Maybe not the best of examples, but I will try another later with a more close up subject.
 
Generally looks good - more saturation pop. ; Watch the highlights in the white building though - they are a bit blown out in the original, but look even moreso in the processed version. ; Do they have a way to protect the highlights and shadows within the limited options?
 
The whites do look a little more blown out, but I do like the way the blues are more realistic in the after shot. ; The sky doesn't look as washed out or even gray as it does in the first.
 
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