P: Need for a Native FFT Filter to Combat Paper Texture and Moiré
Native FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) Filter for Pattern, Texture, and Moiré Removal
I am writing to address a critical, long-standing gap in Lightroom’s toolset that has remained unresolved for decades: the lack of a native FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) filter.
As a photo restorer and long-time Creative Cloud user, I frequently work with archives where physical paper textures—such as "silk," "honeycomb," or linen finishes—create repetitive patterns that severely degrade scan quality. While Lightroom has made incredible leaps with AI-powered Denoise and Generative Remove, these tools still struggle to distinguish between high-frequency noise and the structural, mathematical patterns of paper textures and digital moiré.
The Problem: Currently, to remove periodic patterns or heavy moiré interference, we are forced to export files to Photoshop and rely on outdated, third-party 8-bit plugins or complex manual workflows. The current "Moiré" slider in Lightroom is often insufficient for deep texture patterns and lacks the precision that an FFT-based frequency domain approach provides. This breaks the non-destructive RAW workflow that is the core of the Lightroom experience.
The Solution: In an era of "Neural Filters," a mathematical FFT implementation is long overdue. Integrating a "Pattern Suppression" tool based on FFT directly into the Masking or Detail panel would:
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Allow restorers to neutralize paper textures and complex moiré without losing essential image details or sharpness.
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Maintain a fully non-destructive workflow for high-volume archiving and professional retouching.
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Finally solve a problem that the community has been requesting for over 20 years.
We don't just need more generative features; we need professional, fundamental tools that handle the reality of physical photo restoration. It is time to listen to the restoration community that has been waiting for this since the early versions of Lightroom.
Please consider making FFT a native part of the Lightroom ecosystem.
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