Enhance Super Resolution and DeNoise Functionality in Adobe Camera Raw

[scenicshutterbug]

I think I may have found a bug in the AI Super Resolution and DeNoise Functionality in Adobe Camera Raw 15.3 when opening a file for PSCC 4.4.1.  When I open a file in ACR and then click the Enhance button, I can only choose Super Resolution OR DeNoise, not both.  If I choose Super Resolution alone, and then want to rerun Enhance for DeNoise, it is not an option.  Similarly, if I choose DeNoise first, and then want to go back and run Super Resolution, I get a message telling me that the selected photo has already been fully enhance.  I would think that it should be possible to both DeNoise an image and res it up using Super Resolution.  Is there a way to use the Enhance features for both?

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Not a bug. There's a reason for this. All of these take a mosaic raw image (Bayer or x-trans), and process them into a demosaiced (RGB) dng. It's no longer a "true" raw file, the single channel has been encoded into three.

The process won't work on demosaiced files.

Enhance is included in both Super resolution and Denoise.

Plans are to develop this further so that it works on a wider range of file types, but we're not there yet.

[scenicshutterbug]

Thank you.  That is a bit disappointing, especially since noise will be more apparent on larger files, and therefore noise reduction more likely to be needed.  For now, I would assume the recommended workflow would be to use enhance to provide super resolution where needed, and reduce noise by using the manual sliders?

[TheDigitalDog]

You really want to apply DeNoise first or very early. 

See: 

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2023/04/18/denoise-demystified

[scenicshutterbug]

Yes, I understand the guidelines, but in this particular instance of an image that needs to be upsized and have noise reduced, I don't believe you can apply denoise first because if you do, you will not have access to Super Resolution through ACR.  So, I believe it is better to apply Enhance>Super Resolution and then use the "normal" noise sliders on the Detail tab to reduce noise.  

[D Fosse]

Actually, there is a twist here. Super Resolution, as the only one of the three Enhance features, will work on RGB files - but then you have to process them fully into e.g. TIFF. It will not work on demosaiced RGB dngs, so you can't do them in sequence from the same raw file.

And as usual there is no free lunch. If you run super resolution on a rendered TIFF, the result is not nearly as good as when you run it on raw files. I did a few tests on this and the difference is pretty obvious. You really want to do this on raw files. That's where it makes a real difference from traditional upsampling.

But are you really sure you need to upsample at all? I'm asking because a surprising number of people believe it "has to be" 300 ppi at any print size. That's a misunderstanding, but an extremely widespread one. A high quality file from a good, current camera can generally be used as-is for any reproduction size. Resampling will usually just disrupt the pixel structure and do more damage than good.

[scenicshutterbug]

Upsampling will depend upon the image.  It is certainly not necessary (or even advisable) on every image.  The main purpose of my post has been to identify the best way to use these features as well as their limitations.

[Chuck Uebele]

Moved to the Camera Raw forum, from the Photoshop forum.

[scenicshutterbug]

Thanks, I didn't realize there was a Camera Raw Forum.