FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional Software Review

Image software gurus FRANZIS have updated their popular noise removing software so we thought we'd run a few noisy images through its algorithms to see how much better it performs when compared with the original DENOISE professional software. The first edition of DENOISE was awarded a 'Recommended' accolade so can version 2 of this useful noise removing software improve on FRANZIS' achievements? Let's find out. 

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional Features & Performance

The main problem that can occur when removing noise from images is that shots can lose sharpness, detail can disappear and colours can become lacklustre but DENOISE Projects 2 is designed to help you easily remove noise while still keeping good levels of sharpness, detail and colour throughout your shots.

The software is capable of removing 7 forms of noise and you have the option to just trust the software in its abilities so you just use the auto algorithms that are available or you can get a little more hands-on with your noise removal. 

As we've reviewed the previous version of DENOISE, we'll just be taking a look at what's new in version 2 rather than a general overview of the software but if you do want to learn more about the basics, take a look at our review of the original DENOISE software where they'll be covered in more detail. 

The user interface has had a few tweaks made to it but those who have used FRANZIS DENOISE before, or any of FRANZIS' other software, will find it very familiar. If you're new to the software, the interface is easy to navigate and pretty much self-explanatory so it won't take you long to get to grips with it. 

For those who own Photoshop (CS6 or higher), Elements (version 11 and up) or Lightroom (from version 4), there are now plug-ins available and most importantly, FRANZIS says the noise removal process is now 40% faster which, if it is, is a much-needed improvement as with version 1 of DENOISE we did find some of the processing a little slow. 

There is a new noise stacking feature that astrophotographers will find particularly useful along with two new preset categories: nightshot and astro. A new module allows selective drawing, there are new filters as well as a 'FX' category in the RAW module and 8 additional colour spaces are now supported. 

There's always been the option to apply post-processing effects in all of FRANZIS' software and in DENOISE Projects 2 this area has new gradients and effects as well as a new smart-mask system that makes applying effect masks easier. 

A couple of really useful upgrades come in the form of preview tools as you can now see your edit path via 'history' and the magnifying tool can now be used to compare as well as enlarge detail. While we're talking about enlarging detail, you can now change the font size in menus and titles which those who struggle to see small fonts will find very useful and there's also an integrated list of supporting camera RAW formats so you won't waste time uploading file formats that aren't compatible. 

Other changes to FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 come in the form of general bug fixes, optimisation and speed improvements. 

Using FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional

As soon as an image is loaded into the software, the work area automatically opens up and the algorithms start running. A new feature, which is a nice touch, is the software telling you the amount of noise your image contains once the algorithms are completed and we are pleased to say that there definitely has been some improvements to the speed in which the automated processes are applied. Even switching between preset options seems quicker, which is great, but when heavy processing is needed, you will still need to be patient. Start-up of the programme, in general, has been sped up considerably, too.

The improved grain engine also seems to have helped in the removal of noise as when we compare the shots that we've ran through both version 1 and 2 of the software, there is more detail visible in the images corrected with DENOISE Projects 2. 

Those who just want to leave the software to its job will be happy to hear there are even more presets included. Night shot and Astro are, as the names already suggest, are specially created for night and astrophotography while Mobile and Web contain specially adapted denoising/ optimisation presets. You can view all of the presets in a list or click on the specific group of presets that are most applicable to the image you are working on. 

The software actually does a good job at configuring its algorithms to pick a noise reduction level that suits the particular image you're editing. In fact, the software seemed to pick the best preset for removing noise almost every time we ran a noisy image through it. 

If you capture lots of images at night or a fan of astrophotography then FRANZIS have a few new tools you'll probably be interested in and these can be found in the noise stacking mode. 

With noise stacking mode, you can blend several images which were captured of the same scene/object under similar conditions into an image that has a lower level of noise. Previously, you could stack light frames, dark frame or flat frames but now, light frames + dark/flat frames can be combined. It's not something the everyday photographer will probably use but it's a nice tool for those who spend hours capturing images of the night sky and galaxies within it. 

The selective drawing tool has had a revamp so it's now easier to edit select areas of an image without having to open up other photo editing software. A new algorithm can distinguish between lines, corners, borders and different light levels which makes it easier to apply a mask. You can then use the mask to brighten an image, add shade, intensify or reduce a colour, strengthen/reduce detail or increase/reduce contrast levels. Another nifty feature is that the masks can be saved in image files and they can also be used in other image editing programmes. You do have to reduce the strength of the mask to see how it's changed your image but this is easily done with a slider. 

For those who want to edit RAW files in the software, the RAW module has had a few more filters added to it along with a new 'FX' category. Under the 'FX' category you can apply gradients, film grain, sepia tones or even add a haze/fog effect should you wish. 'Dynamic brightness', 'trapezoid correction' and 'chromatic light diffraction' are the new filters found in the RAW module which open up your editing options just that little bit more. As do the new post processing effects that can be applied before you hit 'save' (you can find them under the 'Expert' tab).

Under the 'Expert' tab you'll also find a new set of effects you can use to automatically apply masks. For example, the 'shadows' option will apply a mask to, as the name suggests, the shadow areas of the image. Any effect you apply after this point will then only be applied to this specific area of the image. These new options allow you to make adjustments to specific areas of an image much easier and quicker. Plus, they're easily removed once you're finished with them. 

You've always been able to remove scratches and sensor errors in DENOISE but this useful tool now has a better method for choosing the areas in the image it wants to sample from which does work well. A couple of other improvements worth mentioning are the added save options and the introduction of more image cropping format models. 

Unfortunately, there's still no automated history saved so undo doesn't work in the way it does in most other image editing programmes which is annoying but there is a workaround which involves setting undo points manually. These then appear in the timeline so you can go back to any point you set with a mouse click. You just have to remember to do this. 

Overall, DENOISE is still a really good piece of software that gives the user presets for quick and easy noise removal as well as manual tools for those who require more control over their edits because they already know quite a bit about noise reduction. 

One problem with the manual edits (still) is that every little change you make has to be processed and applied (there are no live edits) which can be rather time-consuming especially as you can't do anything else in the software while the process is running.

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional Images Before / After

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional Value For Money

DENOISE Projects 2 Professional is priced at £71.83 with the non-professional version coming in a little cheaper at just over £50. If you need the Professional version is really down to personal choice, however, you do get several extra features for the extra money.

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional is more expensive than the Macphun Noiseless Pro app, however, this is designed to be used on MAC only and doesn't offer as many features. Topaz DeNoise, which is another popular noise removing programme is available for around £60. If you own Lightroom or Photoshop, you can use Adobe Camera RAW to remove noise from images as well. 

For a limited period of time, FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional is priced at just £35 (an exclusive ePz member offer) which really does make it excellent value for money, especially when compared with the competition. For more information, have a read of our special offer news item. 

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional Verdict

We praised the original FRANZIS DENOISE software and DENOISE Projects 2 Professional is still simple to use, it does a good job at removing noise and thanks to presets, noise problems are corrected without too much effort on your part. Yes, there was a little loss in detail in some results still but you see this in most noise removal programs and it wasn't such a problem that it spoiled the photograph. Overall, the software did a good job at minimising a loss in quality and the ability to tweak the changes manually also helped with this. 

Last time, we said the software was slow in places and although some edits do still take a while to be made, generally, the software is quicker in use which is a positive. Manual edits are still slow to complete as they're not applied live and the fact you have to create 'undo points' to be able to go back through your edit history is still annoying but you do get used to it. 

Overall, DENOISE Projects 2 Professional can rescue noisy images, in a slightly quicker time, and there are quite a few more useful tools and improvements thrown in. 

DENOISE 2 still does what it says on the tin but with a few more tools and it's a little quicker.

FRANZIS DENOISE Projects 2 Professional System Requirements 

Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista, 32/64 bit, Dual Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB HDD, Screen Resolution, 1280 x 1024 Pixels, Graphic Card: DirectX-9+-compatible, 128 MB, 32 bit colour depth

Mac OS X (10.7 and higher), 64 bit, Intel Processor/G5, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB HDD, Screen Resolution 1280 x 1024 Pixels.