Reduce photo noise while keeping edges
Remove grain and colored speckles from a photo with an edge-aware smoothing pass. Noise reduction sets how much of the local estimate replaces each pixel. Edge protection limits that replacement around outlines, text, hair, and other high-contrast detail.
The filter is mathematical rather than generative. It changes existing pixels and does not invent texture, faces, or missing objects.
Noise scale and resolution
Noise scale defines the area sampled around each pixel. A small value targets fine sensor grain. A larger value can suppress coarse blotches, but it also raises the chance of smoothing real texture such as fabric, skin pores, leaves, or fine type.
The radius is stored as a percentage of the shorter image side rather than a fixed pixel count. A setting that covers a small patch in the preview therefore covers the same proportion of a 4000px export.
Edge protection
Each color channel is compared with a local average. Where the difference is small, the area is treated as a flat surface and receives the full reduction. Where the difference is large, the blend falls away to protect the boundary.
Raise Edge protection when lettering, eyelashes, or hard product edges start to soften. Lower it when shadow noise remains visible across broad, low-contrast areas. The control cannot distinguish every weak texture from noise, so inspect both smooth regions and fine detail before exporting.
Luminance grain and color speckles
Luminance noise changes brightness and reads as monochrome grain. Chroma noise changes the red, green, and blue channels by different amounts, producing colored dots or patches. Color noise increases the reduction on the outer color channels without applying the same extra amount to green, which carries much of the visible luminance detail in common camera images.
Example: a high-ISO night photo
Start near 55% reduction, 0.25% scale, and 72% edge protection. Check a dark wall or sky for grain, then inspect signs, hair, and building edges. Increase Color noise if purple and green flecks remain. If skin or masonry becomes waxy, reduce Noise scale before lowering the total reduction.