A look at one of the most effective noise reduction methods

 

 

Sensor technology has come a long way since the days of film. Reaching six-digit ISOs is no longer a far-fetched reality or time-consuming process of using diluted down rodinal; it’s something we can do with cameras capable of fitting in our pockets.

As far as technology has come, there are times though when the high ISOs leave just a little too much noise for our liking. For those times, we can use various noise reduction methods built into our post-processing programs. One such method that often gets looked over the median stacking method, a process that’s fairly simple and extremely effective.

In this 15-minute video, photographer Andy Astbury breaks down the process of median stacking, showing how a little time and knowledge can almost entirely eliminate shot and read noise from even the highest of ISOs.

It’s not a quick watch, but between time with the family and tending the grill this weekend, it’s definitely worth sitting down and taking in.

EDIT: When we first watched and posted this video, we misheard an inappropriate and tasteless comment made in the video at roughly the 1:12 minute mark. We apologize for not catching that before posting, but considering it's a YouTube video, we can't edit the audio. You can skip the 1:12-15 mark without missing anything of the video if you'd prefer to avoid the comment. 

For more videos from Astbury, you can head on over and subscribe to his YouTube Channel