Remove Noise Node

Remove Noise uses adaptive spatial filtering: it compares each pixel to its neighbors, smooths variations below a threshold (treated as noise) and preserves transitions above it (treated as detail). It works 100% spatially: neighboring frames in time are never used.

As a result: no ghosting or temporal artifacts, but a softening effect that is more noticeable than with Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR). Prefer it when TNR introduces motion artifacts, or on short shots.

• Effects Library: Tools > Film > Remove Noise
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > Film > Remove Noise

Remove Noise (spatial)

Denoising on a single frame. No temporal artifacts but noticeable softening. Fast, deterministic, usable on isolated frames (matte painting reference, still).

Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR - Color page)

Denoising through a weighted average over several frames. Preserves sharpness but can introduce ghosting or trails on fast motion. Much more expensive on CPU/GPU.

Recommendation: combine them. Light TNR for the main temporal denoising, Remove Noise for the remaining spatial noise. Never stack 3 levels of denoising.

• Input (orange) - the 2D image to denoise.
• Effect Mask (blue) - optional. Limits the denoising to an area (e.g. only the flat areas of the background, preserving detail on the subject).

Cleanup before keying:
MediaIn → Remove Noise (moderate Threshold)
       → Ultra Keyer
       → MediaOut

Plate cleanup before matchmove:
MediaIn → Remove Noise (subtle)
       → Tracker / Camera Tracker
       → Clean plate (with less noise interfering)

Low-light footage rescue:
MediaIn (noisy ISO 12800)
       → Remove Noise (Strong, chroma focus)
       → subtle Sharpen
       → MediaOut

Preserving detail on the subject:
MediaIn → Remove Noise + Effect Mask (subject excluded)
       → Merge with the original subject
       → MediaOut

Method (default: Method 1)

The algorithm used. Method 1 = standard, fast. Method 2 = wider analysis, more precise but slower. Test both depending on the type of noise (uniform vs structured).

Number of Passes (default: 1)

Number of iterations. More passes = noise removed better but stronger softening. 1-2 = standard, 3+ = very noisy sources.

Channel (default: Color)

The channel processed. Color (RGB): all channels. Luma: the luminance channel. Chroma: the color channels (ideal, since chroma noise is more visible).

Softness (default: 1.0)

Strength of the smoothing. Higher = more denoising and more softening. 0.5-1.5 recommended.

Threshold (Red / Green / Blue) (defaults: 0.1)

Noise detection threshold per channel. Variations below it = smoothed, above it = preserved. Adjust per channel since blue is often noisier (typically a higher Blue Threshold).

Lock R/G/B (default: On)

Locks the Thresholds for a uniform adjustment, or unlock it for separate control per channel.

• Cleanup before keying - noisy green screen → Remove Noise → keying = a cleaner matte, less spill and fewer edge artifacts.
• VFX plate prep - a matchmove plate with a bit of annoying noise → subtle Remove Noise = stable features for the tracker.
• Low-light footage rescue - high ISO, strong chroma noise → Remove Noise with a chroma focus = acceptable restoration without losing all the luma detail.
• Perceived stabilization - noise that moves frame to frame is visually distracting. Remove Noise reduces this perceived flicker on stills or static shots.
• Stock footage cleanup - noisy archives (VHS, old DV) → Remove Noise + Light Trim correction = a clean vintage look.
• Degraining before custom grain - remove the native grain → clean Film Grain = more controlled, consistent grain across the whole project.
• Local cleanup with a mask - denoise only the sky or a flat background through the Effect Mask and keep the subject intact.

• Channel-by-channel Threshold - blue typically needs a higher Threshold (1.5× the red), since it is the noisiest channel on Bayer sensors.
• Chroma only before Luma - tackle the chroma noise first (more visible and less costly in detail), then add a light luma pass if still needed.
• Number of Passes 1 = subtle, 2 = visible, 3+ = only for already heavy noise, watch out for softening.
• Always at the start of the chain - denoise before color, key, blur, etc. Otherwise the downstream operations amplify or alter the noise, which then becomes undetectable.
• Combine with light TNR (Color page) - gentle TNR settings + spatial Remove Noise = the best quality/detail loss ratio.
• Effect Mask to preserve faces - invert a polygon mask around the face to denoise only the background and keep the skin sharp.
• Moderate Sharpen after denoising - compensates for the apparent loss of sharpness without amplifying the noise again (it is already removed).
• For very noisy shots > ISO 6400, prefer a TNR chain (DaVinci Color page) followed by Remove Noise for what is left - purely spatial denoising alone introduces too much softening.