Module 7 · Noise Reduction, Sharpening & Export
Goal: clean up high-ISO noise from the X-T30 III without destroying texture. Sharpen intelligently without halos. Export correctly for web, Instagram, and print — so what you see in Photomator is what you get on screen or in print.
📱 Use NotebookLM on your phone
AI summary · chat Q&A · audio podcast · personal notebook
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How to use NotebookLM here
Click "Copy YouTube links" and open NotebookLM. Ask about the Fujifilm X-Trans sensor specifically — its demosaicing is different from Bayer sensors and affects how noise and sharpening work.
Questions to ask NotebookLM:
- "What are the best noise reduction settings for a Fujifilm X-Trans sensor at ISO 3200?"
- "What's the difference between capture sharpening and output sharpening, and when do I apply each?"
- "What colour profile and resolution should I use when exporting for Instagram vs print?"
- Scan QR code with your phone camera
- Click "Copy YouTube links"
- Open NotebookLM → create notebook → add sources
- Wait ~30 sec and start asking
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Key concepts
- Noise types: Luminance noise = grainy, monochrome texture (looks like film grain — often acceptable or even desirable). Colour noise = random coloured pixels (always bad — fix first). The X-T30 III produces mostly luminance noise at high ISO; colour noise appears at ISO 6400+.
- AI noise reduction (Photomator): Photomator uses ML-based denoise that preserves texture better than slider-based methods. Apply before sharpening. For X-Trans: check results carefully — X-Trans demosaicing can produce worm-like artefacts under some denoise algorithms; reduce intensity if you see false textures.
- Luminance noise slider: moves how aggressively fine grain is smoothed. Too high = plastic/watercolour look, lost micro-detail. Too low = visible grain. Balance: zoom to 100% view, find a midtone area (fabric, skin), adjust until grain is acceptable at viewing size (not 100%).
- Sharpening: two stages — capture sharpening (correct for lens/sensor softness, applied to all photos) and output sharpening (scale to output size and medium, applied at export). Never over-sharpen at the capture stage — halos appear on edges. Use the Detail mask (hold Alt/Option while dragging Masking slider in Lightroom) to sharpen only edges, not smooth areas.
- Export settings:
- Instagram (mobile): JPEG, sRGB, 1080px long edge, quality 85–90%, no output sharpening (Instagram recompresses)
- Web/general: JPEG, sRGB, 2048–3000px long edge, quality 80–85%
- Print (lab): TIFF or high-quality JPEG, Adobe RGB (wider gamut), 300 PPI at final print size. Ask the lab for their preference.
- Archive: keep the original RAW + Photomator edits. Never overwrite the RAW.
- Colour profiles: sRGB = standard for screens (web, social). Adobe RGB = wider gamut, relevant for print. Display P3 = Apple devices. If you export for the web in Adobe RGB, non-colour-managed browsers show desaturated colours — always use sRGB for web/social.
Self-check exercises
1. You have a street photo shot at ISO 3200 that looks noisy. Describe your noise reduction and sharpening workflow in Photomator.
Workflow:
- Colour noise first: zoom to 100%. If you see coloured speckles (red/green/blue pixels), apply Colour Noise Reduction fully — this is rarely visible at normal viewing and doesn't harm texture
- Luminance noise: use Photomator's AI Denoise if available. Start with a moderate setting. Zoom to 100% and check midtone areas (concrete, skin) — you want grain reduced without a watercolour look. Zoom out to viewing size to judge the final result.
- Sharpening: apply capture sharpening after denoising (not before — sharpening amplifies noise). Amount: 25–50. Radius: 0.8–1.0. Use masking to protect smooth areas — only sharpen actual edges.
- Output sharpening: apply at export, matched to output size and medium (screen vs print)
2. You export a photo for Instagram and the colours look muted and desaturated compared to what you saw in Photomator. What went wrong?
Almost certainly an sRGB vs Adobe RGB mismatch.
- If you edited in a Display P3 or Adobe RGB colour space and exported as Adobe RGB, Instagram (and most web viewers) don't honour the embedded colour profile — they display it as if it were sRGB, causing the colours to appear desaturated.
- Fix: re-export from Photomator, explicitly choosing sRGB as the colour profile. The colours in the exported file will match what you see in Photomator (assuming your display is calibrated to sRGB or P3).
- Secondary issue: Instagram recompresses JPEG — if you exported at quality 60, recompression makes it worse. Export at quality 85+ and 1080px or 1350px (4:5 format) for best results.
3. You want to print a Barcelona photo at 30×40 cm. What resolution and file format should you export?
For a 30×40 cm print at a lab:
- Resolution: 300 PPI is the standard for photo-quality printing. 30 cm × 300 PPI = 3543px; 40 cm × 300 PPI = 4724px. The X-T30 III shoots 26MP (6240×4160px) — more than enough; you can print at 300 PPI up to ~53×35 cm.
- Format: TIFF (lossless) or high-quality JPEG (quality 95+). TIFF is larger but guarantees no additional compression; most labs accept either.
- Colour profile: Adobe RGB if the lab supports it (most professional labs do — ask them). If uncertain, use sRGB — it's always safe.
- Sharpening: apply output sharpening set to "print" at the export step — more aggressive than web sharpening because printer ink spreads slightly.
- Soft proofing: if Photomator supports it, soft-proof with the lab's ICC profile before exporting — this simulates how the colours will look on their specific paper/printer combination.