Denoising: We’re talking video here (not audio), with twinkling speckles, e.g. due to low exposure or high gain hence a poor signal to noise ratio. There aren’t any video denoisers built in to FCP, but plugins exist, both free and commercial. There is some discussion of these at DvInfo forum [www.dvinfo.net/conf/non-linear-editing-mac/137219-de-noise-plug-fcp.html#post1151393]. The best one I have found so far, at the cost of money and rendering intensity, is Neat Video, available for most of the major NLE’s, including FCP.
- The “Too Much Too Soon” (TMTS) filter package [http://www.toolfarm.com/plugins/index.php/Too_Much_Too_Soon_Free_FXScrips] includes a denoiser. And it is free.
- Didn’t remove much noise for me, despite setting it to max denoising.
- Joe’s Filters (filter package), commercial, includes a Smart Denoiser.
- This worked reasonably well. It removed most othe dynamic (twinkling) noise but left static pixel variations, presumably associated with pixel variation in the camera’s sensor which as a result were more obvious. The result was like looking at a clean moving image through a dirt-patchy glass.
- It was found to be best placed after the levels&colors adjustments, i.e. at the bottom of the filter chain.
- Neat Video [www.neatvideo.com], the best denoiser I have ever been able to find on Windows, is now available for FCP on Mac.
- Tried the FCP version. Totally outclasses the ones so far seen. At the cost of money and (intensive) rendering time. Well worth it though if you need the highest quality.
- There is a free demo download but it is crippled to only affects a central rectangle of the image. So don’t judge it by what happens at the margins region, rather use it as a basis for comparing the denoised central bit.
- CHV – the Repair filter collection, including a denoiser, at [http://www.chv-plugins.com/cms/Fx-Script/Repair-collection/NoiseReduction.php]
- (I have not yet tried this)