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Improve image quality using Enhance

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  1. Lightroom Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Lightroom Classic
    1. What's new in Lightroom Classic
    2. Lightroom Classic system requirements
    3. Lightroom Classic | Common Questions
    4. Lightroom Classic Key Concepts
    5. Lightroom Classic tutorials
    6. Set Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
    7. Reset Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Display the Library on a second monitor
    3. Personalize identity plates and module buttons
    4. Watermark your photos in Lightroom Classic
    5. Color management
  4. Import photos
    1. Specify import options
    2. Set import preferences
    3. Import photos from a camera or card reader
    4. Import photos from a folder on a hard drive
    5. Import photos automatically
    6. Import photos from Photoshop Elements
    7. Import photos from a tethered camera
    8. The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor
  5. Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
    1. Face recognition
    2. Work with photo collections
    3. Group photos into stacks
    4. Flag, label, and rate photos
    5. Use keywords
    6. Metadata basics and actions
    7. Find photos in the catalog
    8. Work with video in Lightroom Classic
    9. Advanced metadata actions
    10. Use the Quick Develop panel
  6. Process and develop photos
    1. Develop module basics
    2. Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
    3. Flat-Field Correction
    4. Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
    5. Improve image quality using Enhance
    6. Work with image tone and color
    7. Masking
    8. Apply local adjustments
    9. HDR photo merge
    10. Develop module options
    11. Retouch photos
    12. Cure red eye and pet eye effects
    13. Use the Radial Filter tool
    14. Adjustments with Lens Blur
    15. Edit and Export in HDR
    16. Remove Tool
  7. Viewing photos
    1. View photos
    2. Browse and compare photos
    3. Set Library view options
    4. Share photos for comments and feedback
    5. Smart Previews
  8. Export photos
    1. Export files to disk or CD
    2. Export photos from Lightroom Classic
    3. Publish photos online
    4. Export to hard drive using publish services
    5. Presets for export, and other settings
  9. Work with external editors
    1. External Editing preferences
    2. Open and edit Lightroom Classic photos in Photoshop
  10. Manage catalogs and files
    1. How Lightroom Classic catalogs work
    2. Create and manage catalogs
    3. Back up a catalog
    4. Locate missing photos
    5. Create and manage folders
    6. Manage photos within folders
  11. Maps
    1. Work with the Map module
  12. Photo books
    1. Create photo books
  13. Slideshows
    1. Create slideshows
    2. Slideshow module panels and tools
    3. Specify the slide layout
    4. Add overlays to slides
    5. Play and export slideshows
  14. Print photos
    1. Print module basics
    2. Print module layouts and templates
    3. Work with print job options and settings
  15. Web galleries
    1. Create web galleries
    2. Use the Web module panels and tools
    3. Work with web gallery layouts
    4. Work with web gallery templates and settings
    5. Preview, export, and upload web photo galleries
  16. Keyboard shortcuts
    1. Keyboard shortcuts
  17. Content Authenticity 
    1. Content Authenticity in Lightroom Classic
  18. Lightroom and Adobe services
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Using Adobe Stock in Creative Cloud apps
  19. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed Issues
    2. Known Issues
  20. Technical Support
    1. Performance Guidelines
      1. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix issues in Lightroom Classic
      2. Optimize performance
      3. Keep Lightroom up to date
      4. Preference file and other file locations | Lightroom Classic
      5. Allow Permissions to Lightroom Classic on macOS
    2.  Technical issues
      1. GPU Issues
        1. Troubleshoot graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues | Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom Classic GPU FAQ
      2. Startup Issues
        1. Windows | Lightroom doesn't start
        2. Error: Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        3. Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade
        4. "Assertion failed" update error | Windows
        5. Error MSVCR110.dll opening apps in Windows 10
      3. Rendering Issues
        1. Troubleshoot issues with Develop module
      4. Stability Issues
        1. Troubleshoot crash or freeze in Lightroom Classic
      5. Miscellaneous Issues
        1. FAQ | Color in Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom desktop and mobile apps unavailable to Education memberships | Kivuto
    3. Workflow Issues
      1. Catalog Issues
        1. Error : Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        2. Troubleshoot corrupt catalog
        3. Locate missing photos
        4. Recover catalog and images after resetting preferences
        5. Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ
      2. Sync Issues
        1. Lightroom Classic sync FAQ

Achieve crisp detail and improved color rendering in raw images that is powered by Adobe Sensei.

Use Enhance to improve image quality

Enhance provides a set of features such as Denoise, Raw Details and Super Resolution to help improve image quality using Camera Raw.

Watch this video to learn how to use the new AI Denoise in Lightroom Classic.

  1. Denoise helps remove noise easily from an image. Using artificial intelligence, you can reduce noise without losing the image's fine details.
  2. Raw Details, previously called Enhance Details, produces crisp detail, improved color rendering, more accurate renditions of edges, and fewer artifacts. Raw Details is especially useful for making large prints, where fine details are more visible. This feature applies to raw mosaic files from cameras with Bayer sensors (Canon, Nikon, Sony, and others) and Fujifilm X-Trans sensors.
  3. Super Resolution helps create an enhanced image with similar results as Raw Details, but with 2x the linear resolution. This means that the enhanced image will have 2x the width and 2x the height of the original image, or 4x the total pixel count. This feature supports the same file types as Raw Details, plus additional file types such as JPEG and TIFF. Super Resolution is especially useful to increase the resolution of a cropped image.

You can automatically add Keywords to images enhanced using Denoise, Raw Details,and Super Resolution. Go to Edit > Preferences, select the File Handling tab and check the Automatically add keywords to Enhanced images box. Select OK to make the changes.

Minimum system requirements

Your computer must meet the following minimum technical specifications to use the Enhance features:

Operating system

  • (Mac)  macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later
  • (Windows) Windows 10, version 1903 or later. See Windows 10 update history for details.

GPU

Enhance heavily uses the available GPU and can use an external GPU (eGPU) if available. View the graphics processor acceleration requirements in Lightroom Classic system requirements.

Note:
  • You can now access Denoise, Raw Details, and Super Resolution in the Detail panel, as these features are now available as standard edit panel features.
  • Apple Neural Engine does not provide support for AI Denoise on macOS.

Apply Denoise

  1. From the menu, select Photo > Enhance or select Denoise in the Detail panel.

  2. Select Denoise to enhance your image. Holding Alt or Option key while selecting Denoise from the Detail panel will set the intensity of the slider to the last set Amount value.

  3. Use the slider to adjust the intensity of the feature.

    An image of enhance preview window to showcase Denoise selection and adjustment slider functions.
    Enhance Preview window with Denoise adjustment slider.

  4. You can press and hold on to the preview area to view the changes made to the image.

  5. Select Enhance to process the image as a new DNG file. The new file will be with Enhance-NR filename.

Note:
  • We recommend to Denoise your image before applying other tools, including AI masks and Content-Aware, as using Enhance might change the result of the tools used.
  • Once the image has been enhanced with Denoise or Super Resolution, it can't be processed again. However, enhanced Raw Details DNGs can be processed with Denoise.
  • Denoise is a GPU intensive feature. Therefore, a faster GPU is recommended to Enhance images quickly.

Supported image formats for Denoise

  • Bayer and X-Trans mosaic raw files.
  • Linear DNGs (including HDR and pano DNG images previously created inside Lightroom and Camera Raw)
  • Smart proxies (DNG proxies)
  • Monochrome raw files (such as Leica M MONOCHROM)
  • Canon sRAW/mRAW files
  • Nikon small raw files
  • Fujifilm (non X-Trans Raw files)
  • Sony AQR
  • Pentax Pixel Shift Resolution (PSR) files
  •  Foveon cameras
  • Apple ProRaw DNGs
  • Samsung Galaxy Expert Raw

Apply Raw Details

  1. In the Library or Develop module, select a supported image that you want to enhance.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Ctrl-click (on Mac)/right-click (on Windows) the image and select Enhance.
    • From the menu bar, choose Photo > Enhance.

  3. In the Enhance Preview dialog box, ensure that Raw Details is selected. Click-and-hold the hand cursor to view the original image and release it to preview the enhanced image. You can also hold down and move the hand cursor to preview the before and after effects on different regions of the image.

  4. Select Enhance to create an enhanced DNG version of your photo.

    Note:

    You can choose to stack the enhanced image with the original image by selecting Create Stack. The enhanced image is saved as a new DNG file with the filename in this format: 'Original filename-Enhanced-RD.DNG' and is placed next to the source image. 

Supported image formats for Raw Details

Raw Details is applicable to Bayer, X-Trans mosaic, and following linear raw files.

  • Adobe Merged HDR
  • Adobe Smart Preview
  • Apple ProRaw
  • Canon mRaw/sRaw
  • Google Pixel Raw
  • Nikon Linear Raw
  • Samsung ExpertRaw
  • Sony Linear Raw

Unsupported file formats for Raw Details

Raw Details does not apply to the following types of source images:

  • Non-raw files such as a JPEGs, TIFFs, and HEICs
  • Linear DNGs (including HDR and pano DNGs created by Merge)
  • DNG proxies (Smart Previews)
  • Monochrome raw files (such as Leica M MONOCHROM)
  • Four-color cameras (such as Sony F828)
  • Foveon cameras
  • Fujifilm cameras with SR, EXR, or 2x4 mosaic sensors.
  • Canon S-RAW/M-RAW files
  • Nikon small raw files
  • Pentax Pixel Shift Resolution (PSR) files
  • Sony ARQ files
  • Video files

Apply Super Resolution

  1. In the Library or Develop module, select the image that you want to enhance.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Control-click (on Mac)/right-click (on Windows) the image and select Enhance from the context menu.
    • From the menu bar, choose Photo > Enhance.
    Lightroom-classic-super-resolution

    Note:

    If you're using Super Resolution in Lightroom or Camera Raw, see:

  3. In the Enhance Preview dialog box, select Super Resolution. The estimated completion time to enhance the image is displayed at the bottom. Once enhanced, click and move the cursor to see other parts of the image. You can also hold the cursor to see the before and after effect on the image.

    The zoom-out icon in the lower-right corner of the preview allows you to view the full image.

    Screenshot of super resolution Enhance Preview to check estimated time and small preview of the image.
    Select the Super Resolution box, and you can check the estimated time

  4. Click Enhance to create an enhanced DNG version of your image. 

    Note:

    You can choose to stack the enhanced image with the original image by selecting Create Stack. The enhanced image is saved as a new DNG file with the filename in this format: 'Original filename-Enhanced-SR.DNG' and is placed next to the source image.

Use a keyboard shortcut to quickly enhance an image

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to enhance an image:

  • Open the Enhance dialog: Ctrl + Option + I (macOS) / Ctrl + Alt + I (Windows)
  •  Apply the last selected option without opening the Enhance dialog : Shift + Ctrl + Option + I (macOS) / Shift + Ctrl + Alt + I (Windows)

Enhance multiple images together

In the Library or Develop module, select the images that you want to enhance and select Enhance from the context menu. The Batch Enhance Preview dialog box will show a preview of the first image or the image that supports all the options. Denoise, Raw Details or Super Resolution (as per your selection) will be applied to all the images once you select Enhance Images.

Screenshot of Batch Enhance Preview window showcasing option to process Enhance features like Denoise, Raw Details and Super Resolution on multiple images together.
Enhance multiple images together.

Note:
  • You can enhance an image only once, which means you cannot reapply Super Resolution to an already enhanced image.
  • The preview for Super Resolution is shown at 2x linear magnification.
  • Super resolution cannot be applied on images having resolution higher than 128 MP or on images having dimension (width or height) greater than 32500 pixels.

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