Reduce image noise and JPEG artifacts

Last updated on Oct 6, 2026

Apply the Reduce Noise filter to minimize luminance and color noise while preserving image detail and sharpness.

Removing image noise improves the visual quality of photos affected by high ISO settings, underexposure, or scanning artifacts while maintaining important edge details.

Image noise manifests as unwanted visual artifacts in your photos. Luminance noise appears as grainy or patchy variations in brightness, while color noise shows up as random-colored pixels scattered throughout the image. This procedure works on 8-bit and 16-bit images in RGB or Grayscale mode. For AI-powered noise reduction alternatives, see Enhance images with generative AI filters.

Image noise commonly occurs when photographing with high ISO settings, shooting in low light with slow shutter speeds, or using consumer-grade cameras. Scanned film images may also display noise from the scanning sensor or the original film's grain pattern.

An image with visible luminance or color noise
Image in 8-bit or 16-bit RGB or Grayscale mode
Photoshop 2023 or later for optimal results

Apply basic noise reduction

Open your image and select Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise.

In the preview window, zoom to at least 100% to clearly see the noise in your image.

Drag the Strength slider to control luminance noise reduction across all channels.

Adjust Preserve Details to balance detail retention with noise reduction. Higher values retain more detail but reduce less noise.

Increase Reduce Color Noise to remove colored pixel artifacts while maintaining image colors.

Use Sharpen Details to restore sharpness loss during noise reduction, or plan to apply sharpening filters afterward.

Select Remove JPEG Artifacts to eliminate blocky compression artifacts and halos from low-quality JPEG files.

Select OK to apply the filter.

Balance the Strength and Preserve Details controls to achieve optimal noise reduction without sacrificing important image details like hair texture or fine patterns.

Reduce noise in specific color channels

If noise appears predominantly in one color channel—typically the blue channel—you can target that channel specifically to preserve more overall image detail.

Before opening the filter, examine each color channel separately in the Channels panel to identify which channel contains the most noise.

Select Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise.

Select Advanced at the top of the dialog box.

Choose the noisy channel from the Channel menu.

Adjust Strength and Preserve Details for the selected channel.

Repeat for any additional noisy channels, leaving cleaner channels unaffected.

Select OK to apply the corrections.

Tip

Correcting individual channels preserves more image detail than applying strong overall corrections to all channels simultaneously.

For additional noise reduction techniques, explore Neural Filters or AI-powered options. If your image also exhibits lens distortion or optical defects, see Correct image distortion and noise.

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