software on Cliff538

Denoise: LightRoom vs DxO PureRAW 5

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:04:03 -0700

A quick down-and-dirty comparison between LR and DxO denoise. There is a very clear winner here.

I was doing a fair amount of low-light shooting with my OM-1 Mark II, and the noise was just killing me during editing. I recently purchased DxO PureRAW 5 and haven’t really used it yet. I thought I’d do a quick comparison. Nothing scientific here, and I’m not even sure how much will show up in the screenshots below.

The OM-1 is a 20.4 MP Micro Four Thirds sensor and does not handle low light very well. So noise can be a real issue at times. I’ve always just used LR denoise, and it’s been good enough, but after seeing what DxO can do, I’ll be using DxO for all serious noise issues.

Here is LR denoise vs. out-of-the-camera ORF (raw): You can really see how noisy the OM-1 is in low light!

Here is DxO denoise vs. out of the camera ORF:

Finally, here is DxO vs. LR: I zoomed in to 200% for the best comparison.

In Summary, I hope you can see the large differences in the screenshots. The clear, hands-down winner is DxO. I would love for Adobe to improve the denoise in LR so I could skip this extra step, but here we are. Something to look for with denoise is preservation of detail; denoise tends to soften your picture, leaving you with less detail where you may want it. DxO also did a much better job in preserving details.

DxO also provided Optical Corrections: Lens Sharpness Optimization, Vignetting, Chromatic aberration, and Lens Distortion, but I did not take the time to analyze these.

I’m extremely impressed with DxO’s performance. On the downsides, it takes a while to process, and it’s an extra step in your workflow, but if you have a lot of noise, it’s worth the extra time. My average processing time per picture was 17-25 seconds.

I also learned that LR isn’t as bad as I thought. I’ll still use it for light noise issues, or when time is a factor, but for your good shots where you want maximum noise reduction and preservation of detail, DxO is worth every penny and your time.

Whether this is worth it to you depends on the camera you are using and the conditions you are shooting in. At the time of this blog post, DxO PureRAW 6 costs $139.99 as a one-time fee. If you just post your shots to social media in low-quality JPGs, you may not even need to denoise. But if noise is an issue for you and you’ve been unhappy with the software you are using, it’s worth your time to test-drive DxO.

Let’s go shoot some pictures tomorrow!

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 -0700

Excellent information about Safe Mode for Mac users, including what it is and when to use it.

Howard’s website is a wealth of information and apps for understanding and diagnosing your Mac. Plus some great Art History lessons as well.

Koofr and pCloud

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:28:46 -0700

Well, I’m uploading 2TB of photos to Koofr, so far, so good.

I’m new to them, and setting everything up has been straightforward so far.

I also signed up with pCloud and set it up, but I haven’t used it much yet. I can say I prefer pCloud’s interface, which looks and feels better to me.

After using both, I’ll let you know the pros and cons.

#koofr

#pcloud

Bringing a Little Joy Into My Day and Weekly Planning

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:22:31 -0700

There are endless blog posts about the latest to-do apps and systems. My goal is not to proclaim from the rooftops that I’ve found the secret to daily planning success but to share some thoughts on a few options that I have found very rewarding.

I have a constant struggle with Analog vs Digital; it perturbs me how much I think about this. I’ve given up worrying about which type of system it is, and I do what feels right and what keeps me on track. And, if that system brings a little joy to the process, even better.

I’ve been a Things app user for years now and love it. It’s quick and easy on all my devices and syncs well. It’s always on my desktop at home as a gentle reminder to keep me on track for the day. My problem with it is planning my week or my day. Things is an ever-growing constant list that mostly sits stagnant, and I have little interaction with it on a daily basis. I’ve tried building my day in calendar apps, and that works, but they don’t stay open. I close them at some point, and the day aimlessly drifts off down rabbit holes. One requirement I’ve found is that the day planner must always be visible.

When planning my week and day, I was missing something and wasn’t staying on track throughout the day. It’s all there in Things, but I don’t have any draw to it; I can’t touch it or grab it and alter it. I’m primarily digital, but I need/crave some pen and paper touch—not too much, though; I’ve tried paper journaling, and that’s too much. I love journaling in DayOne.

Enter Ugmonk. First, this is not a cheap system upfront, but by the time you read this, they will have a much more affordable metal version for sale (launching February 19th, 2025), which has been much needed. Also, this system is not complex; you could easily make your own with some woodworking skills or a 3D printer and 3x5 cards. The cost for me is worth it; it brings me a little joy, it looks great sitting on the desk, and I’ve stayed on track better throughout the day.

I’ve been using the system for over a month and love it. I’m still not sold on using the weekly and daily views together, but for now, it’s both. It comes down to how your brain works and what you need to see. I’m a person with an odd job. I’m away from home for 3 to 4 days a week. So, when I’m home, I need to see what is left of my week and what I want to accomplish that day. I never know what day of the week or day of the month it is; it just doesn’t matter to me. I have large calendar widgets on all my devices to help me remember. All I want to know, what I need to know, is how many days off I have until I go back to work and what I want to get done on those days.

I use the weekly card for this. On my first day off, I grab a fresh card and my favorite pen and map out my week in broad strokes; it sits on my desk, so I’m constantly reminded. Then, each day, I formulate a plan with the daily card.

There is something special about grabbing that thick, beautiful paper and writing on it with your favorite pen. It gives substance to the plan; it sinks it just a little bit deeper into memory by writing it out. It makes me smile; it brings just a little joy, and I like that. Plus, I always have paper to quickly grab to make quick notes using the backside of the weekly or daily card. When done with the day or the week, I can store them away, or I’ve been using them for bookmarks.

As an option to this analog version, I just learned about Tweek. I’ve used this alongside my Ugmonk/Things system just for testing. I think Tweek is really cool; I wish I had come up with it. If I ever want to drop Ugmonk, I’d go with Tweek. They have full function under their free plan, so you can test it to see if it fits into your world. But it’s sterile for me; I need some analog, I need to touch some nice paper, and I need to use my favorite pen. I need that little piece of joy to start my day, the constant visual reminder, and that satisfaction of marking off an item with my Sharpie.

I hope some of this helps you with your task list. Thank you, as always, for visiting my little piece of the web. Cheers!

Things

Ugmonk

tweek.so