Denoise issues in Darktable 3.2.1

Software darktable
1

I’ve recently updated from darktable 3.0.1 to 3.2.1 and I’ve noticed that the image output I’m getting is significantly noisier than the darkroom preview.

I’ve tested this with images I previously output from darktable 3.0.1 and the noise is visibly worse, so I believe this is an issue only with 3.2.1. For reference, I shoot with an X-T20 so these are Fuji RAW files.

The image I’m using for demonstration was shot at ISO 6400, but I’ve noticed minor issues with shots taken even at ISO 200.

3.0.1 image: (full size)

DSCF1524_edited
DSCF1524_edited5350×4012 5.62 MB

3.2.1 image: (full size)

DSCF1524_edited_01
DSCF1524_edited_015351×4013 10.3 MB

Darkroom screen capture: (full size)

Annotation 2020-08-16 162541
Annotation 2020-08-16 1625411920×1039 288 KB

Is there a setting that changed in 3.2.1, or is this a bug? Any help is appreciated.

1 Like
2

Do you see a difference between darkroom at 100% zoom level with output?
There was no change on denoise profiled since 3.0.1 so the issue may be somewhere else.
Maybe the sharpen module, which I think was not autoapplied in 3.0.1 and is being autoapplied again in 3.2.1?

3
  • Are you using the same demosaicing settings in 3.0.1 and 3.2.1? That can also affect noise.
  • Have you tried with OpenCL on and off? Does it make a difference?

If all settings are equivalent, and quality got worse, you should raise an issue at Issues · darktable-org/darktable · GitHub

4

I just tried exporting the same image from darktable using the sidecar file on a different machine to check whether it was an issue with darktable or my hardware, and I noticed none of the same issues.

Therefore, I tried a full reinstall, including wiping the database and library files in AppData. To be honest, I’m not really sure why I didn’t try that first.

Not sure what the issue was in the first place, but the reinstall seems to have fixed everything. I really appreciate the help anyway, though!