Denoise using render elements

[torealise]

Is it possible to make, for example, Photoshop based denoise filter, that will use render elements to achieve best results? (elements like CShading_SourceColor to keep clear texture patterns, and CGeometry elements to let filter recognise geometry, CMasking to do it selective)

[Captain Obvious]

In Photoshop it's going to be pretty difficult. Most of the filters don't work in 32-bit mode and you need 32-bit mode for the compositing to work. The only one that works is the bilateral filter ("Surface Blur"), so what you can do this this:

Combine the raw lighting outputs in add mode ("linear dodge") and then put the raw colours on top in multiply mode, and then put reflections and such on top also in add mode. Then you can run a surface blur on the lighting passes or the reflection passes or whatever to filter stuff.

[Ondra]

We are currently not considering developing a denoising application, because it would take too much time to do it right.