High ISO work no longer ruins detail or color. With current sensors and AI denoising, you can push exposure in dim scenes and still keep texture intact.

Coming to you from Jason Row Photography, this detailed video compares Lightroom’s Denoise with DxO PureRAW using two challenging files. One is a Bangkok night scene from a 61-megapixel Sony a7R V at 12,800 ISO. The other is a 2007 ship image from a 12-megapixel Nikon D2X at high ISO. Row runs each raw through Lightroom’s Enhance and Denoise and then through PureRAW using DeepPRIME 3, exporting DNGs and viewing both at 100% and 200%. The test makes clear how each app handles shadow grit, color noise, and edge preservation.

PureRAW generally pulls ahead when it comes to noise texture in flat areas and darker tones, especially on the older D2X file. It keeps edge detail while smoothing away harsh luminance noise. Lightroom often appears sharper, but that crispness can come from residual noise rather than real detail. On the Bangkok shot, the license plate and metal textures retain definition while noise recedes. The older Nikon frame transforms from blotchy and rough to something tighter and more natural, which makes it easier to color grade later.

The video also exposes workflow realities. PureRAW adds an extra step because you must process files to DNG before editing. Row notes that PureRAW runs faster on the large Sony file than Lightroom’s Denoise on his system, which could save real time on big shoots. 

Row’s side-by-side view highlights how modern software can revive older archives. Early DSLR files, travel archives, or low-light work from years ago can now look fresh again. Recovering detail from those older raws means you can re-edit legacy images with confidence and even print them at larger sizes than before.

The test keeps processing simple to show what denoising alone does. You see noise reduction, demosaicing, and sharpening behavior without stylistic grading hiding the effects. It becomes clear when to denoise in your own pipeline, how each program balances grain versus detail, and which approach better fits your editing rhythm. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Row.