by Pidgeon Tools·Rendering
Images © Pidgeon Tools. Used for product review; image policy.
SID earns its place in the Superhive library for node-based denoising with three quality tiers and per-pass control. Worth noting this version will not be updated, and a successor is available from Pidgeon Tools.
Super Image Denoiser (SID) is a Blender addon from Pidgeon Tools that denoises images through compositor nodes. Add it with the "Add Super Denoiser" button and your render is denoised once the render completes, with Blender's built-in denoiser disabled. The node-based setup suits render farms.
You pick from three qualities: Standard uses the same setup as OpenImageDenoiser, High balances speed and quality, and Super targets final renders. To avoid wasting performance, you choose which passes to denoise. Diffuse and glossy are always covered, while Emission, Transmission, Environment, and Volumetric can be enabled for the materials in your scene.
For animations, two Temporal Denoiser options use data from the previous and next frame to reduce flickering. A Multi-Layer EXR option writes an EXR file next to your output for external editing. Note that this addon will not be updated; a successor is available on the developer's page.
Super Image Denoiser V4.0 + Beta is best for blender artists denoising still renders and animations, including render-farm setups.
Super Image Denoiser V4.0 + Beta is completely free to download and use.
Super Image Denoiser is added through the "Add Super Denoiser" button, which places its node setup into Blender's compositor. Once added, your render is denoised after the render completes, and Blender's built-in denoiser is disabled. If you change any settings afterward, the "Refresh Super Denoiser" button rebuilds a fresh, unedited version. The whole setup runs on compositor nodes, which makes it suitable for render farms. To get started, you select your denoiser type and quality, then click the button.
Super Image Denoiser handles animations through two Temporal Denoiser options, which draw on data from the previous and next frame to reduce flickering caused by the denoiser reading pixels differently across frames. SID-Temporal needs a working directory on your device where it can temporarily store data and save denoised images. You also choose the final output format for the sequence: PNG, JPEG, EXR, or TIFF, each with its own file size and editing tradeoffs.
Super Image Denoiser lets you pick which passes are denoised so you don't waste performance. Diffuse and glossy surfaces are always denoised by default. Beyond those, you can enable Emission for emissive materials like lamps and glowing surfaces, Transmission for glass and glass-like materials, Environment when the HDRI or sky is visible in your render, and Volumetric for clouds, fog, smoke, and other volume shaders. If a material appears black after denoising, that is a sign you missed enabling its pass.
Super Image Denoiser is listed as free here in the catalog. For current licensing details, check the developer's page from Pidgeon Tools. One thing to keep in mind: this addon will not be updated, and its successor is available separately on the developer's page. If you want the latest denoising workflow, you may want to look at that successor rather than relying on continued updates to this version.
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