V-Ray Tip: V-Ray + Wavelet Denoise Workflow for Detail‑Preserving Noise Reduction

Preserve micro-detail while eliminating stubborn noise by pairing V-Ray’s denoising workflow with a wavelet-based pass in compositing.

• When to prefer wavelet denoise:
  • Stills with high-frequency detail: fabrics, hair, foliage, car flakes, brushed metals, micro-bump.
  • Interiors with glossy GI where small, bright sources create fine speckle or fireflies.
  • Product shots that must retain crisp edge definition and texture fidelity.
• Baseline V-Ray render setup (to keep detail for post denoise):
  • Target a moderate noise threshold (0.02–0.04). Don’t oversample to perfection—save time and let denoise finish the job.
  • Enable Clamp Max Ray Intensity or use responsible highlight clamping to reduce fireflies before denoising.
  • Use proper color management (linear workflow, 32-bit EXR) to maximize denoiser latitude.
• Two practical workflows:
  • In-frame denoise (fast look-dev):
    • Use the V-Ray Denoiser in the VFB. Start with “Mild/Default” strength and keep radius conservative to avoid texture washout.
    • Denoise selectively: enable the Denoiser for Beauty and key utility AOVs you’ll grade heavily (e.g., Reflection).
  • Wavelet denoise in comp (detail-preserving production approach):
    • Disable final denoise, output multi-channel 32-bit EXR: Beauty, Albedo (Diffuse Filter), Normals, Cryptomatte, Reflection/Refraction, and optionally Velocity.
    • In Nuke, Fusion, or similar, apply a Wavelet Denoise node. Work multi-scale: denoise high frequencies more than low-mid to keep forms intact.
    • Use Albedo and Normals as guides/mattes to protect edges, logos, micro-roughness, and text.
• Starting points that balance cleanup and fidelity:
  • V-Ray Denoiser: Amount 0.4–0.6, small-to-medium radius, “Preserve detail” bias if available.
  • Wavelet Denoise: Heavier thresholds on high-frequency bands; light-to-moderate on mid/low. Iterate by soloing bands to see what you’re removing.
  • Post add-back: A subtle High Pass or VFB Sharpen (low amount, large radius) can restore snap if needed.
• Animation notes:
  • Prefer temporal denoising for sequences to avoid shimmer. If using in-comp wavelet denoise, blend across frames with optical flow or motion vectors when supported.
  • Lock random seeds and keep consistent light/camera sampling to prevent per-frame noise variance.
• Quality assurance checklist:
  • Zoom 100–200% on hair, displacement edges, and tiny speculars—these reveal over-denoise first.
  • Compare Raw vs Denoised A/B in VFB History or comp. Keep a path to revert per-pass if you push too far.
  • Protect critical textures (text, micro-patterns) with mattes; denoise the rest more aggressively.
• Time-saving tips:
  • Use Render Masks/Region renders to iterate only on noisy patches.
  • Balance render vs denoise: a slightly higher noise threshold plus a tuned wavelet pass often beats doubling render time.

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