Loop filter apparatus and method for video coding

A loop filter apparatus for processing a reconstructed picture of a video stream, the reconstructed picture including a plurality of samples, the loop filter apparatus comprising:

• processing circuitry configured to:
• apply a first partition to at least a portion of the reconstructed picture for partitioning the portion of the reconstructed picture into a plurality of sample blocks;
• filter one or more of the plurality of sample blocks by applying a respective noise suppression filter to the one or more of the plurality of sample blocks to obtain one or more filtered sample blocks, wherein the one or more of the plurality of sample blocks are defined by an application map, wherein the respective noise suppression filter depends on the application map, wherein the application map partitions at least the portion of the reconstructed picture into a plurality of regions and defines, for each respective region of the plurality of regions, one or more filtered sample blocks or one or more unfiltered sample blocks of the plurality of sample blocks from the respective region to be used for generating the filtered reconstructed picture;
• and
• generate a filtered reconstructed picture based on the one or more unfiltered sample blocks and the one or more filtered sample blocks.