Noise reduction in color digital images using pyramid decomposition

A method of removing noise from a color digital image, comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving an original color digital image including a plurality of pixels represented in a primary-color space;
• (b) producing at least one residual digital image and at least one base digital image from the original color digital image, the base digital image having a lower spatial resolution then the original color digital image;
• (c) producing a noise reduced digital image by removing noise from the residual image and the base digital image with a noise reduction filter and combining the noise reduced base digital image with the noise reduced residual image to produce a reconstructed digital image having reduced noise;
• (d) transforming the reconstructed digital image into a luminance-chrorninance color space;
• (e) repeating steps (b) and (c) on the luminance-chrominance digital image to produce a reconstructed luminance-chrominance digital image;
• and
• (f) transforming the reconstructed luminance-chrominance digital image into a noise reduced digital image in the original primary color space.