NGDCNet: Noise Gating Dynamic Convolutional Network for Image Denoising

Abstract

Deep convolution neural networks (CNNs) have become popular for image denoising due to their robust learning capabilities. However, many methods tend to increase the receptive field to improve performance, which leads to over-smoothed results and loss of critical high-frequency information such as edges and texture. In this research, we introduce an innovative end-to-end denoising network named the noise gating dynamic convolutional network (NGDCNet). By integrating dynamic convolution and noise gating mechanisms, our approach effectively reduces noise while retaining finer image details. Through a series of experiments, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of NGDCNet by comparing it quantitatively and visually against state-of-the-art denoising methods. Additionally, we provide an ablation study to analyze the contributions of dynamic convolutional blocks and noise gating blocks. Our experimental findings demonstrate that NGDCNet excels in noise reduction while preserving essential texture information.