The noise is from high iso and underexposure. I'd say most of your images are at least 1/2 stop under and that means noise.
Noise reduction: What you can do in DPP is on the 3rd tab (Noise/ALO) of the Tool Palette you will find the noise reduction sliders in the middle of the window. Play with them till you get what you like. Your images have both chromatic (Color) and Luninance (white) noise. The best method is get the exposure right and your noise will disappear.
White balance: On the Raw tab you have 3 good options to change white balance to match your environment, (1) Click any of the 6 preset WB's listed. (2) (My favorite) slide the Color temperature slider till you like what you see. But unless you have a calibrated monitor you may over shoot the color. We'll let you know if your way off. (3) Use the eyedropper and click on a neutral color like black, white or grey to correct it.
Sharpen only after you have everything else right or Mr. Luminance Noise will pay you a return visit.
We want to help you improve so don't be afraid to ask me or any of the others here.
Also, in raw you can save but will not alter the original file since raw images are not really images, just metadata. Paul
sierra
13-Jan-2012 19:43
I notice a lot of noise toward the top of this pic. Is the wb applicable in maybe reducing some of this? Or is it primarily the iso that needs adjusting?
sierra
13-Jan-2012 19:31
I am shooting in raw. And I have only been adjusting sharpness. I never thought about adjusting the wb. But I will now. Obviously I am brand new to dslr photography. So am learning something new everyday. I start a dslr class this month, so hopefully I will learn all of these basics in depth. But I appreciate any feedback, it has been very helpful.
Two questions for you Sierra, do you shoot raw or jpeg and do you know how to change the white balance setting in your camera? I've noticed your camera white balance is off. You need to adjust it for each shot depending on the light or shoot raw where it is easy to adjust WB after the shot. Paul