One of the reader comments on my previous post about Raw noise removal reminded me of an issue I should have mentioned earlier.
The new generation of DSLRs, such as the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5DMkII, have fantastic ISO capabilities. If you are shooting with one of these, at low ISOs, it's easy to comfortably ignore noise removal, because the images are so "clean".
But I hark back to an important point in my previous post - namely, the awfully high default setting of the Color noise slider.
As I discussed, a too-high setting on that slider will go way beyond fixing colour noise, and begin "fixing" - that is, ruining - good colour in your pixels. That default setting of 25 is outrageously high for a D700 or a 5DII.
So I urge you not to be complacent. Always check the noise situation, and only use as much colour noise removal as is absolutely necessary. In some cases, you'll only require a setting of 2, 1, or even 0.