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Discussion
8 Years Ago
I have been wondering what causes the sky to look like that? I don't know what you call it but I know it shouldn't look like that. I am finally going to have some time to get out and play around with my camera....and I want to resolve the issue with sky...it seems my sky always looks this way and would really like it not to happen any more.
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8 Years Ago
It's digital noise. There are many causes, but more often than not it's caused by a high ISO needed to shoot in low light. Solid colored areas like skies are very susceptible to this. You might try running the photo through Neat Image. They have a free version available for download.
http://www.neatimage.com/
8 Years Ago
looks like smears on it. or is that my monitor *leans forward and blows on it* Hmmm nope, looks like dirty lens
8 Years Ago
Heather I didn't know what it is called...thank you!
Chuck ...thank you...I wouldn't have thought this was low light...just cloudy...and can't remember what settings were used but it happen often to my sky. This is not an image I care to save...but might try to see if it works on some others I would like to save.
8 Years Ago
Abbie LOL...it does look smeary! The lens could have been dirty but I don't think that was it.
8 Years Ago
Honestly, I don't see the problem inside that red rectangle. What noise? I don't see any noise. What smear? I don't see any smear. What's wrong with it?
I clicked all around that red rectangle on the high-res preview, and nothing eye gashing stands out. Can you describe in words what concerns you about it?
Noise would have been my first guess, even without examining the picture, but I just do not see any noticeable when I DO examine it online.
If it is there, and I don't see it, then maybe I should be asking, "What's wrong with ME?" I fear the answers. (^_^)
8 Years Ago
What's wrong with Robert? Well...
That's for another thread. :P
I hate the green box. Everything looks bad in the green box to me. I could see the noise without even trying the green box. Maybe you weren't wearing your cheaters?
8 Years Ago
Val - I never knew what they all meant by "the noise". In real life - the sky looks squiggly like that to me anyhow.
8 Years Ago
Valerie.. to me it looks like both noise and .jpg artifacts. Have you somehow changed the resolution of your camera? It looks like very low quality to me and usually this will show up in areas that have little to no texture and in areas with gradients.
Also, are you shooting in RAW? or .jpg.
If shooting in RAW format you would be using something like Lightroom that would tell you what ISO/shutterspeed you were using.
If it's a .jpg, then right-click on the original .jpg (and not a saved for the web version which strips info) verify the .exif information - it will tell you all that also.
8 Years Ago
looks like noise. a cheaper camera will show that. noise can be gritty, but it can be blotchy as well. i think they call that low level noise.
---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com
8 Years Ago
Looks like more than noise to me. There is a blotchy appearance that tends to show up after you run it through a noise reduction filter.
Mike, just saw your post. Yes, agreed.
8 Years Ago
... still not seeing it too clearly, even after zooming to 200% on my screen, AFTER clicking on the green-square full-res preview, which the FAA website suddenly began to disallow.
Maybe there was some subtle pinkish blotches interrupting an otherwise smooth gray gradient, but, on my screen, it's just not that big of a stand-out issue. In effect, ON MY SCREEN, I still do not see any great worry -- it's basically a gray sky.
You guys must have some sort of laser, molecular vision that I did not inherit. I feel soooooooooo inferior as an artist.
8 Years Ago
Robert the sky is two colors all sort of squiggled together just like Janine says...it is...but not quite like that :) There are two distinct colors in the sky of that photograph...two grays... one a little more red Which would be fine if they weren't all squiggled together.
Chuck don't say that...the green box is my friend :)
Janine LOL I didn't know what noise was either...
8 Years Ago
Found this: Mottle: Mottle is an artifact that appears as spots or blotches of different color or shades of color within a continuous tone.
Link to some definitions including 'Mottle': http://www.veer.com/more/contributor/faq/tips-and-tricks/what-are-common-digital-artifacts/
8 Years Ago
Skies are prone to 'color noise'. If you're using Lightroom, there's an adjustment for this. The rectangular boundaries are more puzzling, they do look like jpg artifacting., Is this a jpg direct from a camera?
8 Years Ago
Maggie ...exactly!
Mike it was a cheaper camera. And now that I think about it always messed up skies! At least light ones.
Patricia I am thinking you are right...something on the lens too. Abbie was right! I just cleaned the lens and some bluish stuff came off. IDK what that was?
Melissa it sounds like you are talking about dirt. Soils become mottled and it looks just like that!
8 Years Ago
its the first thing i look for in a new camera - what does the noise look like? what does it do in the sky, in shadow? is it grainy or blotchy... and if it looks like that i move on.
blue stuff.... smurph related? if the lens comes off clean the back of the lens and the sensor if you can.
---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com
Glenn McCarthy Art and Photography
8 Years Ago
Less expensive cameras and sensors don't get all the information possible for some shots. You end up with magenta pixel blocks... especially in sky shots. It's like there is some shading in that area that just can't quite seem to be recorded correctly or as finely. Takes lots of messing around with color and shading to remove it. Sometimes better to accept it and blend it into the image.
8 Years Ago
If it was shot in jpeg mode, it can be the cameras automatic noise reduction causing blotches.
8 Years Ago
Jim ...it came out of a camera and I might not have edited it...an old shot... but good for seeing what I am talking about.
Mike I just won't use that camera anymore. In a way I was hoping it was something I did...so I could fix it.
8 Years Ago
Sometimes the camera can detect what the human eye cannot. You may have accidentally captured a phenomenal natural phenomenon no one has ever seen before
(but probably not)
8 Years Ago
Someone else recently posted a photo with that odd rectangular artifacting and I don't recall seeing a resolution. JPG compression works in blocks - 'cells' and that while it's certainly not supposed to make those boundaries visible, sometimes the algorithms get fooled and the cells end up with visible edges. This happens more often in slowly changing areas like skies. And I think in somewhat uniform areas of an image, the blocks (cells) are larger because there's less detail and more compression can be applied.
In this case, the rectangles seem to be somewhat alternating between grey and magenta. Maybe the compression algorithm is interacting with the color noise and ends up doing something weird with it. Just my speculation, and I'd like to know the real cause in these cases.
Really, the way to avoid anything like this is to shoot 'raw' and use Lightroom for noise reduction and removal of chromatic aberration.
8 Years Ago
Glen I like your advice to accept it and move on... playing around with a bad image seems pointless to me now.
Mark I think that is a JPG file Most of my files are PNG that I think is not.
Mark B... that's funny! I think you are right...probably not :)
Jim thank you. It does seem like the camera can't decide which color to use and just pics both. I will be sure to shoot RAW and work on my editing skills. OR just delete everything that turns out weird...that might be might best option.