what causes these strange blobs on my images: Hi All! I had an experience a couple days ago where I was taking photos of a young couple. I had a lot of the photos come out with these...

achammar Loc: Idaho

Hi All!
I had an experience a couple days ago where I was taking photos of a young couple. I had a lot of the photos come out with these strange ugly blobs on them but the rest of the photo was fine, and it only happened on some of them.
This is a VERY mild example...most were a LOT worse..like half the arm and part of the face in some of them while the rest of the photo was beautiful, while other photos turned out just fine entirely.

In this photo you can see a very small example just above the young lady's top of her dress. It's a dark greyish blob that travels along the dress line a little ways and up her back about an inch in one spot. What in the world causes this?
Thanks!

Blob sample

camharnden237

That's very strange. Post the other photos that had the blobs in them.

achammar wrote:

Hi All! br I had an experience a couple days ago w... (show quote)

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

if you have a white white balance lens cam an take a picture will be able see more clearly what youre dealing with. may be something on shutter

BGenie Loc: Sacramento, CA

I agree with Cam also, post a couple more photos so we can see the problem a little better.
Also, What kind of camera are you using? How old is it? and is it well-used or sits on the shelf most of the year?

My first impression is that your image pickup device is going bad, but with the blobs being inconsistent, that's a 'maybe' at best.

achammar Loc: Idaho

I might have figured it out, but let me test a little more before I post some more images...I don't want to make an idiot out of myself until I'm sure..lol...but I will be back and let you know one way or the other...

achammar Loc: Idaho

OK, I'll tell you what I think it is. I went back to the original copy of the images to find more samples and could not find the same problem. So, I think what is happening is I'm actually causing those blobs in my post processing because of the magic wand missing a selection that I don't notice, I did the changes (this was yesterday), then when going back through them today I'm finding them when I view them in full 100%. That's what I think is happening. There are hundreds of images and I don't remember which ones I edited yesterday so I'm not 100% sure I looked at the right ones yet, so I don't know for sure yet, but I think that's what I did. I have hundreds more to go through still so I will know after awhile...so I think I just embarrassed myself here...but I'll take that over something wrong with my camera...lol

achammar Loc: Idaho

achammar wrote:

OK, I'll tell you what I think it is. I went back... (show quote)

Here is what is happening. I have some images where the white balance is way off and the photos are tinted blue. Here is a crop of an original picture with the blue tint, then a crop of the picture after I decrease the blue using the saturation set to blue. It leaves those horrible marks on her arm. I started out using a warming filter, but then discovered the removing the blue using the blue saturation worked better, but I might go back to the filter...haven't tried it again yet..

original

Blue removed using saturation decrease of blue

vislp Loc: Level Pebble

Does your camera shoot RAW format? If so you'd do yourself a lot more good to shoot RAW and fix the WB in post. It's hard to make that big of an adjustment in a jpeg if that's what this is. You're limited on what you can bring out in a jpeg file. There's a word for what's happening here and I can't think of it right know. It's basically like pixel destruction if I'm remembering right. Maybe someone can verify that though.

achammar Loc: Idaho

vislp wrote:

Does your camera shoot RAW format? If so you'd do yourself a lot more good to shoot RAW and fix the WB in post. It's hard to make that big of an adjustment in a jpeg if that's what this is. You're limited on what you can bring out in a jpeg file. There's a word for what's happening here and I can't think of it right know. It's basically like pixel destruction if I'm remembering right. Maybe someone can verify that though.

I have heard I need to shoot in RAW many times, and I know I should. I shoot weddings and I haven't tried it yet. I need to be able to shoot really fast sometimes, and I'm worried that shooting in RAW will increase the time between shots. I know I need to do it so I might just have to try it at my next wedding coming up and see how it goes. I've never done it and I am nervous about it.
I've learned my settings on my camera in complete manual mode very well with jpeg. Will everything I know about jpeg settings be the same as for RAW?

Thanks!

vislp Loc: Level Pebble

achammar wrote:

quote=vislp Does your camera shoot RAW format? If... (show quote)

Everything's the same, but a RAW file is EVERYTHING the sensor captures. Nothing is lost is the saving process. A jpeg photo is the RAW file with roughly 3/4 of the photos information removed. The cameras software does that. If you shoot in RAW then if for some reason you goof up and forget to set your white balance it's SUPER easy to set it in PP. It's just a matter of a couple of clicks. I shoot in both. RAW+jpeg. I have that option on my 40D. It sure can save a guys butt! LOL

I wouldn't recommend shooting RAW at weddings, unless you're not hurried. My camera will shoot 8 frames per second jpeg and I think only 2-3 RAW + jpeg. If you need to get quick shots RAW is not really the way to go. If you have plenty of time, like the before and after shots at the wedding then it's fine, but if you trying to get them walking/running (LOL) down the isle then you need to be shooting faster. Weddings are tough to shoot I think. I'm not real fond of them but I shoot some of them.

achammar Loc: Idaho

vislp wrote:

achammar wrote:

quote=vislp Does your camera shoot RAW format? If... (show quote)

Everything's the same, but a RAW file is EVERYTHING the sensor captures. Nothing is lost is the saving process. A jpeg photo is the RAW file with roughly 3/4 of the photos information removed. The cameras software does that. If you shoot in RAW then if for some reason you goof up and forget to set your white balance it's SUPER easy to set it in PP. It's just a matter of a couple of clicks. I shoot in both. RAW+jpeg. I have that option on my 40D. It sure can save a guys butt! LOL

I wouldn't recommend shooting RAW at weddings, unless you're not hurried. My camera will shoot 8 frames per second jpeg and I think only 2-3 RAW + jpeg. If you need to get quick shots RAW is not really the way to go. If you have plenty of time, like the before and after shots at the wedding then it's fine, but if you trying to get them walking/running (LOL) down the isle then you need to be shooting faster. Weddings are tough to shoot I think. I'm not real fond of them but I shoot some of them.

quote=achammar quote=vislp Does your camera shoo... (show quote)

Wow...that means only a quarter of the image information is saved in a jpeg. I would like to shoot in RAW and I think I will try that in the non hurried shots and see how it goes. I would like to be able to set the white balance easily instead of using all the color options to get the tone it needs in case I get images where the WB is off, like in my last session...I don't understand why it was, but everything was blue. I am able to fix it quite well with a warming filter, but it sure takes a long time to get it just right...
Thanks for that info. That will help me out a lot...by the way, I have a NIKON D60...very similar to yours I think...

vislp Loc: Level Pebble

I'll give you an idea here. Take your camera somewhere and set the WB to something off the wall that you know is going to give you terrible results. (tungsten when you're outside) Make sure you're set to at least shoot RAW, but better yet shoot RAW+jpeg. Take some shots, then go back to your computer. I don't know what software you're using, but it needs to be like Lightroom I think. I don't run Windows so I'm not up on what programs you can make adjustments to RAW files with in Windows. Download them and start using the WB adjustments in your software and you'll see what I mean. It's so easy you'll be laughing at yourself for not doing it quicker. LOL :)

Then try to do the same thing with the jpeg file. I mean try to remove the blue cast you should get with the tungsten setting. You'll fight it all day and still not get the results you want. :wink:

achammar Loc: Idaho

vislp wrote:

I'll give you an idea here. Take your camera somew... (show quote)

You know what...I am going to try that. Good idea...and I probably will laugh at my self when I see how easy it is...I don't doubt that. I am using Photoshop so I will have to learn where the white balance controls are, but that shouldn't be too difficult...

vislp Loc: Level Pebble

PM me, or post it here if you want, after you do this and let me know how it came out. ;)

achammar Loc: Idaho

vislp wrote:

PM me, or post it here if you want, after you do this and let me know how it came out. ;)

I certainly will do that. It won't be till this weekend at least just so you will know. I have a lot of work to do until then...