Cause of spots and best way to remove them: The uploaded photo has two spots, one off the left antenna of the butterfly and one of the tip of its left wing. Can anyone tell me what...

RustyM

The uploaded photo has two spots, one off the left antenna of the butterfly and one of the tip of its left wing. Can anyone tell me what caused these and the best way to remove them? I tried using the spot healing tool in PS, but it didn't do a very satisfactory job. Thanks in advance for your help.

(Download)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Since there appears to be color behind the spot, I'd suggest cleaning the lens, front and back first.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Sounds like they must have been dust on your sensor... Clean your sensor, either yourself or pay to have it done...I've used the spot removal tool in Lightroom to remove spots until I got the sensor cleaned

treadwl Loc: South Florida

If those two big round spots are on your sensor you have a real big problem. Most sensor spots are much smaller and not that bright---dust spots are usually dark. With something that big, it looks like it might be oily or greasy, I'd have the sensor cleaned by a pro so you don't smear it yourself.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

they're bokeh

bleirer

In Photoshop, the spot healing brush should have done it, if not there are other options. The patch tool is good, in the same menu as spot healing. Switch it to 'content aware' in the drop down menu at the top in the tool options area. Roughly circle the spot then drag it to an area you want to pick up as replacement. The structure and color slider lets you fine tune the result. Be patient it takes time for these to engage.

Video here https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/content-aware-patch-move.html

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

These kinds of topics are fun because of the wildly varying guesses. The exif says no flash was used. What is the light source that is brightening the twig on right and making a strong shadow from the butterfly's wing?

To me the spots look like similar to an out of focus drop of water, or reflection/flare caused by the light source.

If they are on your sensor or lens, some controlled test shots will show them again.

Wanda Krack Loc: Tennessee, USA

It looks like a lens flare to me. You can do somewhat of a fix in PS and sometimes they are difficult to remove . With my PS program, I would use the clone tool, but lightroom might have a fix, I don't use it.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Toment wrote:

they're bokeh

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

treadwl wrote:

If those two big round spots are on your sensor you have a real big problem. Most sensor spots are much smaller and not that bright---dust spots are usually dark. With something that big, it looks like it might be oily or greasy, I'd have the sensor cleaned by a pro so you don't smear it yourself.

They look like his attempts to remove the spots...

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

RustyM wrote:

The uploaded photo has two spots, one off the left antenna of the butterfly and one of the tip of its left wing. Can anyone tell me what caused these and the best way to remove them? I tried using the spot healing tool in PS, but it didn't do a very satisfactory job. Thanks in advance for your help.

Longshadow made a good suggestion! To me it looks like dirt or a dried up water drop on the lens, it definitely is not dust on the sensor, nor does it look like any flair, so I second his recommendation, clean your lens!

RustyM

Linda From Maine wrote:

These kinds of topics are fun because of the wildly varying guesses. The exif says no flash was used. What is the light source that is brightening the twig on right and making a strong shadow from the butterfly's wing?

To me the spots look like similar to an out of focus drop of water, or reflection/flare caused by the light source.

If they are on your sensor or lens, some controlled test shots will show them again.

Linda, I think you may be on to something with the out of focus drop of water. The light source was the sun, the butterfly was near vegetation, and the shot was taken fairly early in the day when moisture was likely to be present. My camera is fixed lens, so it's not likely to be sensor dust. The artifacts don't show up on shots taken close to the same time, so it is not likely to be dust on the lens.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

speters wrote:

My guess also. You can try "clone" to remove.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

RustyM wrote:

Linda, I think you may be on to something with the out of focus drop of water. The light source was the sun, the butterfly was near vegetation, and the shot was taken fairly early in the day when moisture was likely to be present. My camera is fixed lens, so it's not likely to be sensor dust. The artifacts don't show up on shots taken close to the same time, so it is not likely to be dust on the lens.

More information such as this would have been helpful as the EXIF info was stripped...

Mr Bill 2011 Loc: southern Indiana

After looking at the spots in the downloaded picture, they look like water droplets on the front lens. Are they visible on any pictures taken immediately before or after that one?