Artifacts Problem

[JayLPierstorff]

I

This was rejected for "Artifacts Problem" but perhaps my understanding of artifacts is incorrect. I would appreciate some extra eyes and thoughts on the problem. Not wanting to repeat the same mistakes... Thanks in advance!

[joanH · Accepted solution]

Your first step is always to carefully look at the entire picture at 100% enlargement or more. This is a charming photograph and contains beautiful color. It has blurred areas. The background could be taken out and then drop in one of the background colors without any other items. This gives the subject center stage and interest. Edges of the main subject must be sharp. I thought I detected a few blurs in the back and wing areas. Can you sharpen these? The blur of the right side of the branch does not help. Can you sharpen it too? Best regards, JH

[JayLPierstorff]

Thanks Joan,
I will give your suggestions at try.

[v.poth]

Hi,

the photo has no really sharp areas and you will not be able to change this satisfactorily in any image editing. A blurred image always remains blurred here and in the worst case you increase other image errors such as the artifacts. These are already massively present at the contours of the bird and the branch. Here a postprocessing and a new upload makes no sense, I mean.

Greets,

v.poth

[joanH]

v.poth I am not sure you and I see a photo the same. I am an artist and use Photoshop not as most photographers do. I have done retouching of photographs on the negative in the old days. You would be surprised what can be done with a photograph these days. So I like to encourage experimentation in Photoshop. Perhaps this contributor has more skills and will discover a way to do what you say can not be done. Kindly, JH

[v.poth]

Hi Joanh,

You're right that you could correct a lot with 35mm negatives/diapositives with their high resolution in the past. You won't believe it, I also started photography with analogue film, and no I wouldn't be surprised what was possible back then. But also here you couldn't make a blurred photo into a sharp one.

However, the digital basis of this image is not comparable and does not have such a scope for corrections. Also with a full-frame digital camera and 40-50 megapixels, you won't be able to get a blurred photo sharp afterwards.

The image is already as much post-processed as artifacts are massively visible in the image.

Here surely any basis in the original file is missing to achieve a better image processing and a better image result that would be accepted. Photoshop can't change this with all its functionality, in my opinion.

Greets,

v.poth

[ricky336]

The photo to me looks as if too much noise reduction has taken place. This results in a 'painterly' blurred effect. Based on this the reviewers would reject it, I think.

[joanH]

How about this? Select the section of the branch that is sharp with select tool. Copy it and paste it over the blurred branch and maybe use the darkening tool to sharpen some edges. What about doing the same with parts of the birds sharp areas? Clone tool could be used of sharp sections. One must be adept at this and work at high magnification to match perfectly. Fun to try. With a big grin, JH