Image rejected for artifacts problem?

[lflupe]

This image I uploaded was rejected for "artifacts problem", which is described as being caused by "low light, bad camera settings, strong compression or excessive post-production." Looking at this image, I don't really see any of these issues. There is almost no noise or compression, the exposure seems fine, and the post-processing I did on the image was the fairly basic adjustments that you do to make a raw image pop.

If anyone could give me some feedback as to why it was rejected, I would appreciate it.

[joanH]

I see a hot spot - high white contrast that could be muted down.

[oleschwander]

The colors are rather dull - maybe one of the reasons?

[ricky336 · Accepted solution]

I would suggest looking at the sky (maybe also the lake) and zoom in close - 100%. There might be some noise issues. Even if this was taken at ISO 100, there still can be some noise issues. So, I would suggest do some more noise reduction, if not done already and resubmit. See what happens!