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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Grainy Photographs
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Showing posts 1 - 25 of 27, (reverse)
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 02/21/2003 11:54:38 PM · #1
my camera, at 4.1 megapixels is capable of some really nice shots. HOwever, it seems that in many of my shots there is an unwanted element of graininess. Does anyone have an idea of what causes this and how to avoid it? I think I could do much better with my scores if I could get my shots to look sharper... but, most comments about graininess just say that the shot is grainy, with no suggestion for how to fix the problem... I would really really really appreciate any help I get. Thank you so much in advance!
 02/22/2003 12:10:28 AM · #2
Try stronger lighting if possible. That may be a cause. Up your lighting. I know my Camera does not do that well under low light and I get grain then.

John (TurboTech)
02/22/2003 12:48:15 AM · #3
yea that seems to help, but finding the balance is so hard.. it's either to bright or not bright enough :o( maybe I need a camera with a higher fstop number? right now max is F8
 02/22/2003 01:18:38 AM · #4
Try running your photo through "neat image" its an awesome program which sole purpose is to remove noise, (grain).

//www.neatimage.com
 02/22/2003 01:55:10 AM · #5
wow, I was checking those examples out and the results look amazing! have you used this personally yet? have any examples of how it improved your work? thanks for the tip as well!
 02/22/2003 02:27:04 AM · #6
Yes i use it all the time ,it works brilliant for grainy shots unfortunately i dont have the grainy photos i transformed (deleted)

If you want give me a link to a grainy photo and ill run it through for you so you can compare
 02/22/2003 02:33:15 AM · #7
Originally posted by Hoogie:
Yes i use it all the time ,it works brilliant for grainy shots unfortunately i dont have the grainy photos i transformed (deleted)

If you want give me a link to a grainy photo and ill run it through for you so you can compare


Never delete your original file, which contains the original EXIF data. If you have to prove that your photo was taken with a digicam, or you have to show how you achieved a certain result, you will be SOL.
 02/22/2003 02:38:40 AM · #8
Originally posted by Hoogie:
Yes i use it all the time ,it works brilliant for grainy shots unfortunately i dont have the grainy photos i transformed (deleted)

If you want give me a link to a grainy photo and ill run it through for you so you can compare


here ya go Hoogie. thanks for the help
Grainy Photo-Yellow Beard

grainy photo- happy christmas

Message edited by author 2003-02-22 02:40:13.
 02/22/2003 02:39:00 AM · #9
dosent matter i havnt used it on many .

hope you dont mind i ran a pic of yours throuh it so you can compare....was done with lowest settings, better results can be a chieved.

//www.pbase.com/image/13388762



Message edited by author 2003-02-22 02:40:31.
 02/22/2003 02:42:35 AM · #10
hey that's a pretty noticiable difference.. guess I need to break out the old credit card... I haven't got photoshop yet, still using corel photo paint, which has remove noise/moire

I am guessing this new neatimage is better than both corel and photoshop?
 02/22/2003 02:44:21 AM · #11
It has a 30 day free trial you can download give it a whirl mate!
 02/22/2003 02:45:23 AM · #12
think i will do just that. thanks!
 02/22/2003 06:01:37 AM · #13
I have an older version, which has an unlimited free trial, if anyone wants it? The only problem is that you can only save as .bmp with it.
 02/22/2003 09:25:26 AM · #14
I had a lot of noise on some of the pics I shot with my Sony. Unfortunatly I am a MAC user and neat image is only in PC. Does anyone know of an equal product for MAC?
 02/22/2003 10:21:32 AM · #15
*Sighs*... in appropriate photos, grain is a nice touch. Unfortunately there are many voters who don't seem to understand this, in the same way they fail to understand the point of shallow DOF, etc.
 02/22/2003 12:04:52 PM · #16
I think some people may have forgotten something that can be done with the camere before coming to Neatimage. First off, what ISO are you shooting with? Believe it or not a lower ISO is better for low light than a higher one. Check that as well as opening the aperture as much as possible giving you a shorter exposure time. If you want to take a shot with a closed aperture to get a better DOF than add as much as light as possible. Of course it all depends on how much you can control with your camera. I always say try to do what you can to make the image look good while shooting as opposed to relying too much on post-processing.
 02/22/2003 12:14:27 PM · #17
Originally posted by lisae:
*Sighs*... in appropriate photos, grain is a nice touch. Unfortunately there are many voters who don't seem to understand this, in the same way they fail to understand the point of shallow DOF, etc.


ahh perhaps you can show some examples of grain adding to the photo? I think I have seen something like this, but instances where this occurs seem to be few amd far between... do tell!
 02/22/2003 12:36:55 PM · #18
Originally posted by Anachronite:
Originally posted by lisae:
*Sighs*... in appropriate photos, grain is a nice touch. Unfortunately there are many voters who don't seem to understand this, in the same way they fail to understand the point of shallow DOF, etc.


ahh perhaps you can show some examples of grain adding to the photo? I think I have seen something like this, but instances where this occurs seem to be few amd far between... do tell!


I totally agree with lisae on both counts (grain and shallow DOF). Can't think of lots of images that this applies to, but some definitely comes to mind in terms of grain - this website, done by a photographer that I know, has several shots of women, done with a grainy look, that I absolutely adore. I would love to have some shots of me done with that "look". My favorite is under the category of women, - the second shot at the bottom, (black and white of woman on a sofa).

Message edited by author 2003-02-22 12:39:36.
 02/22/2003 10:39:53 PM · #19
This photo from the Windows and Doors challenge is the most recent photo that springs to my mind where I absolutely loved the grainy effect. I can find many more on this site.

My submission for the Love challenge was slightly grainy and I liked it that way, although a few people mentioned that as a flaw.

I'll post more later when I have time to look them up.
 02/22/2003 10:41:52 PM · #20
Let me be sure I understand a rule.
I can add grain/noise if I add it to the full shot?

If the answer is yes then I'll be lookin' fer a 10 from you Lisae! LOL
 02/22/2003 10:49:38 PM · #21
from the challenge rules:

However, no effects filters may be applied to your image, with the exception of Noise and Gaussian blur, the two of which are allowed.

so as long as you use the noise filter with no selection (ie to your whole image), you can :)
 02/22/2003 10:58:47 PM · #22
Originally posted by Refracted:
from the challenge rules:

However, no effects filters may be applied to your image, with the exception of Noise and Gaussian blur, the two of which are allowed.

so as long as you use the noise filter with no selection (ie to your whole image), you can :)

Thank You!! Refracted.
I've never done 'noise' for a challenge. Little spooky, and I read that rule three times, but after I saw folks dropping like flies over the borders issue I'm gun shy. :)
I'm goin' for it!!
 02/22/2003 11:46:15 PM · #23
I use NeatImage a lot, with great results. With some of my pictures for dpchallenge I've used it.

I also like a lot to use grain in b&w pictures. It makes them feel older, not digital.

02/24/2003 11:41:51 PM · #24
Originally posted by lhall:
Originally posted by Anachronite:
Originally posted by lisae:
*Sighs*... in appropriate photos, grain is a nice touch. Unfortunately there are many voters who don't seem to understand this, in the same way they fail to understand the point of shallow DOF, etc.


ahh perhaps you can show some examples of grain adding to the photo? I think I have seen something like this, but instances where this occurs seem to be few amd far between... do tell!


I totally agree with lisae on both counts (grain and shallow DOF). Can't think of lots of images that this applies to, but some definitely comes to mind in terms of grain - this website, done by a photographer that I know, has several shots of women, done with a grainy look, that I absolutely adore. .


I totally agree. The grainy nature of some photos indicates a journalistic, candid feel, as if the event captured on film is so fleeting, the photographer was lucky to get it at all. It gives a feeling of real life, unposed. In my photographing of theatrical productions under extreme low light conditions, for example, the images tend to be grainy, but I am capturing non-stoppable and non-flashable moments in space and time. I feel the graininess and blurriness (not "out-of-focus-ness") of the images lends a real "living" moment to my record of the production. During an official photo-shoot of a production, the actors hold real still as the camera takes long exposures to avoid grain, but these photos normally lack "life." The images in the link above are not all good--most are pretty bad, but they form a record of the show, and I use the photos in fun ways in backgrounds, etc. on the web and in brochures. A few, however, are pretty good (in my humble opinion). Check out some of the very contrasty and grainy storytellers on the second page of "The Boy Who Drew Cats." I think some of these are very nice and gritty. There are also a few decent photographs if you click on "Selkie."

We can see some of this technique applied to film and commercials. Note how some commercials add graininess to simulate TV cameras, like the recent commercial for a computer game in which London cops fight and chase down a criminal.

I love grain. I think it adds a feeling of "reality" or a feeling that the photo is somehow less "posed." GO GRAIN!

Message edited by author 2003-02-24 23:47:38.
 02/25/2003 04:23:10 AM · #25
I love grain. I think it adds a feeling of "reality" or a feeling that the photo is somehow less "posed." GO GRAIN!



amen to that! ;) i love grain as well, but i generally tend to add it mainly to my B&W people pics...probably because of the same reason you mentioned. i do, however, like it just as much in any sort of B&W photo--i dont know that i like it in color quite as much. for some reason i like my color shots to be *smoother*, dunno why!
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