Exercise: Corrections
This exercise looks at the corrections applied to digital images, in particular removing dust shadows and lens flare. It also brings up questions about the validity and ‘truthfulness’ of an image that has been altered.
For the exercise I selected four images – one with a lens flare and three with various dust specks.
My camera settings were as follows:
JPEG and raw, large files
White balance: daylight
ISO speed: 50
Lens flare
I started exploring the corrections with a lens flare. Previously, I found it quite difficult to correct the flare in the way that would be totally unnoticeable. I was really looking forward to exploring different ways of correcting this natural trick of light.
In the image below, the most noticeable flare effect is found in the top right and bottom left corners. Additionally, there are patches of discolouration that are going across the image from the bottom left to the top right corner.
Picture 1: Image before adjustments
Picture 2: Image after the adjustments with a clone stamp tool set to Normal
I tried two different ways of correcting the flare: 1) using a clone stamp tool set to ‘Colour’ and then to ‘Darken’; 2) using a clone stamp tool set to ‘Normal’.
On this image, both approaches worked equally well though I made a conclusion that the first approach might achieve better outcomes in more challenging conditions (for example, when flare causes discolouration of a larger part of an image). I was really pleased to discover this method as it was new to me. It made me realise the extent of the clone tool’s capabilities and encouraged me to start exploring the options that I haven’t previously used.
