What went wrong?

[Slabstick]

I took this photograph yesterday. I wanted the sun in the sky but could not get the correct exposure without using my Vivitar ND variable 1000 filter. Do you see the lines in the sky? Is this a result of the filter? I was wondering so, i went back and applied a preset to the photo as i was originally thinking it had something to do with my PP. This is the original photo with only 1 preset applied. Can anyone tell me what the problem is?

[Manfred M]

The image you posted is quite small and I can't see the lines you are referring to. The one thing that does strike me is that the shot is very underexposed. The dynamic range of a direct shot into the sun is going to be challanging; getting the sun exposed properly (i.e. not blown out) means everything else will be underexposed. This looks like a good candidate for an HDR image:

While I don't love the technique, there is a place for it:




This shot is sort of what you got here, with the sunlight being quasi-captured, but the foreground being totally dark:




If you then try to get the foreground to show some detail, the sky is blown out:



And there there are the mid-range values:

[Steve S]

Looks like banding to me. Not shure of the cause. Could be from your filter.

[scriveyn]

The cause is the way the image has been saved: too small (26k). Did the image look like that before you uploaded it to the forum? If so, choose a higher JPEG-quality when saving. If it looked allright immediately before upload, then possibly the forum software automatically resized the image.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Larry,

If you mean the curved contour lines looping around the sun spanning across the sky, I agree with Frank that it is a jpg quality issue.

Cheers,

[Slabstick]

Hi Larry,

If you mean the curved contour lines looping around the sun spanning across the sky, I agree with Frank that it is a jpg quality issue.

Cheers,

Yes exactly, the lines around the sun and across the sky.
I was going for underexposed to only show the sun, silouette,
and color around the sun. The original shot shows the lines too.
When I edit in Lightroom you don't see the lines. Only after export
Do the lines show up.

[DanK]

When I edit in Lightroom you don't see the lines. Only after export
Do the lines show up.

Another clue suggesting jpeg compression artifacts.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Larry,

Yes exactly, the lines around the sun and across the sky.
I was going for underexposed to only show the sun, silhouette,
and color around the sun. The original shot shows the lines too.
When I edit in Lightroom you don't see the lines. Only after export
Do the lines show up.

If the original is also showing the lines, it suggests you might be shooting jpg at the lowest quality setting (perhaps to get more onto a small, or nearly full, card) - I believe this is false economy.

A sunset, particularly one exposed like this, is definitely the type of shot better handled by the 12 or 14 bits of RAW, than the 8 bits of RAW - that said, a "Fine" jpg capture should not show such artefacts before any editing has occurred.

This is the original photo with only 1 preset applied.

However, applying just one preset can cause problems, depending upon what it does. I could 'hit' an egg with a baseball bat just the once and the resultant messiness (if any) of the hit would depend whether it was a gentle 'tap' or a 'smash'

In general, and over simplifying; processing from RAW allows the best bits of the 12/14 bits to be used, rather than start from the 8 bits and stretch things (as happens in PP) so the banding ("posterization") happens.

Of course, if your camera (whatever it is) cannot shoot RAW, I'm not being much help

[Slabstick]

Hey Dave

Of course, if your camera (whatever it is) cannot shoot RAW, I'm not being much help.

I am using a Canon T3i. I shoot everything in RAW. I've never had an issue like this before. I bought a new ND filter 2-1000 I was using this to take this shot. The original is fine. I don't see the lines in Lr. I just have not had any issues with exporting to a JPEG. But I'll look into my setting to see if there is something I can change. Thanks for all the replies.

[Dave Humphries]

I am using a Canon T3i. I shoot everything in RAW. I've never had an issue like this before. I bought a new ND filter 2-1000 I was using this to take this shot. The original is fine. I don't see the lines in Lr. I just have not had any issues with exporting to a JPEG. But I'll look into my setting to see if there is something I can change. Thanks for all the replies.

My comments about jpg quality were related (incorrectly, it seems), to them being camera jpg, edited and saved again (which can 'multiply' the jpg artefacts).

If you shoot RAW, and (we now know) the original is fine/ok, that's more of a mystery, a first generation jpg should be VERY good.

[praphul]

i think its due to image posterization...

have a look at this tutorial

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...terization.htm