Why So Splotchy and Dark??

[foxfamily238]

Ok. WE use a new Nikon D80.
We also use bright 500 Watt umbrella lighting.
We have it set to hi-rez, large/fine jpg.

Why are all our images so low resolution, pixelated, splotchy and dark??

arg!

 

[Garbz]

low resolution? What is the resolution of the original image? If you take the length and multiply it by the width and don't get the megapixel number of your camera then something is wrong.

Also there's nothing in focus in that shot. What does the original look like?

 

[Kish]

Is this the entire picture?

What is the focus point?

 

[foxfamily238]

Resolution of shot was at Large and fine.

Umbrella lighting. We had 2 umbrella lights as well as normal lighting.
I'm not sure on what "de-noising" is. That would be nice to know how to accomplish some "de-noising"! How do i do this?

EXIF info: Well, the main things were...
Flash off, ISO @ 200, White balance on 1, contrast 2, says f5.3, metering mode was center weight, exposure mode-auto, sat-0, i believe it was on sRGB2.

Alll of our images (especially with black background) comes out WAY red for some reason, and having a hard time fixing that.

No filters on the camera. Straight shot.

low resolution? What is the resolution of the original image? If you take the length and multiply it by the width and don't get the megapixel number of your camera then something is wrong.

Also there's nothing in focus in that shot. What does the original look like?

 

[Pure]

Straight from EXIF viewer on FF.

# Camera Make = NIKON CORPORATION
# Camera Model = NIKON D80
# Picture Orientation = normal (1)
# X-Resolution = 3000000/10000 = 300
# Y-Resolution = 3000000/10000 = 300
# X/Y-Resolution Unit = inch (2)
# Software/Firmware Version = Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
# Last Modified Date/Time = 2009:02:14 21:26:50
# White Point Chromaticity = 313/1000,329/1000 = 0.313, 0.329,
# Primary Chromaticities = 64/100,33/100,21/100,71/100,15/100,6/100 = 0.64, 0.33, 0.21, 0.71, 0.15, 0.06,
# Y/Cb/Cr Coefficients = 299/1000,587/1000,114/1000 = 0.299, 0.587, 0.114,
# Y/Cb/Cr Positioning (Subsampling) = centered / center of pixel array (1)

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 5/300 second = 1/60 second = 0.01667 second
# Lens F-Number/F-Stop = 5/1 = F5
# Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 200
# Exif Version = 0221
# Original Date/Time = 2009:01:16 07:57:17
# Digitization Date/Time = 2009:01:16 07:57:17
# Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
# Exposure Bias (EV) = 0/6 = 0
# Max Aperture Value (APEX) = 43/10 = 4.3
Max Aperture = F4.44
# Metering Mode = center weighted average (2)
# Light Source / White Balance = unknown (0)
# Flash = Flash did not fire
# Focal Length = 28/1 mm = 28 mm
# User Comment (Hex) = 0x41,0x53,0x43,0x49,0x49,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20
User Comment Character Code = ASCII
User Comment =
# Last Modified Subsecond Time = 80
# Original Subsecond Time = 80
# Digitized Subsecond Time = 80
# FlashPix Version = 0100
# Colour Space = 65535
# Image Width = 618 pixels
# Image Height = 618 pixels
# Image Sensing Method = one-chip color area sensor (2)
# Image Source = digital still camera (DSC)
# Scene Type = directly photographed image
# Colour Filter Array (CFA) Geometric Pattern = 0x00,0x02,0x00,0x02,0x01,0x02,0x00,0x01
# Custom Rendered = normal process (0)
# Exposure Mode = auto exposure (0)
# White Balance = manual (1)
# Digital Zoom Ratio = 1/1 = 1
# Focal Length in 35mm Film = 42
# Scene Capture Type = standard (0)
# Gain Control = n/a (0)
# Contrast = hard (2)
# Saturation = normal (0)
# Sharpness = normal (0)
# Subject Distance Range = unknown (0)
# Unknown tag: Tagnum = 0xa500 ===> data = 22/10

 

[JerryPH]

Straight from EXIF viewer on FF.

... and?
Just copy and pasting EXIF info answers none of his questions.

- The pic is very blurry becuase the camera did not focus on the subjects.
- The picture looks "blotchy" becuase it is likely a big crop.
- The pic is underexposed becuase the ambient light in the room was too low and the camera settings were off, and/or no flash or inadequate flash amount used, it could even be unsynced flash (ie: flashes went off, but becuase wrong camera settings, they went off before the shutter opened).
- The colours look a bit off becuase the wrong WB was used (manual WB at the time)
- Personally, I would not use center-weighted metering in a portrait, but dynamic. Not that it makes a huge diff in the end, I just find it gives me more consistently better results.
- Outputting to a low quality 44k JPG is not helping on top of all else.
- her smile is cuter than yours... lol

I'll not comment about the composition... but I will just say that I am not a fan of chopping off parts of heads or other body parts.

 

[Pure]

I was just posting up the EXIF data for others to take a look at since the Op did not remember.

 

[JerryPH]

I was just posting up the EXIF data for others to take a look at since the Op did not remember.

It's nice to be helpful, and I used it myself to make my post more relevant in relation to what his picture showed, but most of the EXIF is useless... this would have been just as nice of you:

# Camera Model = NIKON D80
# X-Resolution = 3000000/10000 = 300
# Y-Resolution = 3000000/10000 = 300
# Software/Firmware Version = Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
# Exposure Time 1/60 second
# Flash = Flash did not fire
# Lens F-Number/F-Stop = F5
# Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 200
# Metering Mode = center weighted average (2)
# Focal Length = 28/1 mm = 28 mm

I am looking again at the above, and at his pic, and I see 2 catch lights in the eyes of both people. Looks like the umbrellas were not even 45 degrees apart but something like maybe 5-8 feet on camera right and left (the flat looking lighting seems to confirm this as well). Finally, I see a very slow shutter speed of 1/60th. I see that it says that the flash did not fire.

Are we looking at a low power continuous lighting setup? I am guessing yes becuase of the slow shutter speeds, weak catch lights and poor exposure and manual WB settings. I am also guessing that the umbrellas, judging by the small size of the catch lights in the eyes, were too far away to be very effective.

One single standard battery powered flash (ie: SB-600 or a Vivitar 285) set at anywhere between 1/4 to 1/2 power at a distance of 4-6 feet from the subjects and bounced (not shot through), would give us more than enough light to have ~ F/5.6 levels of light available and still get a proper exposure, better than shown.