Removing Dust from a photo

[Kel]

Hi Everyone

I when to a campdraft in fine red soil, and I got some photo's that I have taken from the (not as many as I would of like with cattle don't running outside today) but with some of my better action shot photo's their is a layer of dust in front of the horse and rider as this happen a bit with the speed the cow and horse is traveling at over a grounds with not grass on it just dirt. I am just wandering if their is a good by of removing the dust from the photo or even just some of the dust? As the programs that I have are element 9 and I have just been trying lightroom 3. As it just been playing with the fill ligh, black and recovery slider in these programs to lower the look of the dust, but was not sure it that the right way or if their another way of lowering the dust from the shot. I did not after where I was on the grounds taking photo's their was dust in some of the shots.

Thank you for any help with this

[ricktas]

use the clone tool. A search of youtube for a tutorial for elements or LR will give you a quick overview of how to use the clone tool, in both

[Kel]

I will do that, but will it still work if the dust all over the photo as it just seem to be still across the arena today with all the riders warming their horse up, at the back of the arena

[kiwi]

post an example ?

[Kerrie]

I use the spot healing tool, which is similar to clone tool. that's for the odd spec here and there.

[WhoDo]

Say "abracadabra"? I'm with kiwi, Kel; post an example. At the moment it's the blind leading the blind, as they say. ;)

[arthurking83]

The way I read the OP's post is that there is a layer of dust in the scene, and not so much a layer of dust bunnies on the sensor.

As already said .. a sample image is what's needed here to eliminate any possible confusion about what you are describing.

[kiwi]

Tip, use a cpl. But if there's lots of dust in the scene, as opposed to dust spots, not a lot you can do about it.


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[Kel]

Here is example of one,

I know that light most is not right as it was in the morning this one was taken which I have found that the camera picks up the dust in the morning and afternoon more as I was not sure if I could remove some f the dust or if the I delete these photo's. Or is their any way of when taking the photo to help with, not getting as much dust in the photo?

[ricktas]

Firstly, you need to sun behind you. You would have been much better, being on the other side (to the left of frame). A quick look at the histograms shows this is over-exposed and a good levels adjustment (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?22436-Levels-Tutorial) would bring it up nicely I reckon.

[ameerat42]

OK, so you're shooting through dust haze and sometimes the sun is behind you. I see you used a f=165mm lens in this shot and I suppose that for safety reasons you can't get too close.

Ideally:
1. shoot wit the sun on your side of the action
2. shoot nearer the action and so reduce the amount of dust between you and the action.

In this shot you have done fairly well to get this amount of detail. You mentioned Lightroom - of which I know nothing - and some people mentioned clone/spot healing in their posts before you showed the picture.
These do not really apply for this shot. In Photoshop, one of the Auto Levels (or Tones)/AutoContrast/Auto Color will go a long way in fixing a shot like this. You can try more intricate stuff with levels, shadow/highlight and contrast adjustments, BUT...
Some shots just can't be recovered too a level that we might consider "good".

PS. In Photoshop (CS6) I settled for Auto Color and the standard settings for Shadow/Highlight. Below is the result for THIS shot.
Also, it looked a tad soft, but I did not apply sharpening as the softness could have been due to downsizing for posting here.
Am.

[Kel]

=
Thanks a lot for the help everyone, all you input has been a great help as I am only learning this with all this the 5th draft I have done with my camera, and still shooting a short for safety working on zoom in more each time.

As the sun came up more I lost that dust haze though the photo's that was great, but as the course was set up it was the spot that you get to take photo's to get the action shot of the horse and beast. and as close to the action I can get with this type of sport is from the fence, but need to work on zoom in on the action more and working on my exposures and setting on my camera.

THANK YOU ALL I will try this out thanks

[WhoDo]

Another tip in such circumstances. You can treat this sort of fine dust just like haze in a landscape and treat the image to a local contrast enhancement - Unsharp Mask radius=50 amount=12. That often works on smoke haze in a landscape, sea spray in a seascape and hopefully dust haze in shots like these. Worth a try using Elements, since you have it. I hope that helps.

[Kel]

Thanks for that I will try it out

[fillum]

Are you using a lens hood Kel? If shooting into the sun and sunlight is hitting the front of your lens directly you will often get flare which gives washed out looking images. (This can happen even if you use a lens hood). If shooting raw this is often recoverable to a reasonable extent (although obviously better to avoid in the first place if possible).

Note that this might not be the cause of your problem above, but something worth keeping in mind anyway. As a comparison here's an example where you can see how washed out the image is due to flare. (Hope you don't mind me posting...)

87725




Cheers.

[Kel]

Hi Phil yeah I am using a lens hood, the dust comes from the horse kicking the dirt up as they are going around the first and second peg and some time it just blows back across the grounds as they have to cross the path of the dust going for the grate, and as the sun is still coming up and not as bright as in the middle of the day it gives that layer over the photo, as I am still new to photography but that what I see is happening from someone who competes a lot in the drafts and just have started taking photo's but I do always us my lens hood on my 200mm lens

[camerasnoop]

I see you have received some good advice their. I just finished a 3-day draft this weekend myself. Lots of dust and harsh light. Download yourself a copy of the CS6 Beta and have a play with ACR7. The sliders are a bit odd at first, but you'll be able to fix these fairly quickly. You'll get 60 days to play.

[Kel]

Thanks snoopy I will this week and have a play with it, I only did two days ( a few hours each day) at Kumbia while my husband rode my horse and the red fine dust just get in everything, it is always a dust draft , and was very tough draft too with not many runs out side.

[Kurrawinya]

Perfect solution! give the water cart diver a boot up the bum! lol! only joking :) although it was very dusty hey! it was like pea soup to be riding in it! and I had the same trouble with taking photos in it! it was catch 22 as getting to the other side of the arena to get the sun sitting right meant no shots in the camp - very frustrating hey!
oh, and sorry, I didn't have much helpful input did I!

[Warren Ackary]

Hi Kel.. yes dust can be a pain (perhaps a clean of your lens with a cloth just before shooting may have helped also.
I would suggest something I had to do myself as the posts above have been a fantastic read... I went & got my sensor clened.
The reason I suggest that (you can usually get it done for around $80) is.. better to have a clean sensor bunny free than have to sit in photoshop for hours cloning out bunnies when can be out shooting.

Hope this helps... helped me :th3:

[Kel]

Thanks for that kurrawinya yes it was like that as it always is every dusty at kumbia I have been going to kumbia draft ever since I was about 5 and I do have to say the week after you just end up watching every thing turn to red mud when you wash your clothes from their and I had the other problem that I only have a 200mm lens and i was going to be shooting out of it reach from the other side and the fact that my little girl could just play happily on that side with out any horse riding over me

Thanks ackary I was cleaning my lens all weekend and when I got home cleaning my senors and the camera as well as the dust just got every wear but I do now what u are saying thank you so much for your feed back it was good to hear some else had the same though as I did I was doing something right then

[Warren Ackary]

Thanks for that kurrawinya yes it was like that as it always is every dusty at kumbia I have been going to kumbia draft ever since I was about 5 and I do have to say the week after you just end up watching every thing turn to red mud when you wash your clothes from their and I had the other problem that I only have a 200mm lens and i was going to be shooting out of it reach from the other side and the fact that my little girl could just play happily on that side with out any horse riding over me

Thanks ackary I was cleaning my lens all weekend and when I got home cleaning my senors and the camera as well as the dust just got every wear but I do now what u are saying thank you so much for your feed back it was good to hear some else had the same though as I did I was doing something right then

No worries, I learnt from my mistake.. glad to help :th3:

[Kel]

Yes I now as I have on many times I knew that weekend was a very dusty one so I mainly didn't wan't my camera full of it fine red dust but thanks it was great to get the feedback