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Author Topic: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots  (Read 30296 times)

john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #40 on: June 30, 2015, 10:20:15 am »

What contrast damage?  Just reset the temporary tone curve when you are finished your spot healing and get on with the edit.

Whether one calls it damage or whatever, you're still working on an image whose appearance is way different from what you intend, and so you are obliging yourself to reset the curve afterwards. That's hassle - even more so if you've already set a custom tone curve before doing some spot correction. The A toggle means you're only ever one key press away from seeing the visualisation or your image's intended appearance.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2015, 11:00:19 am by john beardsworth »
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kirkt

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #41 on: June 30, 2015, 12:38:52 pm »

Spot removal should be done before you start making the image look nice.  Just like any cloning or healing.  Click once for the TC adjustment, click again to reset it.  If that's a hassle, then I suppose one should use a different technique.  I find going back and forth between a high contrast black and white image and the actual color image I am working with an unnecessary distraction.

If the shots you are correcting are all taken in sequence or reasonably close in time, you can correct a blank frame (a shot of the sky at some small aperture, for example - aka a "Dust Map") and then sync the Spot Removal, saving time on correcting all of the images you edit.  Because you can sync **just** the Spot Removal edits across images, you won't overwrite all of the adjustments you may have made to your images already, like a custom tone curve.

Whatever works for you.

kirk
« Last Edit: June 30, 2015, 12:59:20 pm by kirkt »
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #42 on: June 30, 2015, 01:10:02 pm »

Spot removal should be done before you start making the image look nice.  Just like any cloning or healing.  Click once for the TC adjustment, click again to reset it.  If that's a hassle, then I suppose one should use a different technique.

No, people can work in any order, and there's no need to box yourself into doing one task before another. I couldn't care less if you work as you do, but you really shouldn't underestimate the built-in tools' effectiveness.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #43 on: June 30, 2015, 01:56:06 pm »

If the shots you are correcting are all taken in sequence or reasonably close in time, you can correct a blank frame (a shot of the sky at some small aperture, for example - aka a "Dust Map") and then sync the Spot Removal, saving time on correcting all of the images you edit.  Because you can sync **just** the Spot Removal edits across images, you won't overwrite all of the adjustments you may have made to your images already, like a custom tone curve.

I do know how Sync works, you know.... And apart from presuming one has this blank frame, that all frames are sufficiently close in time for the dust not to move, and that all the frames have similar aperture, Sync adds extra steps. Just work in AutoSync mode - it's the quickest way to work.
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digitaldog

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #44 on: June 30, 2015, 02:28:36 pm »

It's just too bad the A key doesn't toggle the DeHaze-like overview and it were faster toggling. Toggling with that kind of preview would be less necessary too.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #45 on: June 30, 2015, 02:48:07 pm »

I've not seen any delay with A - it's immediate even on my little Mac Air. If you want to use Dehaze you could just toggle off the Effects panel, but I just don't see any benefits using it in this context.
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kirkt

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #46 on: June 30, 2015, 05:10:56 pm »

No, people can work in any order, and there's no need to box yourself into doing one task before another. I couldn't care less if you work as you do, but you really shouldn't underestimate the built-in tools' effectiveness.

I hope I have not offended you by suggesting an alternative.  That was not my intention.  Equally, it was not my intention to imply that you do not know how to use Syncing.  You brought up criticism of the alternative and I tried to point out how the alternative method addresses those criticisms.  I am not underestimating anything.  Hell, I don't even use Lightroom.  Just trying to add to the discussion.  Do whatever makes you happy!

kirk
« Last Edit: June 30, 2015, 05:12:32 pm by kirkt »
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Ann JS

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #47 on: June 30, 2015, 07:14:13 pm »

If I have more than a VERY few spots, I find it much quicker and far more effective to do my de-spotting and healing on a separate retouching layer in Photoshop itself.
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Tom Montgomery

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #48 on: June 30, 2015, 07:55:00 pm »

If I have more than a VERY few spots, I find it much quicker and far more effective to do my de-spotting and healing on a separate retouching layer in Photoshop itself.

+1.  Much of my work is restoring badly stored photos for museums, and Photoshop just handles spotting and cleanup tasks generally better than Lr. Especially as it seems the Content Aware-ness gets better with each release, although that may just be my impression. I find that Lr often makes really bad choices in where to pick up the filling pixels. In any case, although spotting is drudgery, recent releases of Ps seem to make it less so.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #49 on: July 01, 2015, 02:38:56 am »

+1.  Much of my work is restoring badly stored photos for museums, and Photoshop just handles spotting and cleanup tasks generally better than Lr. Especially as it seems the Content Aware-ness gets better with each release, although that may just be my impression. I find that Lr often makes really bad choices in where to pick up the filling pixels. In any case, although spotting is drudgery, recent releases of Ps seem to make it less so.

Not exactly surprising, Tim. PS is a fully featured cloning tool, while Lr is intended for a typical digital workflow. While its dust spotting tool can clone and heal, there's a big clue in its name.

As for making wrong choices, yes, though the mistakes aren't too frequent. However:
  • If it makes a wrong guess, you can tell Lr to guess again - use the shortcut "/" key (or right click the healing circle)
  • When you dab a spot but know where you want it to source pixels, you can hold Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) and drag to the source area

John
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #50 on: July 01, 2015, 02:48:59 am »

I hope I have not offended you by suggesting an alternative.  That was not my intention.  Equally, it was not my intention to imply that you do not know how to use Syncing.  You brought up criticism of the alternative and I tried to point out how the alternative method addresses those criticisms.  I am not underestimating anything.  Hell, I don't even use Lightroom.  Just trying to add to the discussion.  Do whatever makes you happy!

As you say, you don't even use Lightroom and it's a common mistake to shoehorn techniques from other programs rather than squeeze the most out of its built in tools. Bemused rather than offended - you reminded me of Nikon's nightmare solution of dust spotting frames and Nikon Capture.
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sniper

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #51 on: July 01, 2015, 06:56:45 am »

I'm not going to get into the which method is best debate, but I will thank the OP for sharing the tip.  I'm always willing to listen and learn new ways of doing something.
Regards Wayne
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #52 on: July 01, 2015, 07:17:53 am »

I'm always willing to listen and learn new ways of doing something.

Same here, Wayne, but should one just accept them without questioning their merit? The built in tools are a lot more effective than some would have you believe.
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #53 on: July 01, 2015, 08:43:01 am »

I think this thread has reached the point of angels dancing on the head of a pin.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #54 on: July 01, 2015, 09:00:52 am »

Maybe, but if you don't like it no-one's forcing you to read it, Mark.
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Mark D Segal

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #55 on: July 01, 2015, 09:33:43 am »

Maybe, but if you don't like it no-one's forcing you to read it, Mark.

For clarity, my comment has nothing whatsoever to do with whether I like it or not - that is a subjective matter which should be of no particular interest to any one else. My comment reflects an objective perception of where the technical character of the discussion now stands. I don't either like it or dislike it, I just think its operational significance has worn thin, and at my age and experience of life I'm capable of deciding whether or not to read, but thanks for the reminder. I think the more options we have the better, each will have its relative merits, the contours of which I think have been exhausted here; hence, I appreciate the OP's bringing his finding to our attention and to each to his/her own. So with that I am disconnecting from this thread. It's been an interesting and useful read up to a point - including for your contributions.
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Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
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jjj

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #56 on: July 01, 2015, 09:50:20 am »

Sync adds extra steps. Just work in AutoSync mode - it's the quickest way to work.
Not necessarily - if  you forget to turn it off, you end up a whole bunch of screwed up images.   >:(
So I prefer to selectively sync afterwards. It's more efficient and less steps for me I find.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #57 on: July 01, 2015, 09:59:23 am »

Not necessarily - if  you forget to turn it off, you end up a whole bunch of screwed up images.   >:(
So I prefer to selectively sync afterwards. It's more efficient and less steps for me I find.

Or just leave AutoSync on all the time? Once you know that's how it works, you learn not to make mistakes ;)
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jjj

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #58 on: July 01, 2015, 03:48:39 pm »

I know exactly how it works John and as I don't always want to sync everything whilst working on one image out of a group, autosync is best left off for me.
I think you need to appreciate different workflows for different needs John. Sometimes autosync is useful, other times it isn't as it creates more and not less clicks.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Use Lightroom's Dehaze Tool to Locate Dust Spots
« Reply #59 on: July 01, 2015, 04:42:34 pm »

I know exactly how it works John and as I don't always want to sync everything whilst working on one image out of a group, autosync is best left off for me.
I think you need to appreciate different workflows for different needs John. Sometimes autosync is useful, other times it isn't as it creates more and not less clicks.

How exactly am I suggesting there aren't different needs? You complain enough about others not reading what you write....

My first word was "or". You either avoid AutoSync because of you're likely to forget it is on, or you leave Autosync on all the time, in which case you soon learn to keep your eye on which images you have selected. What I don't think works for many people is switching into and out of AutoSync - use it all the time, or completely avoid it.
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