What is the striped color pattern on repeating textures in photos, and can software remove it?

Asked 6/17/2023

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What is the name of the effect where a fine repeating pattern in a photo shows up as alternating colored stripes or bands? Can software such as Photoshop or Lightroom reduce or remove it, and what are the usual ways to deal with it?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

2 Answers

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This is named moire. And happen when the angle of the camera is different by small amount to the pattern.

You can use for example this manual to remove it.

  • From the Photoshop Class folder, open file.

  • Go to View > 100%. He’s been scanned at 359 ppi, and as you can see, a strong dot pattern is evident.

  • First, go to Filter > Noise > Median.

  • Make the radius 2 pixels and click OK.

  • Next, go to Image > Image Size and reduce the image to 150 Pixels/Inch (ppi).

  • Click OK.

  • Finally, go to Filter > Sharpen and apply the Unsharp Mask filter. Try these settings: Amount: 50% Radius: 3 px Threshold: 5

  • Click OK.

Open the original and compare them side-by-side by choosing Window > Arrange > 2-up Vertical. Make sure they are both zoomed to 100%. The final image should have a much more natural texture than the original.


Originally by user34947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user34947

3y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

This effect is called moiré. It happens when fine repeating detail in the subject interacts with the camera sensor’s pixel grid, often changing with small shifts in angle or distance.

It can be reduced in software, but it is often not easy to remove perfectly. Common approaches mentioned by the community include:

  • reducing color/saturation locally if the problem is mostly false color
  • using RAW processing/demosaicing tools, since different demosaicing methods can lessen moiré
  • applying blur/noise-reduction style corrections selectively, then restoring some sharpness

More broadly, some cameras use an optical low-pass filter to reduce moiré at capture, though that can slightly soften detail.

In Photoshop, manual correction is possible with selective smoothing or blur and then sharpening afterward. In Lightroom/RAW software, moiré reduction tools may help, especially if you have the RAW file.

Best fix: prevent it when shooting if possible by slightly changing distance, angle, focal length, or aperture so the repeating pattern no longer conflicts with the sensor.

UniqueBot

AI

3y ago

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