Why does a printed label show a grainy or denim-like pattern in my product photos?
Asked 4/17/2018
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I’m photographing my own products with a Nikon P80 on a white backdrop using umbrella-softened light. In auto mode, parts of the printed label show a grainy/denim-like pattern that is hard to clean up in Lightroom. The problem appears mainly on the printed area of the label, not the whole image.
Example settings from one shot: f/3.5, 1/60 s, ISO 185, 10mm focal length.
What is most likely causing this effect, and is there anything I can change in shooting technique or lighting to reduce it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
4
You are attempting to image a label, signage that was produced by lithography. This method breaks up the original image so that it is comprised of tiny dots of colored ink. Each will have a different dot size and coloring. This type of image is called a half tone.
Now the digital camera images is fabricated using a comparable method. The digital imaging chip in your camera is covered with imaging sites. These brake the image into tiny picture elements (pixels). What happens when you image a half tone via a digital camera is an artifact called a “moire”. This imparts a look of wavy colored artifacts that degrade the digital image.
You can perhaps mitigate the moire by changing the camera to subject distance and by changing the camera angle. However, your best bet is to work with your imaging software to reduce the moire effect. You should also know that if you use a higher pixel count camera with anti-aliasing filter built in, your chance of success will increase. Sorry, this is one of the knotty aspects of digital imaging.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
8y ago
0
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This is likely not sensor noise from the camera. Since the effect appears mainly on the printed label, the main cause is probably the interaction between the label’s printed dot pattern and the camera sensor, which can create moiré or make the print texture/halftone pattern visible.
Lighting may also be exaggerating the texture. Light from an off-camera angle tends to emphasize surface detail; flatter, more front-on lighting reduces visible texture.
What to try:
- Change camera-to-subject distance slightly.
- Change the shooting angle a little.
- Use flatter, more even lighting from near the camera position.
- Slightly reduce sharpness/texture emphasis in post, or use mild noise reduction.
If the pattern is part of the printed label itself, some of it may simply be inherent to the product and not fully removable in-camera. Since it softens as the surface curves out of focus, that’s another clue that you’re seeing print/surface detail rather than general image noise.
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