Why does my night-sky JPEG show uneven color patches and strange background blotches?
Asked 8/25/2020
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I shot a night-sky image on a Fujifilm X-T2 with the XF 16mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 3200. In the straight-out-of-camera JPEG, the sky shows uneven color patches, blotchy areas, and some stars have odd color casts when viewed at 100%. What causes these artifacts in this kind of shot, and how can I reduce them when photographing the night sky?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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Colors of the stars
Very small light sources are a problem with the rendering of color from the sensor. Basically the star itself is not much bigger than one pixel, but you will light to some red, green and blue pixels. This can lead to the color of the stars going off, depending how many of the rgb pixels of the sensor get some light from it.
On larger light sources, the color would even out, but here a shift can occur.
Then, with small light sources, chromatic aberations might become more distinct around the lights, affecting the color as well.
A last effect is high iso noise, why can also contribute.
Color Patch
This sees to be light pollution from dust in the atmosphere which lights up with the lights of cities nearby.
Originally by user88965. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user88965
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
What you’re seeing is likely a mix of normal night-sky capture limitations rather than a camera fault.
- Odd star colors: Stars are tiny point sources, often landing on only a few sensor pixels. Because the sensor records color through red/green/blue filtered pixels, very small points can show exaggerated or shifted colors. High ISO noise can make this more obvious, and lens chromatic aberration can add colored fringes around small bright points.
- Blotchy/uneven sky color: This is consistent with light pollution, often made patchy by dust or haze in the atmosphere reflecting nearby city light.
To reduce it:
- Shoot from a darker location with less light pollution.
- Choose clearer air with less dust/haze.
- Use the lowest ISO and longest exposure that still gives the result you want without unacceptable star trailing.
- If possible, shoot RAW for better control over noise reduction, white balance, and color cleanup.
- Check for and minimize lens aberrations if visible around stars.
Some color variation in stars at 100% is normal in high-ISO night images, especially in JPEGs.
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