grain???

[Disney Chick]

Why am I getting such grainy shots when I shoot indoors? I have enough light that I'm using ISO 100 or 200, so I must be doing something else that makes them grainy. I have a Canon 20D. I'm wondering if it's the software I use to process the RAW images. Is there something I'm not thinking of?

[CaptainTom]

Are you shooting in RAW or JPEG ? If the photos are underexposed, and then adjusted in PS or Lightroom, etc. they will show "grain". This is color noise. You can use Noise Ninja or other programs to reduce the effect.

Properly exposed images on the 20D at those ISO's should not have noticable noise.

[Disney Chick]

I am shooting in RAW. I adjust them in DPP, which is just what came with the camera. Are there better choices? Where can I get Noise Ninja?

[CaptainTom]

An example would be helpful. An original histogram would be really helpful.

[Disney Chick]

I went and looked at the images I was referring to, and they were a little underexposed.

[CincoJoe]

you can adjust exposure in RAW during PP, but too much and you will bring in noise. Even at low ISO. It would be nice to see an example with a histogram shot.

[Disney Chick]

Here's one of the shots in question:



I don't know how to post the histogram.

[CaptainTom]

Sorry, but I don't see any "grain" or "noise".

[Disney Chick]

It doesn't look as bad on here, but there's more noise than I'm used to when I have it opened in DPP. Thanks for the tips. I will really watch the exposure closer from now on. I hate color noise!

[CincoJoe]

Looks clean to me too.

[Disney Chick]

Okay, I can only see it when it's larger. Am I just being too picky?

[venchka]

Possibly. How much larger are you talking about? If you're looking at what would be a LARGE print from a few inches away on your monitor, you will see things you don't like. Viewing distance is always important whe njudging photographs. What does it look like when printed? At what size?

[Disney Chick]

I have no idea what it would look like printed. I was just playing with my Better Bounce Card and noticed the noise in the images. I would probably never print that shot, but I was curious why it happened, mainly because I want to avoid it when I do have to shoot an event indoors.

[Duffy Pratt]

You can get Noise Ninja online. Or you can try Neat Image or Noiseware. I use Noiseware, and it does an amazing job. But from what I've heard, so do the other two.

To avoid noise, I think the best advice is to make sure that you aren't underexposing your shots at all. Remember, the light meter takes what it sees and interprets it as a neutral gray. Here, the tile is almost certainly brighter than a neutral gray, so a "correct" meter reading from the camera (depending on how you meter), is likely to give you an underexposed shot.

Then, when you take the underexposed image and brighten it up to how you think it should be, you are magnifying any noise that might have happenned.

Hope this helps,

Duffy

[Disney Chick]

It does help, Duffy! Thanks!