Beginner What am I doing wrong?

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66
Name
Tilly
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello someone please help me. As you can see in the 2 picture there is some Blotchyness to the images they are not smooth and sharp. Where am I going wrong??
I really do want to improve so any feedback would be perfect
DSC_5311.jpgDSC_5298.jpg
 
Looks to me like the files are heavily compressed.To be of further help please describe the process you took from the time you took the photo (Raw or jpeg) to editing (what software) and saving the file.
 
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Would also be good to know the exposure values , shutter speed, Aperture, iso.
Also hand held or tripod

Rob
 
Oh and the camera body / lens combo inv focal length used for the shot.
 
1st picture f4.5 1/640 iso800

The 2nd picture St. Paul’s. Is shot at 18mm iso800 f3.5 1/640

No tripod I’m using lightroom and I took the photo in raw. I’m saving the file jpeg once’s Iv edited them. I don’t really touch the settings when saving an image I’m not sure what to do. Camera is a d3400 with the kit lens 18-55mm
 
I'd assume that looking at those settings, the artefacts have been caused by something within lightroom as part of your RAW conversion. Have you tried taking some JPEG files and comparing? I'd have tried to get the ISO down from 800 with those shutter speeds available, but in any case 800 should be fine with that camera and settings you are using.
 
Looks like jpg compression to me, check that the quality level is around 80% when you export them and also not too small in terms of pixel size.
 
Looks like jpg compression to me, check that the quality level is around 80% when you export them and also not too small in terms of pixel size.

Hi Ned, hope the OP doesn't mind the question on their thread - you say to check the quality level is around 80% - I know nothing about the workings of exporting from Lightroom, so forgive my ignorance, but why wouldn't you have the quality at 100%?
 
Hi Ned, hope the OP doesn't mind the question on their thread - you say to check the quality level is around 80% - I know nothing about the workings of exporting from Lightroom, so forgive my ignorance, but why wouldn't you have the quality at 100%?

For me the point of a JPG is to reduce file size so it can be used and shared, a JPG at 100% quality isn’t that small and the reduction in output quality isn’t visible to me at 80%, YMMV.
 
Okay so Iv upload the originals

is it something I am doing in editing? I’m editing on a MacBook Pro (2011) and Iv just put it on my desktop to have a look and they look less blotchy? DSC_5298.JPGDSC_5311.JPG
 
Can I ask how many focus points you are using? Are you letting the camera choose the focus point?
I ask because I would have expected the photo of St Paul,s to be much sharper than it is,it looks slightly OOF to me, similarly the other one, it looks a bit like the camera having grabbed focus at other than the intended point.
 
It’s the jpg export settings.

:plus1:

The originally posted pictures are showing fairly extreme JPEG compression artefacts, saving at a higher quality setting (sorry, I use Photoshop rather than Lightroom so I'm not sure how LR words Higher Quality), you'll get cleaner results like the second pair posted (post #10).
 
In Lightroom. Click File / Export. Scroll down to file settings. Storage is cheap and I always export at 100% but the
options are there if you need to save space. Then click the Export box.
 
As said already, the problem is caused by jpg compression - this reduces the range of tones in the image so that instead of giving a continuous gradient of light & dark, tones get pushed into blocks. This is especially evident in the sky of the first image, where you have just 2 levels of grey.

I use lightroom, and when exporting an image I aim for a larger size (1800+ px on the long side) and use a compression of no less than 90, checking the image afterward for artifacts like those you can see.

A suggestion:
1st picture f4.5 1/640 iso800 The 2nd picture St. Paul’s. Is shot at 18mm iso800 f3.5 1/640

For more detailed, smoother images I'd suggest using a smaller aperture - say f5.6 or f8 - and if possible a lower sensitivity (ISO). Your lens will be operating near its quality sweet spot and your camera sensor will be capable of recording a wider range of tones with less noise. In addition depth of field of sharp focus will be greater, making more of the image appear sharp. This will reduce your shutter speed a bit, but as long as you keep it at or above double the focal length of the lens then all should be well for camera shake.

HTH
 
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I used single Focus.

I’m not sure why The originals uploaded in JPEG i originally shot them and raw then had to convert them into dng. I only save them once edited to jpeg. Could you talk me through how to be saving them in Lightroom?

The reason I used those settings was it was near dust and I didn’t have my tripod with me.
 
I used single Focus.

I’m not sure why The originals uploaded in JPEG i originally shot them and raw then had to convert them into dng. I only save them once edited to jpeg. Could you talk me through how to be saving them in Lightroom?

The reason I used those settings was it was near dust and I didn’t have my tripod with me.

But with a shutter speed of 1/640 you could easily have reduced the ISO to 200, or the ISO down to 400 and aperture up a stop instead. Never mind.

LR goes: import raw files, edit to desired look, export to JPGz. For generic stuff I might export to 6MP size as that is plenty for a decent A3 print, or for archive I will export to either 12mp or full res, quality at 80% or higher. There is an image size section in the export options.
 
I used single Focus.

I’m not sure why The originals uploaded in JPEG i originally shot them and raw then had to convert them into dng. I only save them once edited to jpeg. Could you talk me through how to be saving them in Lightroom?

The reason I used those settings was it was near dust and I didn’t have my tripod with me.

Not sure why they converted on upload but I don’t think you can display a raw file on here. You’d need to put that on Dropbox or similar for people to download and view.

Regarding settings, neither of these shots need to be anywhere near 1/640 SS - you could easily decrease that and use the additional gain to reduce your ISO and give yourself an aperture around f8.
 
I used single Focus.

I’m not sure why The originals uploaded in JPEG i originally shot them and raw then had to convert them into dng. I only save them once edited to jpeg. Could you talk me through how to be saving them in Lightroom?

The reason I used those settings was it was near dust and I didn’t have my tripod with me.

Have a look at this very quick video Tilly
 
Okay so I need to adjust my setting I had it set to Aperture then the camera selected the shutter speed.

I usually just upload my photo onto my phone. I just don’t wanna loose any quality in doing so
 
I used single Focus.

I’m not sure why The originals uploaded in JPEG i originally shot them and raw then had to convert them into dng. I only save them once edited to jpeg. Could you talk me through how to be saving them in Lightroom?

The reason I used those settings was it was near dust and I didn’t have my tripod with me.

The video above is fine - just don't export at a setting of 60! Are you converting to DNG because your version of Lightroom can't cope? The fewer conversion steps the better generally.

Tripods are only needed if you plan to use a shutter speed than can't be hand-held, although some like them because they force them to work in a particular way. As a general guide, lenses almost always perform better closed down a couple of stops unless you need the shallowest depth of field available.
 
By dropping them into iCloud.

Yes my Version of lightroom doesn’t support raw so that’s why I’m converting them into dng.
 
What version of LR are you using?
 
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