Other Types of Image Quality Issues: Grainy, Blurry, or Soft
Grainy
What do you mean by my image is "grainy"?
Grain in an image is when there “noise” or a “sandy” texture, is visible throughout the image. We typically see three types of grain.
- Digital Camera grain
- Film grain
- Black and White image grain
Types of Image Grain
Digital Camera Grain
This type of grain is typically caused when you try to take a picture without a flash in low light, or the image was taken with the front facing camera (most often used for selfies). If lighting is not optimal the camera adjusts for the low light by increasing the ISO setting. The front facing camera on your typical cell phone does not take as high of quality shots as the back facing camera.
We’ve contacted you about digital grain because we are concerned your image will not look great when enlarged and that the grain will cause a distraction. We can’t really remove the grain so we’ll either need a new image, or hear from you to proceed with the grainy image. If you need assistance sending us a new file click here.
Film Grain
Images shot on film are apt to have some noise that comes through when enlarged. We typically will proceed with images that have film grain. If we do contact you about an image that has film grain, it is typically because the image is also soft of focus.
Black and White Grain
Many black and white images have some grain. Our experience is that grain is inherent in many black and white images. We typically proceed with these images.
Blurry or Soft Images
When we enlarge your image the image looks blurry or soft of focus. This may not be readily visibile when viewed at a small size on your phone or at a small size.
An image can be blurry or soft due to a few different factors
- The camera was not focused on the main subject of the image
- Movement in the image caused motion blur
- Older images can be soft due to the technology of the time
Solution
Unfortunately we cannot correct the blurriness or softness of an image. We need a new image to be submitted or your permission to proceed with the current image.