How To Hide Sensor Blemishes

I have the Canon EOS 5D mark 3 which neither Canon or I, can remove blemishes from the sensor glass. Can Adobe Photoshop cs6 hide sensor blemishes like Canon's software? (I'm looking for a one time {permanent) fix. Thanks for your help.

You can use the healing tool in Lightroom on one image, and copy the results to other images. It works best if the subject are similar, as the tool copies tone and texture from one area and copies it to the area with the flaw. It works for dust and lint, but permanent defects in the sensor should be reparable in the same manner.

 

What sort of defects do you observe, and have you any idea how they were caused?

I usually use the spot healing brush (in adobe photoshop) to remove the spot.and it usually does a good job of removal (if necessary, I will use another removal tool). I don't want to continue fixing every picture (that shows spots) so, I'm looking for a software fix in photoshop cs6 (like Canon's software). (I don't want to learn or process my photo's using Canon's software). Again, I would like to find a way to make a (one-time) permanent fix by mapping (out) the location of hot spots and scratched spots. (I have Adobe Lightroom 4.1 but, have never used it). I'm assuming photoshop cs6 has a way to map out the "bad" locations?

Hi, the likely problem with a software fix is that the spots will most likely be moving a bit as you zoom. And the size of the spots will change slightly with your f-stop settings. So you can't just map out specific pixels.

 

You probably want to verify this for yourself. So try a couple test shots at a physically small aperture (this keeps the spots small and well-defined). An out-of-focus scene helps isolate the sensor issues. Shoot tests at a handful of zoom positions; spots near the center won't move, but the farther off-center, the more they'll move. (If you have an expensive lens with a fixed exit pupil then they'll stay fixed in place, but they'll shift with different lenses.)

 

I think your best bet is to learn the Canon software, assuming it works ok. It presumably has the pertinent data for all Canon lenses. I think your only other alternatives are to manually fix each image, or bite the bullet and have Canon repair the camera.

Try shooting at apertures no smaller than f/8. That should make the spots invisible. My old DSLR has sensor spots that cannot be removed -- I've even tried benzene lighter fluid! -- but it's still usable at f/8 and wider apertures. Better than nothing.

Thanks to you all for your inputs. Based on what you all have told me there are no simple solutions - no "map out" solutions. I usually shoot at f/16 (for depth of field) but, I will try and see if using f/8 makes a difference. I can't see myself using Canon software just to eliminate spots - too time consuming. (Just returned this week to discover the results of the Florida hurricane so, I'm just now finding some free time to process approximately 1,800 pictures taken with the subject camera). I understand my options and I thank you all for your help.

Based on what you all have told me there are no simple solutions - no "map out" solutions.

 

I would suggest to verify that the off-center spots are actually moving (away and towards the center) as you zoom. This would confirm that the "defect" is high up on the filter package as opposed to some possible damage on the actual sensor (which might possibly be able to be mapped out in firmware) .

 

Personally I would want to know what's going on with the camera, if it were feasible. At the place where I used to work I would have put this under a stereo zoom microscope that could run to 50 or 100 X or so - these typically have enough working distance to see the sensor through the front while leaving enough room for you to get a cleaning tool through. (You'd need a compact light source, such as a fiber optic head, to illuminate it.) This would likely allow you to discover the source of the damage, whether it is tiny gouges in the cover plate, or perhaps even some foreign material that could be manually "pried off" once you knew exactly where it was. So if this is an option for you...

 

As a note, in our mass market operation we had literally thousands of studios operating 7 days a week, and never, to the best of my knowledge, had a sensor that couldn't be cleaned. But we never let studio people into the camera - you get sensor dirt, we "overnight" a new camera with lens attached; all cleaning was done in our home office.

 

Best of luck.