Sign of a faulty sensor? PS Pen tool problem. Help please.

[douglasely]

<p>Using the pen tool in Photoshop I am encountering a problem that I've not experienced before. After outlining an area with the pen tool, then making a selection and finally masking the area to be left, I no longer have uninterrupted smooth lines and curves (edges). Instead, my lines and curves are shaped like lightning bolts or stair steps. What used to be smooth lines and curves are no longer. A graphic artist who uses the pen tool daily suggested that this usually happens when the image's resolution is too low.</p>

<p>I'm shooting in RAW with images captured using a Nikon D300 that is now seven years old. I once tried to determine the number of actuations and the result was 1,240,000. Knowing that number was ridiculous I did not try a second time. I use the camera a lot and I'm guessing that 124,000 actuations plus are quite possible. </p>

<p>Has anyone else had this problem using the pen tool? Might my sensor be on it's last leg and I'm no longer getting the high resolution that RAW files produce? And yes, I've confirmed that I am shooting in RAW. </p>

<p>Your thoughts about the pen tool problem and my aging sensor are appreciated. Thanks, D</p>

[User_4754088]

<p>Not sure what the issue is or how much life is left in your sensor, but an easy way to check what size your RAW files are is when you open them in Photoshop, do a quick Image Size check. On the top menu bar, go to the Image drop down menu and scroll down to Image Size. Click on it. It will open a window that tells you how many pixels by how many pixels your image is.</p>

<p>Not sure if this would have an effect or not, but you might want to check the Resolution of your image when you check the image size. For viewing images on a computer screen, 72 Pixels per Inch is fine, but maybe for the detail work you are doing you want your resolution to be higher.</p>

[michael_bradtke]

<p>Double check your settings in ACR. Could you have changed the import resolution to something like 100 instead of 300?<br>

My D300 is around 170K and I still get the exact same resolution that it had the day I bought it.</p>

[phule]

There is nothing wrong with your

sensor. The problem is with the

RAW conversion. I would recommend

reinstalling the Adobe Camera RAW

plugin with Photoshop.

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Douglas, there's no way that a sensor can deteriorate in such a way that it loses resolution. I suspect the camera and sensor have absolutely nothing to do with the issue you're describing. Unless you've inadvertently changed the image size in the camera menu.</p>

<p>PhotoShop should display the size of the image in pixels. So it's very easy to determine whether you're still getting 12.3 Megapixel (4288 x 2848) images. If you are then look for a change or corruption in the Photoshop or ACR settings.</p>