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I have started going through my old images to cull and see if my eye has changed.  Not surprisingly, my tastes have changed.  The other day I was processing a color image that I believed would render very well in B&W.  The image is ~8 years old and back then, I did not dare clean my sensor for fear of damaging it.  So as you might guess, there was a whole bunch of crud littering the image.  I have tried severals ways to clear this, using Bridge, PS (CS5) and LR (5).  When I am done, the dust bunnies are gone with no visible evidence of their existence (even at extreme magnification).  However, when I run the image through Silver Efex  Pro (SE), remnants and artifacts of the dust cleaning process are clearly evident, so much so that I must clean the image a second time.

The process I use to clean depends on the software: for PS, I duplicate the BG Layer and use the spot healing tool (content aware usually); for Bridge I use the spot removal tool in Camera Raw; and I use the spot removal tool in the Development module of LR.  None of this methods yields a clean B&W layer with SE.

Can anyone see an error in my workflow that is causing this effect?  Also, the issue is not just limited to SE – it happens with others too but the latter is the plugin I use most.  My understanding of these plugins is they create a copy of the highest level (or does it generate a complete stamp of all layers?), and then applies the necessary changes to that copy.  If this is true, I do not see how these artifacts are reappearing.

Any help is greatly appreciated.  TIA!

For LR I wonder if an export issue is occurring. Now I will make an assumption (yes, not a good thing those assumptions) that you chose to edit in NIK using a copy. How about instead of going that route, go the somewhat longer route of first exporting the edited LR image to a TIFF (or other format) open that image in LR and check for sensor dust (pretty sure it will march the previous), and then editing that file in NIK. Just to make sure the alarm edits are being forwarded into the working (in NIK) image.

"Martin 095I have started going through my old images to cull and see if my eye has changed.  Not surprisingly, my tastes have changed.  The other day I was processing a color image that I believed would render very well in B&W.  The image is ~8 years old and back then, I did not dare clean my sensor for fear of damaging it.  So as you might guess, there was a whole bunch of crud littering the image.  I have tried severals ways to clear this, using Bridge, PS (CS5) and LR (5).  When I am done, the dust bunnies are gone with no visible evidence of their existence (even at extreme magnification).  However, when I run the image through Silver Efex  Pro (SE), remnants and artifacts of the dust cleaning process are clearly evident, so much so that I must clean the image a second time.

The process I use to clean depends on the software: for PS, I duplicate the BG Layer and use the spot healing tool (content aware usually); for Bridge I use the spot removal tool in Camera Raw; and I use the spot removal tool in the Development module of LR.  None of this methods yields a clean B&W layer with SE.

Can anyone see an error in my workflow that is causing this effect?  Also, the issue is not just limited to SE – it happens with others too but the latter is the plugin I use most.  My understanding of these plugins is they create a copy of the highest level (or does it generate a complete stamp of all layers?), and then applies the necessary changes to that copy.  If this is true, I do not see how these artifacts are reappearing.

Any help is greatly appreciated.  TIA!

I typically create a smart layer and use SE as a filter. Often the original image will look fine, but after mucking about in SE dust spots show up (for example, in the sky). If I go back to the original image and play around with “levels,” I can always make the dust spots appear although sometimes they are quite faint. So, I think its simply that manipulation in SE can alter the contrast to such an extent that things invisible in the original image are evident in the processed image.

Magnifying the original image is not going to show the spots - need to alter the contrast.  I’ve found that creating a layer with extreme contrast then using the spot healing tool makes it so that you can see the “remnants and artifacts” while you are creating them and so avoid them.  Of course, do the spotting on the image layer, not the “levels” layer and delete it when you finish.

russell

If you're using LR click on the Spot Removal tool and you will see a check box next to Visualize Spots at the bottom of the screen. Check this box and it may aid you to see more / all the spots more easily. It would also be good to go back to the image you have already done the dust removal on, and see if Visualize Spots shows that the spots you have corrected need more work and where the work is needed. You want to make sure that the image has NO capture sharpening turned on as the halos from sharpening may be what is being picked up in the NIK software.

I have the same problem as you with blem cleanups reappearing after futzing. The only way I know how to circumvent this is to perform all my tweaks first, and then go in and clean up sensor dust and shmutz.

It can be difficult to get rid of cloning artefacts. You think the file is clean until a few curve adjustments are made and then there they are.
This works for me.
Duplicate the background. In between the background and duplicate add a new layer and label it "clone".
Select the duplicate and open Nik Color Efex Pro and select "tonal contrast" and really turn up the effect. Your dust bunnies will become obvious.
After cleaning up the file, get rid of the duplicate(s), select the clone layer and then stamp visible (shift alt cntrl E). Repeat the tonal contrast routine.
Sometimes I have to repeat several times before the file is fit for adjustments and printing.
David