Best Tool for Removing Sensor Dust Spots

[Michael_J_Titera]

Hi,

I have footage with a sensor dust spot right in the middle of the frame. The background is complex and the footage moves so, the dust spot travels over different colors including people's faces. What is the best third party plugin/tool to remove such a difficult dust spot?

I have tried the Dust & Scratches and Gaussian Blur effects (using a mask) in Premiere with mild success. I have also used the CC Simple Wire Removal effect in After Effects with mild success. I really need something powerful that can handle this complex scene with a bad dust spot location.

Thank you for your suggestions. And yes, I know, I should have cleaned my sensor beforehand......lesson learned.

Cheers,

Michael

[chrisw44157881]

can you post an example? is it a pixel size or what?

[Michael_J_Titera]

Thanks for your help, Chris.

I have uploaded a short clip here: Footage with Sensor Dust Spots - YouTube

There are actually multiple sensor dust spots in this clip (I am sure the dust got on the sensor when I changed lenses). The spot that really bothers me the most is the one that travels across her chest at 5 seconds in, then travels across the grass, and then finally travels across his face at 33 seconds.

I am willing to buy a plugin/tool, if it can truly eliminate the dust spots. Thanks again for your help.

Cheers,

Michael

[chrisw44157881 · Accepted solution]

most professional software is very expensive.

There's very few free automatic solutions out there such as:

http://spotremoverfilter.com/

or

http://www.infognition.com/dirtcleaner/

here's a plugin for FCPX

$99 http://www.chv-plugins.com/cms/Fx-Script/Repair-collection/Dirt-Remover.php5

$395 mocha pro removal tool

mocha Pro «  Imagineer Systems

you can also do it manually with AE and just track the clone stamp tool with nearby pixels or with a time offset. Most

professional software allows blending 50/50 before and after frames to average the brightness as well. or mocha

the super expensive professional stuff below:

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davincirevival/software

http://www.thepixelfarm.co.uk/pfclean/

http://www.hs-art.com/index.php/solutions/diamant-film

http://www.digitalvision.tv/products/phoenix_film_restoration/

http://www.mtifilm.com/drs-nova-overview/

http://algosoft-tech.com/pro/?

[Michael_J_Titera]

Thanks, Chris!

I will check out those tools. By the way, do you know if the free version of DaVinci Resolve has a spot removal effect?

After searching the web, and trying many different techniques, this one gave me the best results (not perfect, but good):

BEST Sensor Dust Removal - DSLR Footage (Premiere Pro CC) 2015 - YouTube

Cheers,

Michael

[chrisw44157881]

glad to hear something worked. your own post should be the 'answer'. davinci free has no spot removal(just tracking a matte). I'm a little confused how dust and scratches with mask didn't work, but a keyed matte did. They are almost exactly the same thing.

[Michael_J_Titera]

I couldn't figure out how to do more than one mask properly. I was able to create two masks, but then the other one would not work. That's why I looked at alternatives and found the keyed matte technique (I ended up using the Titler to create the green mattes). I also found the keyed mattes looked better/smoother around the edges, even with feathering applied to the mask.

I am still going to try out the tools you suggested. It would be great if one of the free ones does a better job than the keyed matte. Thanks again, Chris!