free · self-check

what to look for.

pixels aren't everything. the free check measures size, tones and colour. these are the things it can't see, and the ones i look for first. open one, look at your image at 100 %, and try the fix.

18 things to look for

sharpness

sharpening halosstart herea bright rim around hard edges, usually from too much sharpening. it depends

look for	a light rim next to a dark edge, often with a dark rim beside it. look around branches against sky, rooflines, hair and lettering.
in print	enlargement can turn a barely visible outline into a hard, distracting border. a sharp-looking edge is not the same as real detail.
try this	compare with the original at 100%. if you still have the edit, reduce sharpening amount or radius. avoid sharpening again after every resize. test a crop at the scale of the final print.

too few pixelsstart herethe classic one: not enough of them for the size you want. it depends

look for	stairs on diagonal edges, blocky curves and details that dissolve when you zoom in. inspect the original, not a thumbnail.
in print	a larger print spreads the same pixels over more paper. soft detail can be acceptable from a distance, but a bigger file alone does not restore the original scene.
try this	find the largest original export. run the free check at the size you want. try an upscale, then inspect faces, text and edges for newly invented detail.

too much microcontrasttextures pushed until they look crunchy and harsh. yes

look for	crunchy textures, very dark pores, gritty leaves or an almost embossed look. clarity and texture sliders can make ordinary surfaces look harsh.
in print	fine contrast can be useful. too much can exaggerate skin texture and make a calm image feel brittle, especially up close.
try this	turn clarity, texture or local contrast down and compare at your intended print size. keep useful detail, not every tiny edge at maximum strength.

missed focusthe camera focused on the wrong thing, and nothing else can fix that. start over

look for	something behind or in front of the subject is crisp, while the detail you care about is soft. check eyes in portraits.
in print	print cannot move focus onto the subject. sharpening may add rims without recovering the missing detail.
try this	look for another frame with better focus. if this is the one you love, try a smaller print or a test crop before committing.

camera shake & motion blurstreaks or doubled edges from a moving camera or a moving subject. start over

look for	directional streaks or doubled edges. camera shake often affects the whole frame; subject movement may leave the background sharp.
in print	the blur gets physically larger as you enlarge the picture. deliberate movement can still make a beautiful print.
try this	choose a sharper frame if you have one. treat deblurring results cautiously and compare with the source. a smaller print may suit the image better.

heavy noise reductionnoise reduction that paints over texture instead of cleaning it. it depends

look for	leaves look painted, hair becomes a solid sheet, and skin has no fine texture. edges may be sharp while everything between them is smeared.
in print	enlarging makes the missing texture easier to notice. an upscaler may replace it with plausible texture rather than the real detail.
try this	use the original or raw file if available. reduce noise reduction before sharpening. a little natural grain can be preferable to smooth, waxy surfaces.

jpeg blocks & ringingsquare patches and ripples from saving the same jpeg too often. it depends

look for	square patches in smooth areas and little ripples around strong edges, especially text. screenshots and repeatedly saved jpegs often reveal these.
in print	enlargement can make compression patterns more visible. sharpening can exaggerate ringing and block boundaries.
try this	download the original rather than saving a preview. avoid sending it through apps that shrink photos. keep a lossless working file and make the final jpeg once.

moiré & repeating patternswavy stripes that appear on fabric, tiles and fine lines. it depends

look for	wavy stripes or rainbow patterns on fabric, screens, roof tiles or tightly spaced lines. inspect at 100% because a scaled screen preview can create its own moiré.
in print	resizing can reveal or change the pattern. what appears in one preview size is not always in the original.
try this	check the source at several zoom levels. use a targeted moiré correction if available, then inspect after the final resize. test a crop if the pattern matters.

tones & colour

banding & posterisationstart heresmooth skies that break into visible steps. it depends

look for	steps in a sky, a studio backdrop or a smooth shadow instead of a gradual transition. posterisation also creates flat islands of tone.
in print	large, quiet areas make tone steps easy to spot. paper and lighting change how visible they are, but do not remove them.
try this	go back to the least-compressed original. avoid repeated strong edits to a small jpeg. gentle dithering can disguise some steps, but compare carefully and make a test print.

colour noise in shadowsred, green and blue speckles where the shadows are. yes

look for	red, green or blue speckles in dark walls, clothing and skies. distinguish this from even monochrome grain.
in print	lifting shadows or enlarging the image can make coloured speckles more obvious. noise may be less intrusive at normal viewing distance.
try this	reduce colour noise separately if your editor allows it. avoid removing every bit of luminance texture. inspect the shadows again after any upscale.

blocked shadowsdark areas that print as one flat patch. it depends

look for	hair, dark clothing or a night scene becomes one flat dark patch. there is no separation between nearby objects.
in print	paper reflects light rather than glowing like your screen. subtle dark detail on a bright display can be harder to see on paper.
try this	check on a sensibly bright display and lift recoverable shadows gently. clipped detail cannot be recovered just by increasing brightness. test the darkest area at final scale.

blown highlightswhite areas with no detail left in them. it depends

look for	featureless white areas on faces, clouds, windows or reflective objects. a small specular reflection is not automatically a problem.
in print	clipped highlights stay blank. paper cannot reveal detail that is absent from the file.
try this	try highlight recovery from the raw file if you have it. use a different exposure if available. decide whether the bright patch is part of the picture or a distraction.

colour casts & profilesa tint nobody saw when the picture was taken. yes

look for	skin too green, snow too blue, or neutrals that look tinted. an intentional warm or cool mood is different from an unwanted cast.
in print	a missing or misinterpreted profile can change colours. screen brightness and ambient light also affect your judgement.
try this	check white balance against a neutral part of the scene. ask the lab which colour space it expects. convert to that profile rather than simply assigning it; embed the profile on export.

ai artefacts

plastic ai skinstart hereai faces that look smooth until you stand close. it depends

look for	waxy cheeks, identical pores, shiny patches or hair that merges into the skin. also check fabric, fur and wood for repeated synthetic patterns.
in print	a believable small preview can look artificial when a face occupies a large part of the print.
try this	compare nearby features, not just the eyes. regenerate or selectively edit the problem area if possible. added texture can change the surface, but does not make invented detail real.

ai hands, eyes & small detailsstart herehands, eyes and jewellery that fail when you count them. it depends

look for	count fingers and teeth. check pupils, earring pairs, glasses, joints, toes and jewellery. follow shapes where one object overlaps another.
in print	anatomical or object errors can become the first thing someone notices in a large print, even when the resolution is excellent.
try this	inspect every important part of the subject. regenerate or selectively edit flawed areas, then recheck the surrounding details. do not assume an upscale corrects anatomy.

important details near the edgestart herethe thing you care about sitting right against the edge. yes

look for	a head, hand, signature or horizon close to the edge. compare the whole image with the exact shape of the frame.
in print	a different aspect ratio crops the image. trimming or a mount can hide a little more than the preview suggests.
try this	use fit the frame to preview the crop. move the crop away from important details or choose a border. ask the printer about trim and mounting before ordering.

text that almost makes senselettering that looks right in a thumbnail and wrong up close. yes

look for	misspelled signs, duplicated letters, fake logos or lettering that changes shape halfway through a word.
in print	large text invites people to read it. a convincing-looking word in a thumbnail can become obviously wrong.
try this	read every visible word. replace important lettering with real text in an editor if appropriate, or generate a version without it. check rights before using a brand.

portrait-mode cutout errorsportrait mode cutting hair and blurring the wrong side of an edge. it depends

look for	missing hair strands, a blurred ear or glasses frame, and sharp islands of background between fingers. inspect the transition around the person.
in print	the boundary can look like a cutout when enlarged. blur added to the wrong side of an edge may be distracting.
try this	if your phone allows it, reduce or disable portrait blur and export again. keep the original photo. manually refine the mask where the subject matters.

can you fix it? yes: you can do it yourself. it depends: on your file and your tools. start over: the file can't be saved, so pick another frame or generate it again.

stuck?try the free tools, or email me and i'll take a look when i have time. help →