Clipped pixels

[Blue Deuce]

I have recently begun using Raw Shooter Essentials. Their is a function that "highlights" clipped pixels. I notice they are always in areas that are shadowy or under exposed.

What exactly is a clipped pixel ? :?

[jrobert]

I have recently begun using Raw Shooter Essentials. Their is a function that "highlights" clipped pixels. I notice they are always in areas that are shadowy or under exposed.

What exactly is a clipped pixel ? :?
I'm not familiar with RSE to know for sure what they mean by it, but in general, 'clipping' refers to an artifact of a sensor or processing system (camera) caused when the system represents values in a function (an image) that lie beyond the sensor's capabilities, and so are all represented as if they were at the maximum recordable brightness. Blown highlights, for instance, is caused by the image sensor reporting the maximum brightness it is capable of for every pixel in a region, even though your eye may be able to distinguish many different (higher) brightnesses in the same region of the original scene. The camera sensor 'clips' because it lacks the ability to represent the entire range of brightnesses in the scene.

-jeff-

[PhotosGuy]

What you're seeing is clipped shadows. Might call them "blown shadows". Same as blown highlights. ;-)

[Moody Blues]

Here is how I understand it. You have three channels of color. In 8bit each of the channels is capable of 256 colors. If you have an image where 1000 pixels are 255X254X255 etc. and you lighten that image. You then take those pixels to the 256 extreme and clip them out (they are pure white). Same goes for the dark end. That is why they 8bit JPG files lose data. Once those pixels are clipped, there is no getting them back.