"Cleaning up"

[V-Spec]

I'm considering entering some images i've recently taken into a few large wildlife competitions next year, the question I have is this:

Reading into the rules of most competitions, regarding digital images a certain amount of editing is allowed. This normally boils down to the following things:

Cleaning up is allowed
Cropping is allowed
Adjustment to levels is allowed
Sharpening is allowed

any form of composite image, or merged/hdr image is not allowed etc..

My question is, how do you define "Cleaning up" in the first of the 4 points.. Would it allow the removal distracting out of focus blobs in the image? or would it be completley at the judges discretion? For example, removing a large twig sticking out of a bird's head in one photo might look extreme, but removing an out of focus blob which was slightly interfering to the image might be allowed???

Just wondering on peoples thoughts on this?

 

[A.N.Other]

Cleaning up for me would be removing dust spots and maybe doing a bit of cloning if it's pretty minor. Major editing of central parts of the shot, as you say, would be out.

Though I'd be curious to know if they could ever actually find out what you've done, if you're good enough with PS ...

 

[^^Gord^^]

I would guess they mean noise reduction rather than cloning out items but it is a very open statement. If I would you I would e-mail them the question, better now that getting thrown out the comp in the final.

 

[V-Spec]

Cleaning up for me would be removing dust spots and maybe doing a bit of cloning if it's pretty minor. Major editing of central parts of the shot, as you say, would be out.

Though I'd be curious to know if they could ever actually find out what you've done, if you're good enough with PS ...

Pretty much what I thought, as it stands nothing i've done requires much work, theres just 1 blob on a few images which ever so slightly interferes with the image, which i'd say would be classed as a "minor clear up" but yeah - drastically changing the actual subject itself like messing with the eyes or something would be classed as badly altering I guess..