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Friday, August 29, 2008

Using Photoshop to Restore Old Photos

By David Peters


Many people find that the pictures of years gone by need restoration to preserve the memories they hold. The fact is that many photos become damaged through the passing of time. The color may fade, the image may blur and the picture may even suffer from marks and scratches. With the help of the Photoshop program, these problems can be a thing of the past. Technology has enabled Photoshop to provide a solution to your photo restoration needs.

The person may use the Elements in Photoshop, which are Dust and Scratch Filter to remove the marks, scratches and blots in the photo. The Dust and Scratches Filter is located on the Menu Bar and click on the Filter Tab. A drop down will list elements and then he can choose the Noise tab and select on the Dust and Scratches.

After choosing the Dust and Scratches menu, a window will pop up containing two control sliders. The first slider is for the Radius and the other one is for the Threshold. There will also be another window if the preview box is checked. These are the main options that will be used in correcting the image.

Adjusting the Radius slider may remove the scratches; however there the potential that overdoing it can make the edges blurred too. Should this happen, adjust the Threshold slider and this will allow the details to go back and make the picture clearer with the scratches disappearing. The person should be cautious not to set them too far or it will only generate blotches on the picture.

Selecting the whole photo will not diffuse these marks when going to remove them. The alternative is to choose only the part where the scratches are to be found. You may use the Lasso to do this.

He can then feather the edges of the selected area so that the selected area will not be obvious on the picture. He can do this by clicking the Feather option and click the Scratch and Dust Filter again. He can do the process again of adjusting the Radius and Threshold sliders to get the texture needed and remove the scratches.

Should there still be noticeable marks in other areas of the photo, repeat all of the steps, choosing one portion of the photo at a time for adjustment. You can crop the image to remove any cracks and torn edges of the picture to complete the process. The canvas feature can be used to evenly crop the photo.

You can also add other features such as a drop shadow for heightened drama to the photo. This will add dimension to the picture and make it appear to lift off of the page. The color may also be removed by steps Shift+Ctrl+U. Different color techniques can then be added for eye-catching appeal. One such effect is achieved by adding a small amount of Sepia tone through the Hue or Saturation tab. This will provide an antiqued effect while still maintaining a classic look. The contrast can be adjusted by using the Levels option.

These are easy steps toward your photo restoration solution. Photoshop offers a user friendly program that packs quite a punch against scratches and marks that could otherwise ruin your treasured keepsakes. Now you have the means to restore these photos for display in albums or picture frames for everyone to enjoy.

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