Using Photoshop to Restore Old Photos
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by: DavidPeters
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Word Count: 556
There are times that people may have old photographs they would like to restore to save the memories. Photos usually get damaged through the times. The pictures may get blurred, the color fades and the picture might acquire marks and scratches. Thank the technology of today. People can now save and restore their old photos with the help of Photoshop.
An easy to learn program is Photoshop Elements. This program contains options that can help restore your old photographs. One of these elements is the Dust and Scratch Filter which can be used to remove the marks, scratches and blots on your old photos. The Dust and Scratch Filter can be found on the Menu Bar and then clicking on the Filter Tab. A drop down menu will list your choices at which point you can choose the Noise tab and click on the Dust and Scratches.
After selecting the Dust and Scratches menu, a pop up window will open with two control sliders. The first slider option is called the Radius and the other one is called the Threshold. You may also have another window open if the preview box is checked. Radius and threshold are the main options that are used in restoring the picture.
To remove scratches you will want to use the Radius slider. Too much adjustment can result in the edges blurring so please be careful with how much you adjust. If blurring occurs you can adjust the Threshold slider to allow the details to return and make the photograph clearer with the scratches disappearing. Again, you want to be careful not to set them too far or it will create blotches on the picture.
To remove any marks on the photograph you will want to select only the part where the scratches are located, not the entire photograph. To select these areas you can use the Lasso tool.
Once you have fixed the areas you may want to use the feather tool to feather the edges of the selected area so that the fixed selection will not be obvious on the picture. To use the feather tool you click the Feather option and choose the Scratch and Dust Filter again. You might want to do the radius and threshold adjustment process again to get the correct texture and make sure all the scratches and marks are removed.
To finish the process and make the photograph appear professional I recommend you crop the image enough to remove any cracks or torn edges of the photograph. The canvas may be use to equally crop the image.
You can also add drama to the photograph by adding a drop shadow. Drop shadows make the photograph appear as if it has been lifted off the page by placing a shadow underneath it. You can also remove color from the photograph by using the controls Shift+Ctrl+U. To make your photograph appear old you can use a little amount of Sepia coloring. This can be achieved using the Hue or Saturation tab. Contrast can be adjusted using the Levels option.
These steps are one very simple way to remove any blotches or marks on an older photograph. These tips are also a good way to make the picture look new but still appear classical. This is an easy and pleasant way to display photographs kept in old albums and cabinets for a long time.
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