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Using Photoshop to Restore Old Photos

Often times people have older photographs in albums or frames that become damaged by the sun or wear and tear. It is easy to restore these cherished photographs thanks to the technology available through the computer and photo editing software, including Adobe Photoshop.

Some of the things a person might use include the Elements in Photoshop, which are Dust and Scratch Filters to remove marks, scratches and even blots on the photograph. To find the Dust and Scratches Filter you can look on the Menu Bar and choose the Filter Tab. A drop down option list will show your choices and from there you can choose the Noise tab and select 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.

You can try to adjust the Radius slider which may remove the scratches. Please be aware that overdoing it may make the edges blurred as well. If blurring happens you can adjust the Threshold slider. This should allow the details to return and make the picture clearer with the scratches disappearing. You should be careful not to set the sliders too far or you will only create blotches on the picture.

In removing the marks, selecting the whole photo will not diffuse these marks. The option is to select only the part where the scratches are located. He may use the Lasso to do this.

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.

It there are still visible marks on the other parts of the picture, he can do the technique again by selecting the areas he would like to adjust. To finish the process and make the picture presentable, he can crop the image enough to remove the cracks and torn edges of the picture. The canvas may be use to equally crop the image.

A person may add drama on the picture by adding a drop shadow on it. This will make the picture appear as if it has been lifted off the page. The color may also be removed using the controls Shift+Ctrl+U. He can then add color by putting a little amount of Sepia. He can do this with the Hue or Saturation tab. The contrast may 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.

By: David Peters

Want to find out more about Editing Digital Photographs? Don't trust anyone's advice until you have read This Free Guide

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