Edit Digital Photography - Using Photoshop to Restore Old Photos

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.

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 dialog box will pop up with two control sliders. The first slider is for options regarding Radius and the second one is for options regarding Threshold. There may also be another window if the preview box is checked. These are the two main options that can be used in fixing 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.

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.

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.

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 a relatively simple way to remove any blotches or marks on an old photograph. These steps are also a good way to make a photograph appear new but still look classical. Your family and friends will marvel at your ability and talent as well as enjoy the photograph again.

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