Restoring Old Photos Using Photoshop
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.
The person may use the Elements in Photoshop, which are Dust and Scratch Filter to remove the marks, scratches an 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 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.
Adjusting the Radius slider may remove the scratches. However, there is a tendency that overdoing it may make the edges blurred too. If that happens, the option is to 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 careful not to set them too far or it 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.
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.
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 picture by adding a drop shadow. Drop shadows make the picture appear as if it has been lifted off the page. You can also remove color using the controls Shift+Ctrl+U. You can then add color by putting a little amount of Sepia by using 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.