Removing Dust and Scratches

When dealing with photos you may notice what looks like dust or spots on the image. This may have come from the original photo, the scan, or the photo may have become worn. This problem is relatively easy to fix.

1. Make a copy of the image by dragging the layer onto the icon for a new layer. The layer will be named Background copy. I have renamed the layers "Jenny orig" and "Jenny smooth".

2. Select the lower layer to make it active. Access the Filter > Noise > Dust and Scratches This effectively blurs the image so that the irregularities in the photo are removed. The down side of this is that the image is extremely blurry - you have lost the detail.

3. Select the upper layer and erase the areas where the dust and scratches are located. I have shown the areas I erased in the photo below.

4. When the 2 layers are turned on the blurred layer fills in the area which previously had dust and scratches. Since the problem area was relatively small, the blurry lower layer is not noticeable. If you had a large stain or tear you might need to repair the problem with the pencil or rubber stamp tool.

REPAIRED	BEFORE