Photoshop Elements > Retouching >

Dust & Scratches >

Dust & Scratches Brush

Sam Houston

Lots of Dust & Scratches?

If you're an intermediate Photoshop Elements user, and your photograph has many defects, go to Dust & Scratches Removal Methods.

Brush Away Dust & Scratches

You can create a dust and scratches brush.

Then, brush the defects to reduce them.

Do the following.

D & S Filter Layer

1) Make sure the Background copy layer is active (highlighted).

2) Press Ctrl + j.

3) Change the name of the new layer from Background copy 2 to D & S Filter.

4) Make sure the D & S Filter layer is active (highlighted).

5) Go to Filters > Noise > Dust & Scratches.

6) In the Dust & Scratches window:

• Reduce Radius to 1.

• Reduce Threshold to 0.

7) Move the image in the Dust & Scratches window so you can see the worst defects in the background of the portrait.

To do so, click on the image, hold, and move the cursor.

8) Highlight the 1 in the Radius box.

Use the up-and-down arrows on your keyboard to increase the Radius value slightly.

Increase the Radius only enough to make the defects disappear.

Now, the image in the Dust & Scratches window will probably be too smooth.

9) To restore some texture, use Threshold.

Highlight the 0 in the Threshold box.

Use the up-and-down arrows on your keyboard to increase the Threshold value.

Stop when the image looks more realistic, but the defects are still minimized.

10) If you click on the image in the Dust & Scratches window, and hold, the image reverts back to the original version.

Compare your correction with the original image.

11) Click OK.

12) Deselect, and reselect, the eye icon for the D & S Filter layer to judge your work.

Brush Layer

13) Create a new Levels adjustment layer.

When the Levels window opens, click OK.

You won't use the settings in the Levels window.

You'll use the layer's mask only.

The mask is the white rectangle in the layer.

14) Rename this new Levels layer as D & S Brush.

15) Make sure the D & S Brush layer is directly under the D & S Filter layer.

Above	D & S Filter
Below	D & S Brush

Group the Two Layers

16) Make sure the D & S Filter layer is active (highlighted).

17) Group the two layers.

If you haven't already done so, go to How to Group.

Brush Tool

18) Make sure the D & S Brush layer is active (highlighted).

19) Make sure the foreground color is black.

If you haven't already, go to Foreground & Background Colors.

20) Select the Brush tool.

21) Paint away the defects on the photograph with the brush.

Clipping Masks

You created a clipping mask when you grouped the D & S Filter layer with the D & S Brush layer.

Clipping masks can be used in many ways.

Go to Use #2 - Clipping Mask.

Erase Method

Here's a different way to apply the Dust & Scratches Filter to certain areas only.

1) Click the Background copy layer (highlighted).

2) Copy the Background copy layer by pressing Ctrl +j.

3) Rename the new layer as Dust & Scratches Filter.

4) Make sure the Dust & Scratches Filter layer is active (highlighted).

5) Go to Filters > Noise > Dust & Scratches.

Use the filter as described above.

6) Click OK.

The Dust & Scratches Filter has been applied to the pixels on the Dust & Scratches Filter layer.

8) Erase the areas on the Dust & Scratches Filter layer where you don't want the filter correction applied.

Use the Eraser tool with a feathered brush.

If you haven't already done so, go to Feathered Brush.

Where you erase, the uncorrected pixels from the face in the Background copy layer, will become visible.

Brushes for

Adding Dust & Scratches

Dust & Scratches Brush

You can use brushes to add dust and scratches.

For example, go to Dust & Scratches Brush.

To install the brush, go to Download Brush Libraries.