Photoshop Elements > Retouching >

Dust & Scratches >

Dust & Scratches Removal Methods

Sam Houston

Beginners

If you're a beginner, or if you need to make minor corrections, go to Dust & Scratches Brush.

Retouching Tips

If you haven't already done so, go to Retouching Tips.

Why?

Removing dust and scratches can be tough!

Don't make it harder by not following basic retouching tips.

Introduction

This tutorial describes a rudimentary workflow for dust and scratch removal.

You'll use three methods.

You'll gain experience on evaluating which areas in a photograph need which method.

1 - Do the Usual

Do the usual.

Open the photograph, and create a Background copy layer.

If you haven't already done so, go to Create a Background Copy Layer.

Edit the photograph as you normally would.

Do Levels, correct the color, burn and dodge, and so forth.

2 - Crop!

If you can crop the photograph, you'll have less work.

3 - Identify Quality Areas

Some areas of a photograph will require high-quality retouching.

Other areas won't need as much work.

The Sam Houston portrait, above, has three different quality areas.

Area #1 - Portrait Background

The plain background behind Mr. Houston can be retouched more crudely.

Two methods will work well.

The background can be blurred.

Or, you can use the Noise & Scratches filter.

Area #2 - Coat

His coat requires more sophisticated work, especially the portion nearest his face.

Because the coat at the bottom of the portrait will not attract the viewer's eyes, retouching can be less rigorous.

If you blur the coat, noticeable detail will be lost.

The Dust & Scratches Filter will do a better job, but important detail may be lost.

The best solution is to use the Layer Askew method.

Area #3 - Face

Mr. Houston's face requires the highest-quality retouching.

There are bright spots, and  several vertical, dark, scratches.

You'll use the Spot Healing Brush and the Healing Brush tools.

4 - Make Selections

Make selections of the quality areas in your photograph.

Be sure to save the selections.

If you haven't already done so, go to Save the Selection.

Coat & Face Selection

Select what's easiest to select, first.

In this example, the coat and face.

Make a crude selection of the coat and face with the Quick Selection Brush tool.

Then, fine tune the selection with the same tool.

Be sure to use the Zoom tool to enlarge the photograph so you can be more precise, especially around Mr. Houston's head.

Press and hold the space bar—and click and hold on the image—to move the photograph as you work.

When the automation of the Quick Selection Brush tool gets in the way, use the Selection Brush tool.

Save your selection as Coat & Face.

Go to Select > Save Selection, enter Coat & Face, and click OK.

Portrait Background Selection

Next, invert the Coat selection.

Go to Select > Inverse.

The selection of the coat and face "flips."

Now, the portrait background is selected.

Saved this selection as Portrait Background.

Note:

Rename New Layers

You will use the selections to copy the different parts of the photograph to new layers.

Rename each new layer to prevent confusion.

5 - Make Two

Portrait Background Layers

Start retouching with the easiest area, the background of the portrait.

You're going to "put" the portrait background on two layers.

Then, you'll use a different method on each of the layers.

Do the following.

1) Load the selection called Portrait Background.

Go to Selection > Load Selection.

Select Portrait Background in the menu, and click OK.

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

3) Press Ctrl + j.

4) Press Ctrl + j, again.

You have two new layers, Layer 1 and Layer 2.

Each layer contains the portrait background.

5) Rename the new layers.

Layer 2	Portrait Background: Blur Filter
Layer 1	Portrait Background: Dust & Scratches Filter

Abbreviate the above names.

Note:

One Method, One Layer,

At a Time

When you edit one of the above portrait background layers, turn the other portrait background layer off.

Deselect its eye icon.

Note:

Layer Order

As you make new layers, make sure the Levels adjustment layer is above the new layers.

Generally, all adjustment layers should be above the layers with pixels.

Adjustment layers "broadcast" their instructions down to the layers with pixels.

They don't broadcast up to the layers above them.

The pixel layers must be below to "receive" the instructions from the adjustment layers.

6 - Retouch the

Portrait Background: Dust & Scratches Filter

Layer

We'll use the Dust & Scratches Filter on the layer called Portrait Background: Dust & Scratches Filter.

The Dust & Scratches Filter attempts to blur only the dust and scratches.

As mentioned, because the background is a less important part of the photograph, the retouching quality doesn't have to be the best.

Do the following.

1) Deselect the eye icon for the Portrait Background: Blur Filter layer.

2) Make sure the Portrait Background: Dust & Scratches Filter layer is active (highlighted).

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

 In the Dust & Scratches Filter window:

• Reduce the Radius to 1.

• Reduce the Threshold to 0.

4) 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 in the window, hold, and move the cursor.

5) Highlight the 1 in the Radius box.

Using the up-and-down arrow keys on your keyboard, increase the Radius value slightly.

Increase the Radius only enough to make the defects disappear.

A Radius value of 3 worked well for the Sam Houston portrait.

Note:

Arrow Key Advantage

When you use the up-and-down arrow keys on your keyboard to change the Radius value, you can see the affect of the filter with each press.

If you use the slider, you can't see the change until you release the slider.

Back to Work

6) The portrait will probably be too smooth, so use Threshold to add some texture.

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.

A Threshold value of 15 added the right of texture here.

Note:

Compare

Compare the filtered version to the original photograph.

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

9) Click OK to close the Dust & Scratches Filter window.

Now, you can see the entire portrait background.

 10) Deselect, and reselect, the eye icon for the Portrait Background: Dust & Scratches Filter layer to judge your work.

Next, we'll work on the coat.

Note:

Retouch the Coat,

But Preserve Its Detail

Mr. Houston's coat requires an intermediate level of retouching quality.

Therefore, don't use the Blur Filter method.

The Dust & Scratches Filter may be used.

However, to preserve the coat detail, use the Layer Askew method.

7 - Make Two Coat Layers

You're going to "put" the coat on two layers.

Then, you'll use the Layer Askew method on each of the layers.

Do the following.

1) Load the selection called Coat.

Go to Selection > Load Selection.

Select Coat in the menu, and click OK.

2) Erase the face part of the selection with the Quick Selection tool or the Selection Brush tool.

You just want the coat to be selected.

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

4) Press Ctrl + j.

5) Press Ctrl + j, again.

You have two new layers, Layer 1 and Layer 2.

Each layer contains the coat.

6) Rename the new layers.

Layer 2	Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode
Layer 1	Layer Askew: Lighten Blending Mode

Abbreviate the above names.

Note:

Blending Modes

Blending modes are at the top of the Layers panel (Layers palette).

The blending mode is usually Normal.

In this tutorial, you're going to use both the Darken and Lighten blending modes.

In other photographs, you may use Normal, or Darken, or Lighten.

You may not need to use both Darken and Lighten.

8 - Retouch the

Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode

Layer

Do the following.

1) Deselect the eye icon for the Layer Askew: Lighten Blending Mode layer.

2) Make sure the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer is active (highlighted).

Below, this layer will be shifted a few pixels out-of-register using the Move tool.

3) Change the layer's blending mode from Normal to Darken.

Because we want to remove white defects on a darker background, the blending mode for the layer will be changed from Normal to Darken.

Quirk Fix

There's a quirk in some Windows versions of Photoshop Elements that can stymie you.

We're going to use the Move tool to bump the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer by a few pixels.

But, watch out for the quirk!

When you press the arrow keys to move the layer, the layer won't move.

Instead, the blending mode for the layer will change from Darken to other blending modes.

To remedy this quirk, do the following.

a) Click on another layer, any layer.

b) Then, click back on the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer.

The arrow keys will now move the layer.

They won't change the blending mode away from Darken.

4) Move the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer.

a) Perform the above quirk fix.

b) Select the Move tool, or press v.

c) Move the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer very slightly to one side, and very slightly, up or down.

To do so, use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

The defects will be lessened considerably.

Want to Start Over?

As you press the arrow keys, count how many times you've pressed them.

If you loose track, you can reposition the layer in register with the layers below.

Do the following.

a) Open the Undo History panel (Undo History palette) in the panel bin (palette bin), or go to Window > Undo History.

b) Look on the panel (palette) for the first usage of the Move tool.

c) Click on the step before and close the Undo History panel (Undo History palette).

A harder, but fun way, to restore the layer to its original position, follows.

a) Change the blending mode of the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer from Darken to Difference.

b) Do the quirk fix.

Click on another layer, and then click back on the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer.

c) Press the arrow keys to move the layer back to its original position.

When the layer is in register with the layers below, the coat will turn completely black.

d) Change the blending mode back to Darken from Difference.

e) Do the quirk fix, again.

Click on another layer, and then click back on the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer.

f) Move the layer to put it out of register.

9 - Retouch the

Layer Askew: Lighten Blending Mode

Layer

The white defects in the portrait background were corrected above.

There are also dark defects.

Do the following.

1) Deselect the eye icon for the Layer Askew: Darken Blending Mode layer.

2) Make sure the Layer Askew: Lighten Blending Mode layer is active (highlighted).

Below, this layer will be shifted a few pixels out-of-register using the Move tool.

3) Change the layer's blending mode from Normal to Lighten.

Because we want to remove dark defects on a lighter background, the blending mode for the layer will be changed from Normal to Lighten.

4) Repeat the above process.

Both Layer Askew Layers

When finished, make sure the eye icons are selected for both of the Layer Askew layers.

Note:

You Can Use Two Methods

In the Sam Houston photograph, using the Gaussian Blur Filter on the two Layer Askew layers was beneficial.

10 - Magic Wand Method

The coat has many bright spots.

The above methods may not retouch these spots well.

You can use the the Magic Wand tool to select the bright spots.

Then, you copy them to a new layer.

There, the bright spots are painted with a medium gray.

Do the following.

1) Deselect the eye icons of all of the layers except the layer with only the coat that's in the highest position in the stack of layers.

2) Make sure this layer is active (highlighted).

3) Use the Zoom tool to fill your screen with the coat.

4) Select to the Magic Wand tool.

5) Do two things in the options bar.

1st

Make sure the tolerance is at 15.

We want to select bright areas only, so the tolerance is set to a low value.

The higher the tolerance value, the more darker tones are selected.

2nd

Make sure Contiguous is deselected.

Back to the Bright Spots

6) Look for one of the bright spots.

Use the Zoom tool to enlarge the photograph if needed.

7) Select the Magic Wand tool.

8) Click on one of the bright spots.

The Magic Wand tool will select the bright spots on the coat.

9) Press Ctrl + j.

The bright spots are now on a new layer.

10) Rename the layer as Bright Spots.

11) Click the coat layer.

Make sure the eye icon for the layer is active.

12) Select the Eyedropper tool.

13) Click on a medium gray area on the coat.

You have selected the color of the paint.

You're going to paint the bright spots with this color.

14) Click the Bright Spots layer (highlighted).

15) Select the Paint Bucket tool.

16) Do two things in the options bar.

1st

Make sure Contiguous is deselected.

2nd

Set the tolerance to 100.

Look

17) Look for one of the bright spots with the marching ant borders around it.

Use the Zoom tool to enlarge the photograph if needed.

18) Click inside the marching ants of this bright spot.

The medium gray paint has now filled in all of the bright spots.

11 - Face

Mr. Houston's face requires the most proficient retouching.

There are bright spots.

Use the Spot Healing Brush tool for those.

There are several vertical, dark, scratches.

Use the Healing Brush tool.

Clone Stamp Tool

The Clone Stamp tool isn't needed for the Sam Johnson portrait.

It may be needed in other situations.

For example, you can use it to repair the pattern of wallpaper in the background.

Make sure Aligned is selected in the options bar for the Clone Stamp tool.

12 - Blur the Face

Some faces, not Mr. Houston's, may benefit with some Gaussian blur.

Do the following if a face needs a little blur.

1) Select the face.

2) Copy the face to its own layer.

Press Ctrl + j.

3) Rename the layer as Blurred Face.

4) Make sure the Blurred Face layer is active (highlighted).

5) Go to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

6) Increase the Radius slightly.

7) Click OK.

The eyes and mouth may look unrealistic when blurred.

8) Erase these areas on the Blurred Face layer with the Eraser tool.

Use a feathered brush.

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

Where you erase, the sharp eyes and mouth from the face in the Background copy layer, will become visible.

13 - Admire Your Work

Press, hold, and don't release Alt.

Keep Alt pressed down.

Down!

Don't release it!

Click the eye icon of the Background layer.

All of the adjustment and retouching layers are turned off.

You're seeing the original.

Click the same eye icon again.

All of the adjustment and retouching layers are turned back on.

Click the eye icon on-and-off to evaluate and admire your work.

Then, release Alt when all of the layers are on (eye icons selected).

14 - Make a Composite Layer

Make a composite layer if you want to add a sepia tone to the portrait.

A composite layer combines all of the layers into one layer.

And, all of the other layers are still there, below the composite layer.

If you haven't already done so, go to Composite Layer.

Do the following to make a composite layer for sepia toning.

1) Click the top layer (highlighted).

2) Go to Select > All.

3) Go to Edit > Copy Merged.

4) Go to Edit > Paste.

You can now tone the composite layer, or edit it in other ways.

Go to Toning.