Is there a filter "out there" that can get rid of some of this mess?

Well I would recommend a new scan. I ran this photo through neat image and saved it as a file named neat image. I then ran the original image through a photoshop action that is on this site called jpeg clean up which works on the edges of the photograph. Neither photo is acceptable in my opinion.

that is kind of a mess, isnt it. i doubt you're going to find anything to really clean it up well. like phil, you could try different settings in neat image, but this looks more like camera shake. i'd try 'Unshake' or 'Focus Magic', but i dont think those are really going to help that much either. you could also try reconstruction from other images or just plain old hand work.

nonetheless, i gave it a shot. i ran it through unshake several times at different settings. i then ran that through psp's digital camera noise removal (similar to neat image) and tried a few duped layers with different blend modes. not sure it's much, if any of an improvement, though.

Craig

this image is not one that can be rescanned. It was taken from a cell phone. Where might I find this "neat image", "unshake" and "focus magic"? They are not ones that are in my battalion of PS plug-ins.

pg,

neat image is free, but not in the plugin version. the plugin pro version is pay for. i just use the freebie which is a stand-alone.

unshake is also stand-alone and no plugin available. i think it's java based. find it with google.

focus magic has a limited free version and works as either stand-alone or plugin, but only allows for 10 free uses. again, find it with google. i dont have the addy's to hand.

off a cell phone. ok, that explains a lot. if you know who you got it from you might contact them and have them mail you the original. hopefully, that's in better shape.

Craig

Well I've been very satisfied with Neat Image. Its home web site is: HERE (http://www.neatimage.com/)