Problem with scratches

[AFrazier]

I am having some difficulty with the scratches on this watch. If anyone has any ideas on how to correct them, the info would be appreciated.

I have tried using the healing brush, the clone tool, the patch tool, lighten mode, darken mode, and probably a few other things I'm not remembering right now.
No matter what I try, the surface of the metal turns dull. With the scratches intact, it has a certain luster. It lacks that when the scratches are removed.

In short, I'm not having trouble removing the scratches. I'm having trouble removing the scratches while preserving the luster of the metal.

Any suggestions?

[LonK]

Maybe a radial blur, Alex?

(Did this very quickly for POC)

[chillin]

Yes, radial blur definitely is the way to go, but first I smooth it out (glamour retouch).

[AFrazier]

ooooooo, sorry guys. Those lines in the watch face aren't scratches. Those are the texture of the watch face. I wasn't talking about that.
The scratches I'm referring to are on the upper part of the band and in the joint.

[LonK]

Yeah, well, I had a feeling that may be the case. Anyway, have you tried copy, rotate, fit the bottom right part of the band over the top left?

[crazyfly1]

Ya, I tried that Lonk...doesnt' work.

[chillin]

I would try to build-up the texture, to match the other side.

[AFrazier]

Just for the sake of saying so, this isn't paid work. I wanted a "product" picture on my website to demonstrate that I can photograph things like jewelry.
I posted it here when I couldn't figure out how to correct the issue so I could learn from someone else, and so you would all have a difficult challenge to practice on.

I'm not, in other words, one of the fly-by-nighters looking for free work. This is the first "help ME" post I've made since joining over a year ago.

Just wanted to say that for everyone's peace of mind.

[AFrazier]

I did not try copying the bottom half of the band. It looked too dark to work properly. So far, the best success has been using the patch tool from an extremely zoomed in view.
Everything else has dulled the sheen.

[AFrazier]

Thanks chillin. That's about how I got it to look.

It's really hard to explain, but the metal has a crispness about it that just gets lost.

[LonK]

This has probably gone too far, eh?

[crazyfly1]

Yup, that's it Lonk. I was thinking about it backwards-trying to select and alter the scratches with blend modes and such. You had the answer, I used your image and just added the highlights back in.

[AFrazier]

Yeah, that hits it right on the head. Great job guys.

I'm guessing the bottom half got pasted over the top of the band for texture, and then masked for the highlights?

[crazyfly1]

I can't say how Lonnie did his, but ya, I just put the origional on top of his-masked out the whole thing-lowered the opacity on the layer so I could see and then painted back in the highlights.
BTW, I had given up till I saw Lonks version and the light went on.

[LonK]

Yes, Alex -- essentially selected lower right, rotated to upper left, liquify and masking for best fit, reduced opacity to retrieve some of the highlighting (blurred the highlights beneath and added noise for texture).

[AFrazier]

Thanks guys. I appreciate you taking some of your valuable time to mess with this image. I might have figured out to do the same sooner or later, but your input saved me some time.

[garibaldi]

ever think about getting a new watch that isnt scratched up?

[AFrazier]

It's my wife's watch, and it cost me four bills. As I said, this wasn't a paid job where I was looking for a free fix. I wanted the image for my website to demonstrate the photography. The scratches were an unfortunate byproduct of photographing that particular item, and I was having trouble getting them out without ruining the luster of the metal. I could have photographed something else, but jewelry has a nice appeal in displaying product photography.

If it were a paid job, I would absolutely insist on having a product free from scratches.