7 steps for photo restoration using Photoshop

[Leon William]

If you are planning to carry out restoration of old damaged photos without relying on a professional, this article is for you.

Read here to find out 7 simple steps for that.

[philbach]

Re: 7 steps for photo restoration using Photoshop

After digitizing the image, I believe most apply global levels or curves to straighten out the tone and color of the entire photo before getting involved with scratch and dust removal.

[mikemorrell]

Re: 7 steps for photo restoration using Photoshop

The steps in the article are a good starting point and I understand why the article doesn't go into the details. But I would have liked the article to include a couple of basic points such as:
- adjusting the 'levels' in faded photos can drastically improve them; adjusting the color balance too
- all of the filters mentioned blur details (especially facial features) to some extent. It's common practice to restore these after applying filters. At least, if the difference is noticeable. The Photoshop 'history brush' is an effective way of doing this.

I'm still a relative beginner at amateur restoration. It took me months to learn how to deal with cracks, stains, missing parts, etc. There's no substitute for hands-on learning (and googling anything that you intuitively feel should be possible if you only knew how). There are lots of YouTube videos on 'restoration' but I thoroughly recommend the book "Digital Restoration from Start to Finish: How to Repair Old and Damaged Photographs" by Ctein to anyone who's serious about restoration. It's on Amazon.

Mike