If you’ve ever been frustrated with the clone stamp or the spot healing brush for removing dust and scratches from scanned film (both tools distort grain and destroy details), you may want to give this technique a try. This tutorial is optimized for black and white film, but it works well for color, too.
Some details will be hard to see if you watch the embedded version. This video was recorded and edited in HD, so if you click through, you’ll get the whole picture. Any feedback on this post is welcome, I haven’t done many of these and would like to know if they’re helpful.
3 Comments
Totally helpful. This is going into practice immediately. I have noticed so many times exactly the effect you were referring to with the clone and healing stamps… I’m really picky when it comes to dusting, and I end up spending way too much time with a tiny brush to preserve details and grain. I’m totally going to give this a try- got some negs to scan in the morning. Thanks.
I like it. Just one suggestion for future tips: some mind find it helpful to have a list of the steps. (You know: 1. Duplicate background layer; 2. Run filter . . .) The video is nice as it is, but I think most people will make a list like that for themselves anyway. And thanks.
Thanks, G. You’re right, I’m going to work on that. Someone on Vimeo recommended a way to refine this technique, so I will probably revisit this tutorial shortly, revamp it with the new refinements, and include a text step-by-step, too.