Learning how to fix damaged areas in photos is not a step-by-step process. Rather, it is learning how to identify problems and make strategic decisions about which techniques to employ to fix the image. Practice is the best path to becoming a skillful retoucher. However, you can expect good results if you know which tools to use. I have personally seen students become proficient using Photoshop’s rich suite of tools in just a few weeks.

Cameras are much more likely to generate a soft focus under low light. The Smart Sharpen filter has the most options of any sharpening filter built into Photoshop. It allows you to choose the sharpening algorithm as well as control the amount of sharpening in shadow and highlight areas. This filter can produce dramatically better quality, but do not expect results like you see in a TV police drama.

1. Close any open files, open the Sharpen1.tif file, available with other sample images in this downloadable ZIP archive, and zoom the document window to 100%. This will give you the most accurate view of the sharpening.
   
   

   

   
   
2. Choose Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen and select the Advanced radio button.
3. Click and drag the image in the preview window so you can better see the wood texture.
4. Adjust the controls in the Sharpen tab:
   
   

   

   
   
   • Amount. Sets the amount of sharpening. A higher value increases contrast between edge pixels, which gives the appearance of more sharpness.
   • Radius. Determines the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels that will be affected by the sharpening. A greater radius value means that edge effects will be more obvious, as will the sharpening.
   • Remove. Allows you to set the sharpening algorithm to be used:
     • Gaussian Blur. Is used by the Unsharp Mask flter. It works well on images that appear slightly out of focus.
     • Lens Blur. Detects edges and detail in an image. It provides finer sharpening of detail and can reduce halos caused by sharpening.
     • Motion Blur. Attempts to reduce the effects of blur caused by camera or subject movement. You will need to set the Angle control if you choose Motion Blur.
   • Angle. Set this to match the direction of motion. It’s only available when using the Remove control’s Motion Blur option.
   • More Accurate. Allows Photoshop to spend more time processing the file. It generates more accurate results for the removal of blurring.
5. You can refine the sharpening of dark and light areas—try using the Shadow and Highlight tabs. These controls should be used if you start to see halos in light or dark areas:
   • Fade Amount. Adjusts the amount of sharpening in the highlights or shadows regions.
   • Tonal Width. Controls the range of tones in the shadows or highlights that are modifed. Smaller values restrict the adjustments to smaller regions.
   • Radius. Controls the size of the area around each pixel that determines if a pixel is considered a shadow or a highlight. Moving the slider to the left specifies a smaller region; moving the slider to the right defines a larger region.
6. When you’re satisfied, click OK to apply the filter.

A common problem with old black-and-white or sepia-toned photos is that they fade over time. You can use a Levels or Curves adjustment, but both commands often introduce color artifacts into the image. A few extra steps are needed to get the best results.

1. Close any open files, and then open the file Fading_Historical.tif.
   
   

   

   
   
2. With the Eyedropper tool, sample the color tint if you want to retain it in the finished piece.
3. Leave the photo in RGB mode but strip away the color. Choose Image > Adjust > Desaturate or press Shift+Command+U (Shift+Ctrl+U).
4. Perform a Levels adjustment and restore the white-and-black points. Drag the black Input Levels slider and the white Input Levels slider toward the center.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Add a Solid Color fill layer by choosing Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Click OK. The Foreground color you previously sampled will load automatically.
6. Set the Color Fill layer to use the Color blending mode. Adjust the Opacity slider as desired.
   
   

   

   
   

Tip: Colorize Another Way
You can use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to tint the image. Just click the Colorize option and adjust the sliders to taste.

A professional photographer can spend a good part of a day waiting for the perfect sky and weather conditions. You, however, may not be as lucky. Skies will often be washed out and appear missing due to overexposure. One solution is to take pictures of the sky when it looks its best, and then use a few techniques to combine two or more images into a new composite.

1. Close any open files, and then open the file Fix_Sky.tif.
   
   

   

   
   
2. Use the Color Range command (Select > Color Range) to choose the sky region.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Subtract any stray selections in the lower half of the photo by using the Lasso tool and holding down the Option (Alt) key. Alternatively, switch to Quick Mask mode for more detailed touch-up of the selection.
4. Double-click the Background layer to float it. Name the layer Boat and click OK.
5. Invert the selection by choosing Select > Inverse or by pressing Shift+Command+I (Shift+Ctrl+I).
6. Use the Refine Edge command to improve the selection and add a layer mask to the image.
7. Click the Add layer mask button to mask the sky area.
   
   Let’s now add a new sky. DSC_2197.jpg has the right color and time of day for this photo.
8. Choose File > Place and select the file. Press Return (Enter) to apply the placed photo.
9. Drag the sky photo behind your masked image. Use the Free Transform command to scale and position the clouds. There may be fringe on the edges that will need touching up.
   
   

   

   
   
10. Select the Layer Mask thumbnail in the Layers panel.
11. Open the Properties panel and click the Mask Edge button to refine the mask as desired.
    
    

    

    
    
12. Touch up any problem areas on the Layer Mask. Use the Smudge tool set to Darken mode to touch up the area around the trees on the right of the frame. You can also touch up the Layer Mask by using a paintbrush and black set to 20% Opacity. Brush over areas that need to be blended.
13. Blur the sky slightly so it better matches the depth of feld in the image. Use the trees for guidance. You can use the Gaussian blur flter (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) set to a value of 4–6 pixels.
14. To make the colors match better, you can place a second copy of the sky on top. Be sure just the blue sky is covering the photo. Set the blending mode to Overlay or Soft Light and lower the Opacity of the layer.
15. The completed image, Fix_Sky_Completed.tif, is in the downloadable archive if you’d like to examine it more closely.
    
    

    

    
    

Tip: Shooting Skies
The desert or the ocean is the best place to shoot the sky. This is often because the amount of environmental and light pollution is greatly reduced. Don’t worry if this isn’t an option for you; just keep your eyes out for a great day with beautiful skies and remember to shoot some still plates for your collection.

Often, distracting noise or grain will appear in your image. This is typically caused by shooting photos with a high ISO setting on a digital camera, but it can also be caused by underexposure or a long shutter speed. A lower-quality consumer camera is also more likely to exhibit noise problems. Additionally, film grain can be picked up by a scanner and cause problems as well.

The most common type of noise is luminance (grayscale) noise where the noise does not have varying colors. This noise is usually more pronounced in one channel of the image, usually the blue channel. By adjusting for noise on a per-channel basis, higher image quality can be maintained. Let’s give it a try:

1. Close any open files, and then open the file Remove Grain.tif.
2. Activate the Channels panel and view each channel separately. Click the channel’s name to isolate it. Do this for each channel.
   
   You should notice a large amount of noise in the Blue channel, in the area shown below.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Activate all three channels by clicking the RGB composite channel.
4. Choose Filter > Reduce Noise.
5. Select the Advanced radio button to enable per-channel corrections. This allows for additional correction to be added at the channel level.
6. Switch to the Blue channel within the filter’s dialog box and adjust Strength and Preserve Details as desired.
   
   

   

   
   

Selectively blurring an image can help your viewer find a focal point. Photoshop offers a realistic lens blur that also produces depth-of-field blurring. This allows some objects to be in focus while others fall out of focus. You can be very specific in regard to the blurring if you make an accurate alpha channel to serve as a depth matte. The depth matte defines how far away things are from the camera. Black areas in the alpha channel are treated as being the foreground, whereas white areas are seen as being in the distance.

1. Close any open files, and then open the file Lens Blur.tif.
2. An alpha channel has already been added to the image. It was created using the Calculations command and Quick Mask mode.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Make sure the RGB composite channel is selected.
4. Choose Filter > Blur > Lens Blur to run the Lens Blur filter.
5. Choose the alpha channel from the Source menu. You can click the Invert box if you need to reverse the blur. For faster previews, choose Faster. When you’re ready to see the final appearance, select More Accurate.
6. Adjust the Iris shape to curve or rotate the iris. Photoshop mimics how a traditional lens operates. Even if you are not an experienced photographer, you can twiddle and adjust as desired.
7. Move the Blur Focal Distance slider until the desired pixels are in focus. Additionally, you can click inside the preview image to set the Blur Focus Distance.
8. You can add Specular Highlights by adjusting the Threshold slider. You must set the cutoff point for where highlights occur. Then increase the highlights with the Brightness slider.
9. Finally, it’s a good idea to add a little noise/grain back into the image. Normally, the blur obscures this, but putting it back in makes the photo seem more natural as opposed to processed.