Retouching Generally
To remove dust marks and scratches
- From the Filter menu's Noise sub-menu, select Dust and Scratches...
The Dust and Scratches dialogue box is displayed.
- Click on a dusty or scratched area of the image in document window
The area will then show automatically in the dialogue box window.
- Click on + or - to enlarge or reduce the preview image
- Drag the Threshold slider to the left until it reads zero
- Drag the Radius slider left or right until the defect disappears. Keep to the smallest radius possible
- Increase the Threshold to the highest amount possible without re-displaying the defects
- Click OK
Blurring/Sharpening an Image Area
To blur/sharpen part of an image
- Select the Blur or Sharpen tool
If the focus tool you wish to use is not displayed in the Tool palette, from the Focus Tools Options palette pop-up menu select the other tool.
- From the Focus Tools Options palette pop-up menu, select a tonal range
- Click-drag
Blur will progressively soften an area. Sharpen will give more definition to an area.
Tips: The tendency is to over-apply the focus tools so always select an appropriately-sized brush in the Brushes palette and set a low pressure, such as 20, in the Focus Tools Options palette.
From the Display and Cursor Preferences dialogue box, select Brush Size to see the editing area of the brush you have selected.
Lightening/Darkening an Image Area
To dodge and 'print-in' part of an image
- Select the Dodge or Burn tool
The Dodge Tool
If the toning tool you wish to use is not displayed in the Tool palette, in the Toning Tools Options palette pop-up menu, select the other tool.
Dodge will progressively lighten an area. Burn will progressively darken an area.
Tips: The tendency is to over-apply the toning tools so always select an appropriately-sized brush in the Brushes palette and set a low exposure, such as 20, in the Toning Tools Options palette.
From the Display and Cursor Preferences dialogue box, select Brush Size to see the editing area of the brush you have selected.
Altering the Saturation an Image
Sometimes areas within an image lack sufficient colour (are under-saturated) or have too much colour (are over-saturated).
Over-saturation is not necessarily a problem for images restricted to being displayed on screen. However it may be a problem if an image is to be printed because over-saturated areas won't reproduce accurately. This is because printing devices have a different gamut (range of colours) from monitor screens.
Under-saturation is usually a subjective consideration, whatever the media concerned.
To help you identify over-saturated areas, exclamation marks appear after the CMYK values in the Info palette when you pass the cursor over such areas. Additionally, a gamut alert triangle appears in both the Colour palette and Colour Picker if you select an over-saturated foreground or background colour.
Over-saturated areas within images are also identified as grey pixels within the Gamut Warning mode. Over-saturated (out-of-gamut) colours can be brought within gamut by using the Sponge tool. This method allows you to alter the saturation locally on images where colour accuracy is of paramount importance.
Alternatively you can let Photoshop automatically bring colours into gamut for you when you change the mode of an image from RGB to CMYK. See Preparing Images for Print.
Note: Saturation is the extent to which colours are dulled or greyed. When you adjust the colour control on your television, you are effectively adjusting colour saturation.
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