How to do Photo Restorations in Photoshop

Photography Tips  •  Photoshop Tutorials

This section is to help you learn how to restore old photos that have chips, scratches, ink spills, or just things that you don’t want in the picture.  This picture got chipped somehow and part of the subject’s face was scratched off.  We will use the clone stamp tool to recreate what the lower part of her face should look like.  Keep in mind that the techniques we use for this section can be used for any other type of restoration.

First, open the picture in photoshop and in order to setup for using the clone stamp tool:
1. Click on the clone stamp tool (keyboard shortcut: (S)) and select a soft-sided brush size that’s a good size to work in respect to the subject’s face.

This is very important:  In order for the clone tool to work on the picture, must make sure the Background layer is selected.
2. Make sure the Background layer is selected.

The clone stamp tool is sort of like a cut and paste tool, wherever you take a sample it will reproduce what’s in that area even if you move while you paint.  First of all lets restore the line of the chin by copying higher on the chin.
3. To take a sample hold Alt and click where you want the sample then release the Alt key.

4. Then lightly click on part of the injured part where there is about half face and half background because that’s about how you took the sample in step 3.

5. Then hold Alt and click again to take another sample to make sure it will still draw from where you want it to.

6. Then again lightly click on part of the injured part where there is about half face and half background because that’s about how you took the sample in step five.

Now lets fix the spot isolated on her face and to do so we need to take a sample from another place.  When we take this sample we will try to take it from a place where the coloring will fit in with the spot we’re trying to fix.
7. Hold Alt and click to take a another sample where the coloring will be effective.

8. Then lightly click on the injured spot that corresponds with where you took the sample in step 7.

9. Now hold Alt and click to take another sample that will allow you to remove the small spot that’s still on her chin.

10. Then lightly click on the last remaining injured spot on her face.

Now we will fix the spot on the background:
11. Hold Alt and click to take a sample of somewhere on the background this time.

12. Now lightly click on the injured spot of the background.

Now we will remove the last injured spot on her neck.
13. Hold Alt and click to take a sample on the neck near the injured spot so the coloring matches.

14. Then lightly click once or twice on the injured spot on her neck until it looks good.

And that’s how to restore photos in photoshop.

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