Removing a Textured Pattern from a Scanned Photo ? 5 Minute Digital Fix

One of the most common problems when dealing with scanned photographs as part of a digital restoration activity is that after scanning, the digital image appears to have a <b>textured pattern</b> to it. This is often caused by the fact that the photograph in question has been printed on <b>textured photographic paper</b>. This article will show you how to remove the un-desirable pattern effect without significantly loosing any of the important image detail. The problematic photo may well be an old <b>black and white</b>, <b>sepia</b>, or even a more modern <b>colour</b> photograph. (I remember Kodak introducing their &quot;Silk finish&quot; prints many years ago printed on a silky sheen textured paper!). The example image on our web-site is an old black and white wedding photograph that has been printed on a <b>textured paper</b>. If you look closely at the white cornice behind the bride and groom you can clearly see that the <b>textured pattern</b> of the photographic paper has been <b>faithfully</b> re-produced during the <b>scanning</b> of the photo. Before we commence any major restoration work we would like to remove as much of the un-desirable <b>textured pattern</b> as is possible. <b>Step 1</b> Open the image up in <b>Adobe Photoshop</b> and the first step is to create a <b>duplicate (copy) layer</b> of the original image by selecting <b>Layer-> Duplicate Layer ..</b> and give the new layer an appropriate name. Zoom in close enough to get an appreciation of how severe the <b>textured pattern</b> is, but keep some picture detail visible (especially people's faces) so that you can easily judge how well the texture removal is proceeding without loosing too much important picture detail. <b>Step 2</b> With the <b>duplicate layer</b> active apply a <b>Gaussian Blur</b> by selecting <b>Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur ...</b> A pop-up option box will allow you to set the amount of <b>Gaussian blur</b> to apply to the image. I generally start with a <b>Radius = 1.5</b> and work up from there, constantly looking at the image to see the affect as I increase the blur radius. Anything over a <b>Radius = 5.0</b> will usually be far too harsh, so in the example on the web-site the required outcome is to &quot;<b>minimise</b>&quot; the <b>texture pattern</b> effect without compromising the important detail in the photo. For our web-site example image I found I was able to set <b>Radius = 3.5</b> without any significant loss of detail. The example image is starting to &quot;<b>soften</b>&quot;, but the <b>textured pattern</b> has clearly diminished. <b>Step 3</b> Zooming out to have a look at the complete photo reveals that the un-desirable <b>textured pattern</b> has all but vanished with only minor <b>softening</b> of the important image detail. Each photo you work on will have to be judged on its own merits when determining the amount of blur to apply. But all is not lost on retaining that important image detail!! <b>Step 4</b> Remember ... the <b>Gaussian blur</b> has been applied to the <b>duplicate layer</b> we created at the start of the exercise. The original image, complete with texture, is sitting under the duplicate layer. By using <b>Photoshop's Layer Blending Modes</b> and <b>Layer Opacity</b> we can produce an image made up of a <b>combination of both layers</b> with some of the detail from the lower original layer showing through. Again, each photo will be judged on its own merits and the setting I finalised on for our example image on the web-site may not be the same as you will find most suitable for your own images. Try experimenting with the different <b>blending modes</b> and <b>layer opacity</b> settings. I finally settled on a blending mode of &quot;<b>Luminosity</b>&quot; and <b>Opacity</b> of <b>85%</b> for the <b>Gaussian Blur layer</b>. <b>Step 5</b> To finalise the image I then &quot;<b>flattened</b>&quot; the two layers into a single image layer by selecting <b>Layer->Flatten Image</b>. <b>Step 6</b> I then checked the tonal range of our combined layered image using the <b>Levels command</b> by selecting <b>Image->Adjustment->Levels ...</b> and fine tuned the <b>black, white and grey points</b>. <b>Step 7</b> And last but not least, we can still bring a little bit more &quot;<b>sharpness</b>&quot; out of the image by finally applying a small amount of <b>Unsharp Mask</b> by selecting <b>Filter->Sharpen->Unsharp Mask ...</b> Experimenting with the various settings, I was able to settle upon <b>Amount = 185%;</b> <b>Radius = 2.5 pixels</b>; and <b>Threshold = 50 levels</b>. And there you have it ... the removal of an un-desirable <b>textured pattern</b> without significantly sacrificing important image detail. If you find the steps being taken are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images. ? Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved You can see this method complete with <b>example images</b> at <a target="_new" href="http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com/Removing-a-Textured-Pattern-from-a-Scanned-Photo.html">Removing a textured pattern from a scanned photo </a> Feel free to re-print this article provided that all <b>hyperlinks</b> and <b>author biography</b> are retained as-is. <b>Gary Wilkinson</b> is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business. He is also the publisher of the <a target="_new" href="http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com">http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com</a> website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.