How to Remove Blur from Old or Damaged Photos https://www.picit.ai/ https://www.picit.ai/features/ai-image-generator/create
Restoring old or damaged photos that are blurry can be a challenging yet rewarding task. These photos often have unique issues, such as fading, discoloration, scratches, and general degradation, that require specialized techniques to fix. Here is a guide on how to remove blur and restore clarity to old or damaged photos using apps or softwares. Additionally, you can use Picit.aiand its image upscalerto restore old photos.
Understanding the Challenges of Restoring Old Photos
Old or damaged photos can have multiple issues:
Blur and Fading: Due to age, handling, or improper storage, older photos can become blurry and faded.
Scratches, Tears, and Stains: Physical damage can obscure details and reduce clarity.
Discoloration and Noise: Vintage photos may have discoloration from exposure to light or chemicals and noise from the film grain.
Restoring such photos often requires a combination of several editing techniques to address multiple issues simultaneously.
Using Adobe Photoshop for Professional Restoration
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most powerful tools for restoring old or damaged photos. Here’s how to use it to remove blur and improve clarity:
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Scan the Photo
Use a high-resolution scanner to digitize the old photo. Set the resolution to at least 600 DPI to capture the maximum detail.
2. Open the Photo in Photoshop
Open the scanned image by selecting File > Open.
3. Convert to a Smart Object
Right-click on the image layer in the Layers panel and select Convert to Smart Object for non-destructive editing.
4. Reduce Noise and Grain:
Go to Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise to minimize film grain or digital noise.
In the Reduce Noise panel, adjust the Strength, Preserve Details, Reduce Color Noise, and Sharpen Details sliders to strike a balance between noise reduction and preserving detail.
5. Apply the Shake Reduction Filter
Use Filter > Sharpen > Shake Reduction to reduce blur. Adjust the settings (such as Blur Trace Bounds, Smoothing, and Artifact Suppression) to enhance clarity. This filter is particularly useful for motion blur or camera shake that may have affected the original photo.
6. Use the Unsharp Mask
Go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Adjust the Amount, Radius, and Threshold sliders:
Amount: Controls the overall intensity of the sharpening effect.
Radius: Determines the width of the areas being sharpened.
Threshold: Limits the sharpening to areas with a significant contrast difference, helping avoid noise amplification.
7. Repair Scratches and Tears
Use the Spot Healing Brush Tool or Clone Stamp Tool to repair scratches, tears, or other physical damage. Click on the damaged areas to blend them with the surrounding pixels.
8. Adjust Color and Contrast
Use Image > Adjustments > Levels or Curves to adjust the brightness, contrast, and color balance of the image. This helps restore faded colors and improve the overall look of the photo.
9. Fine-Tune the Restoration with Frequency Separation
Use a technique called frequency separation to separate the photo’s texture (high-frequency layer) from the colors and tones (low-frequency layer). This allows you to correct textures, such as skin or clothing, without affecting the overall color balance.
Create two duplicates of the original layer. Apply Gaussian Blur to one layer (low-frequency) and set the other to Apply Image to create the high-frequency layer. Use tools like the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush to clean up textures on the high-frequency layer.
10. Save the Restored Photo
Once you’re satisfied with the edits, save your work by selecting File > Save As and choosing the desired format (e.g., JPEG, TIFF).
Using Specialized Restoration Software
If you don’t have access to Photoshop, there are specialized software and apps designed for restoring old photos:
VanceAI Photo Restorer
An AI-based tool that automatically enhances old and blurry photos, removes scratches, and improves colors. Upload the image, and the AI will handle most of the work.
AKVIS Retoucher
This software focuses on photo restoration and retouching, using advanced algorithms to remove dust, scratches, stains, and blur.
Luminar AI
A user-friendly editing tool that uses AI technology for photo enhancement, including sharpening, noise reduction, and color correction.
Mobile Apps for Restoring Old Photos
For quick restorations on the go, you can use mobile apps like:
Remini
An AI-powered mobile app that enhances and restores old photos by reducing blur and improving clarity with a single tap.
PhotoScan by Google Photos
A mobile app that helps you digitize old photos with your smartphone camera, minimizing glare and ensuring optimal quality. Use editing tools in Google Photos afterward for additional sharpening and enhancements.
Tips for Successful Restoration
Work with High-Quality Scans: Start with the highest possible resolution scan of the original photo to preserve details.
Avoid Over-Editing: Be cautious not to over-sharpen or over-smooth the image, which can result in an unnatural appearance.
Use Layers for Non-Destructive Editing: Always work with layers in Photoshop to make it easy to revert or adjust changes.
Restore in Stages: Focus on one problem at a time (e.g., first remove scratches, then adjust color and contrast, and finally, sharpen the image).
Restoring Blurry Faces in Old Photos
Enhance Facial Details
For blurred facial features, you may need to manually enhance the details using a combination of the Dodge Tool (to brighten highlights) and the Burn Tool (to darken shadows).
Alternatively, you can use AI tools like Photoshop's “Neural Filters” to enhance facial features automatically.
Use AI Face Enhancement Tools
Several AI-based tools focus specifically on improving facial details, such as FaceApp or Let’s Enhance, which can rebuild missing facial features using machine learning algorithms.
Restoring Discolored Photos
Color Correction
Use the Color Balance or Hue/Saturation adjustment layers in Photoshop to correct discoloration and restore original colors. You can also use the Selective Color adjustment layer for more precise control over individual color ranges.
By using these techniques and tools, you can restore old or damaged photos, bringing back their original clarity and preserving precious memories for years to come.