Advice on cleaning scans

I now offer cleaning as an option - as some customers prefer to do this task themselves. Here are some tips to help if you decide to clean your own files.

All scanned image files contain some imperfections or "artefacts" - particles of dust, small fibres, grain clusters, scratches and the like - which need to be removed before the image file is used. They appear dark on transparency scans and light on negative scans.

Load the image in your favourite image editing program (I use Photoshop) and zoom-in to 100% magnification. Start in one corner and work your way methodically around the image cleaning each 'panel' as you go. Always work on small areas so that you can easily step back in the history panel if you make a mistake

For flat areas with little or no detail the Healing Brush (Photoshop 7 and later) is an good choice. Select a small brush and sample (alt-click) an area close to the artefact with a similar tone. Move the brush to cover the 'blob' and click - it will disappear. Move on to the next one.

For more complex areas, the clone tool is best. Again, work on a small scale and try to sample from areas of similar colour and pattern. You may need to zoom-in and use a smaller brush from time to time, especially when repairing scratches or working in areas of regular patterns.

Pay particular attention to light areas in the image, especially the sky and pale backgrounds. Also check carefully around the edges of the image where small fibres can be trapped.