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image manipulation
"pixel-pushing"

I could make a site bigger than this one about image manipulation alone. I don't want too get off the site-building track though, so I'll just cover a few basic tips here. I use PaintShop Pro (PSP), but the same principles apply in most graphics packages (such as Photoshop). The web has a lot of useful sites with PSP and Photoshop tips, so if you get interested in graphics you can explore those. I've learnt most of what I know from experimenting with the tools available.

Collaged images like Saturday Night Barbie (see right) can take hours of digital manipulation involving literally hundreds of steps. For this one, I worked as such a zoomed-in level that I was working pixel by pixel. If you ever catch yourself doing this, maybe it's time you got a real life ;^)

On a more practical level, you may have a photo or picture that's damaged. The amount of work you want to do is up to you - on the example below, I've just fixed the major fold-marks and scratches in an old bookplate rather than spending the whole day trying to make it perfect.

Fixing a scratch is done by selecting an area of a similar shape as near as possible to the scratch. Choosing an irregularly-shaped selection with the lasso (also called the "freehand" tool) gives a less obvious result than if you choose a regularly-shaped selection using the "selection" tool (which gives you the choice of rectangle, circle, etc). Remember that you can use the shift and control keys to alter your active selection, as explained in the linework section. Once you have a selection, feather it a few pixels (in PSP this is under Selection/Modify). Now copy the selection to your clipboard either by using Edit/Copy in the menu or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl C. Then you paste it back in (Edit/Paste/As a New Selection), using your mouse to drag it over the scratch. If you've done it well, the scratch should be barely noticeable.

The more practice you get with your mouse or touchpad, the better you'll get at selecting the exact area you want. If you want to do a good job and are willing to take more time, zoom in and work as close-up as you need to, zooming back out to check the overall effect as you go. Doing small areas of different shapes and using multiple tools to add and subtract from the selection allows you even more control.

Alternatively, use the clone brush tool and select an area as near as possible to the scratch, feather your brush a bit and then dot over the scratch (don't hold down the mouse button and try to smudhe it, will look a lot more obvious).

Many programs (including PSP) have "auto scratch removal" tools. Call me a control freak, but I have yet to see this tool do a passable job. I guess the issue is, how can an automated tool tell what's part of the picture and what's a scratch, it's a subjective thing. As they say, a weed's any plant that does better than the plants you like.

As I've mentioned earlier, always do your digital manipulation at a higher resolution or larger size than your intended end result. When you're finished with your fiddling, reduce the size and then sharpen the image - this often brings it all together, making your repairs less obvious.

 

 

Before - with scratches

After a very quick clean-up