removing dust and scratches from a scan.

Processing
1

Hello, its a question I have kept asking over the years.
Does gimp have a solution to removing dust and scratches from an image like Photoshop ‘Dust and Scratch’?
are there other solutions to my problem?

Regards,

Warren.

2

Hi @WarrenTDO, and welcome!

Use the forum’s search facility.
Search for
dust scratch
for instance…

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

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3

Maybe get some mileage from these tips…

http://www.clevercaboose.com/2012/07/04/gimp-dust-and-scratches-filter/

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4

GIMP has a clone tool and a healing tool. I do extensive amount of restoration using GIMP and mainly use the clone tool as it tends to blend in better for most instances. I own photoshop , but by choice prefer to use GIMP. I would also work on a duplicate layer and then if you badly stuff up some area you can always using a layer mask to restore that area to the original.

5

Are there, by the way, any major differences here in what you can obtain in GIMP, compared to the clone and healing functions of darktable’s retouch module, possibly using several instances of the module?

6

The retouch tool in darktable is pretty crude compared to what you can do with gimp and pixel selection.

Try cloning a tree branch from behind a shingled roof, it doesn’t work well in darktable but is straightforward in gimp.

7

I wouldn’t call the retouch tools in darktable crude. They are in fact very sophisticated, however, they are painfully slow when you have lots of spots and scratches. That is the big difference. To remove a couple of pimples or sensor spot DT is excellent, but for photo restoration I defer to GIMP. The right tool for the job. Also auto levels adjustment in GIMP can be amazing at restoring faded colors in images too. Easier than DT.

8

I think its more of a ‘See a 1 pixel black spot then delete’ kind of command im looking for.
I scan Music at 1 bit and would like to delete all really little black spots in one go.
yes I’ve cleaned the scanner :slight_smile:

Warren.

9

You refer to dust and scratches, so I presume you are referring to scanned photos or film. In my view restoration is not done at a pixel level as film had grain structure larger than a digital pixel.

Darktable has a hot pixels module which may be of some use, but I am not sure.

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