Eliminating Backscatter Using Dust and Scratches Filter
in Photoshop - Page 16


Note: This technique does not work in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Elements does not have a history brush

The following is a technique that eliminate backscatter using Adobe Photoshop. There are two key elements in this technique. First is the Dust and Scratches Filter found in the Noise section under the menu heading "Filters". The second is the History Brush.

The image below is the original. It is a moon jellyfish. Note the backscatter around the jellyfish.



Original Image - Moon Jellyfish photographed in the southern Bahamas
All images on this page are © 2004 Herb Segars

Open the image in Adobe Photoshop. All examples shown here were made with Adobe Photoshop CS. In the filter menu, choose Noise, Dust and Scratches:


I used a radius of 55 and a threshold of 0. Make sure that the preview box is checked. You can increase or decrease the radius depending on your photo. Do not worry that the entire image is blurred.



Under the History tab, click on the box just above dust and scratches to make that active. Then click in the left hand box next to Dust and Scratches. You will see an icon of the History brush appear in the box.
In the tool bar, choose the History brush. It is the fifth tool down on the right hand side of the box.

Adjust your brush size using the slider box under the top menu or use the [ or ] key to make the brush larger or smaller.


Use the brush to paint the areas where there is backscatter. The History brush will use the information from the Dust and Scratches filter. The image below is the finished image.


If there a lot of fine detail in your photo like the tentacles of the jellyfish and there is a lot of backscatter in the tentacles, this technique may be difficult to implement but in large areas, this works incredibly well.


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