How to Remove Dust, Specks, and Blemishes from Photos Using Photoshop

When restoring old photographs using Photoshop, often dust, specks, and blemishes disfigure otherwise beautiful works of art. This article will explain a few easy methods for removing these imperfections.

Open your photograph using Adobe Photoshop. The tools used in this article should be available no matter which version of Photoshop is used. Find the problem area on the photograph with dusk and specks. Use the zoom tool to take a closer look at the area.

If the imperfection is small and also if the background is mostly a solid color with minimal texture, the smudge tool may be used to make a speck of dust or a blemish disappear.

Some areas of the photo may have too much texture or definition and the smudge tool will not work without leaving an obvious trail. For areas like these, use the lasso tool and copy portions of the background which look similar to what the area behind the blemish should look like. Copy a piece of the background and then paste and move it into place. Some rotation or scaling may need to be done to complete the edit.

For areas where you want to blend similar tones, while leaving the pixels intact, try using the "Clone Stamp Tool."  Select this tool and then left-click an area that you would like to clone and then release.  Hold ALT and left-click in a nearby area to apply the cloned pixels to that area.  This tool takes some getting used to, but the results are worth it.

Continue these methods until the picture is free of dust, specks, and blemishes. Zoom in close and inspect the photo for mistakes. Adjust contrast and color balance as needed.

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