A common problem with old photos is that they often have un-desirable cracks and creases.
These can be removed quite easily using the Clone, Healing and Patch tools found in Adobe Photoshop.
The problem is that this can become a very time consuming activity if the photo in question is severely damaged.
This article describes a correction method using a free Action for Adobe Photoshop that can take less than five minutes to correct the majority of cracks and creases in an old photo
For several months now I have been using a Photoshop Action called de-crack, developed by Tim J. Edwards, with very effective results.
The original example image (Image 1) on our web-site page is typical of the sort of damaged photos we encounter on a daily basis.
As mentioned, correcting these flaws in Photoshop is actually not difficult but can take a lot of time.
Using Tim's excellent de-crack Photoshop Action will not necessarily result in a perfect "de-cracked" photo.
Having said that, it certainly eliminates the more obvious cracks and creases resulting in you then needing to "tidy up" the outstanding cracks and creases manually with the Clone, Healing and Patch tools.
Now before we get started, you will need to get a hold of a copy of Tim's de-crack Photoshop Action which you can download for free from the RetouchPRO web-site by searching for "de-crack" at the following link:-
"http://www.retouchpro.com/pages/search.html"
You will have to download a very small .ZIP file which will contain the single Photoshop .ATN action file.
After you uncompress the de-crack.zip file you will need to save decrack.atn in Photoshop's "Photoshop Actions" folder and then "load" the de-crack action into your current action list.
You're now ready to give it a try ...
Step ? 1
Open up your damaged image in Photoshop
Step ? 2
Run the De-crack Action with a high-pass value of 0.3.
Run the De-crack Action with a high-pass value of 0.3 again.
Run the De-crack Action with a high-pass value of 1.5.
Each steps takes only a few seconds and should result in three new layers which collectively mask out the majority of image damage.
Step ? 3
The end result is the elimination of most of the cracking damage, which will then allow you time to spend on the remaining cracks and creases, which are usually quite easy to correct manually.
If you find that the de-crack action has in-advertently lost some of the detail of parts of the image, you can easily go to the offending "de-crack" layer in question and erase the de-crack effect selectively using the eraser tool, bringing back wanted detail.
And there you have it!!
Less than five minutes of digital image manipulation to remove cracks and creases from old photos.
If you find the steps taking are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.
© Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved
You can see this removal method complete with example images at Removing cracks and creases in photos
Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.
Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business.
He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Basic CompositionNow that you are beginning to understand how your... Read More
Underwater photography's is primarily focused towards entertaining and informing the... Read More
Disposable digital and film cameras (also called single-use cameras) provide... Read More
I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty... Read More
One technology that hasn't kept up with the rapid pace... Read More
Digital Camera Basics? The VocabularyShopping for a digital camera can... Read More
Understanding light is one of the very basic principles of... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
Last month we bought the Canon Powershot A80 online for... Read More
A picture is worth a thousand words, so goes a... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
You may have joined the photo-sharing craze to share your... Read More
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More
Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More
Photography 101 Part One Equipment: camera, meter, flash, tripod This... Read More
When my old Olympus digital camera got broke while caving... Read More
Imagine being able to frame all your own photographs just... Read More
These parameters are discussed at 2 levels: -Based on... Read More
Knowing which megapixel camera to buy can be intimidating. There... Read More
There are major obstacles to overcome to get into nude... Read More
Once you have clicked photos through your digital camera, then... Read More
Strike one! Strike two! Strike three!Baseball! America's Pastime, and a... Read More
So, you want to become a digital artist but paying... Read More
There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats... Read More
What I learned from a mentor that enabled me to... Read More
In a device such as a digital camera it is... Read More
Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all... Read More
About Personalized Photo Calendars:Photo Calendars are 12-month, wall-hanging calendars that... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
As it is a fact that digital cameras are comprised... Read More
As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked... Read More
Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More
There are many kinds of disposable cameras. All disposable cameras... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In... Read More
One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is... Read More
Purchasing a digital camera is a wise decision, particularly if... Read More
It was widely reported in the press (15 September 1997)... Read More
Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie... Read More
Your first thought when you read "Alligator Farm" might be... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
Being a professional digital photographer is a dream many people... Read More
Let's get something straight right out of the box. If... Read More
Here's the challenge. You have to photograph small items for... Read More
While digital photography offers you the ability to review photograph... Read More
Even though Nikon entered the camera world by 1948, today... Read More
I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty... Read More
Night photographs express a special something that cannot be seen... Read More
The digital camera is not meant only for capturing images... Read More
There are a large number of top 10 digital camera... Read More
Remember the good old photography days?Film camera in hand, you... Read More
Your lens is an essential element to good photographs. It's... Read More
Disposable cameras are cheap and easy to use. If you... Read More
As it is a fact that digital cameras are comprised... Read More
Here are examples of two basic videos you can create... Read More
If you use a digital camera (I use a Canon... Read More
Digital cameras are available in several price ranges today. They... Read More
The vast beauty and richness of the desert can be... Read More
There is one simple technique any body can do to... Read More
Before you are able to take the kind of photos... Read More
Knowing which megapixel camera to buy can be intimidating. There... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More
Taking pictures of your new baby is a great way... Read More
Photography |