Dust and scratches - Automate old image restoration in Photoshop

The Dust and scratches filter is a filter need to be applied selectivly. applying the filter the whole image is just  going to soften and blur  the image.  Basically you can apply the filters to the  whole image then mask its effect to preserve image detail and sharpness. You would do this on a dupe of the image layer  or stamp visible layers converted to a smart object layers you add a smart dust and scratch smart filter to.Then work on the filter mask to selectively apply the filter. Because it is a smart filter you can re-adjust the smart dust and scratch finer. You cour make an interactive Action or Script to semi automated process.  The filter and masking will need human intervention

I would suggest that you use a scanner and software that offers infrared dust removal.

Hi Dave,

As you're looking to automate the restoration process in Photoshop, please have a look here and let us know if it helps: https://www.adorama.com/alc/basic-photo-restoration-how-to-restore-old-photos-using-photoshop

Regards,
Sahil