How to lighten an off-white backgound

[sirram69]

I have recently photographed several old Ordnance Survey maps (the oldest being 1879) and want to include them in a book I am preparing. The maps are all line-drawn in black but, with the passage of years, the backgrounds are now rather off-white and yellowy. In Photoshop Elements, what is the simplest way of making the background lighter without losing the blackness of the line-drawn maps themselves.

[99jon · Accepted solution]

The easiest method is to use the Editor menu:

File >> Open in camera raw

In the ACR dialog push the whites slider towards the right. Pushing the blacks slider to the left may also improve the contrast, if necessary.

Then simply click the open image button (bottom right) to send the file into the regular editor and re-save.

BEFORE

AFTER

[sirram69]

Brilliant! Being new to Photoshop, I would never have found that in a million years.

Thanks very much.

[Mark_Sand]

Another method is to invoke Levels, click the Set White Point button, and then click anywhere in the off-white.