TIPS & TECHNIQUES

3 Methods For Getting Rid of Fringe Pixels

1. Sometimes when you combine multiple images for a collage, you see a slight fringe around the edges of layers that are copied from other images. In many cases you can remove that fringe by going to Layers>Matting>Defringe. Try using the default setting of 1. That will often do the trick, but if not, choose Undo (from the Edit menu) and go back and try a Defringe setting of 2.

2. If Defringe doesn't work, or the edges end up looking a little jagged, here's another alternative to Defringe. Command-click (PC: Control-click) on the layer name in the Layers palette to load a selection of the contents of the layer. Then from the Select menu, choose Modify>Contract and contract by 1-3 pixels. Go back to the Select menu and choose Inverse. Press Command-H (Control-H) to hide your selection and add a very slight Gaussian Blur (Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur) of 1 pixel or less.

3. Here is another variation on the same theme. Command-click (Control-click) on the layer name in the Layers palette to load a selection of the contents of the layer. Then from the select menu, choose Modify>Border and enter 2 for the value. In the Layers palette, switch to the backgrounds layer and press Command-J (Control-J) to copy the selected area on to it's own layer. Move the Border layer above the fringed layer and change the mode to Lighten to hide a light colored fringe or Darken to hide a dark fringe.

Here is another tip - This comes from Don Spangler. Don says:
"I am scanning several old glass slides. They have a million dust spots on them.
Is there a quick way to dust with a layer, versus using the healing brush for tons of spots?"

1.) Duplicate your background layer. 2.) Run the "dust and scratches" filter to the point it gets rid of most of your dust spots. Do your best to set the threshold as close to "not horrible" as possible. 3.) Add a black layer mask to that layer. That will hide the "dust and scratches" layer. 4.) Paint with a white brush on the dust spots. Use a separate healing brush layer for the larger spots, hairs, scratches and the like. The combination of these two things will give you the best dust and scratch removal with the least amount of "dust and scratches" filter blurriness. The best thing, of course, is to clean your holders and originals as best as possible before scanning!!

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