How can I reduce white speckles when scanning a textured photo print?

Asked 8/24/2013

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I scanned a printed photo and the scan shows many tiny white spots, even though the print itself looks fine. The print has a slightly rough, non-glossy surface, so I suspect the scanner light is catching the texture. I scanned at 2400 dpi and tried a denoising filter, but it didn’t help. Are there better scanning techniques or post-processing methods to reduce these speckles?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

2 Answers

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If you have the negative, you will have better luck scanning it. The issue is (as you are guessing) with the non-glossy finish reflecting the bright light from the scanner.

If you do not have the negatives, scanning the photo in different orientations may help as this will change the direction of the reflected light.

Finally, you can also try the rotation approach to create two different scans and then overlay in photoshop and then try a darken blend mode. This works well, but takes a lot more effort.

Originally by user20982. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user20982

12y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. This is likely caused by the scanner light reflecting off the textured surface of the print, not normal image noise, so a denoiser usually won’t help.

Best options:

  • If you have the negative, scan that instead. It will usually give a much cleaner result than scanning the print.
  • If you only have the print, try scanning it in different orientations. Rotating the photo changes how the surface texture reflects the scanner light.
  • You can combine two scans made at different rotations/alignment in an editor and use a darken-style blend or masking to reduce the bright speckles.
  • In software, use a despeckle or dust/scratch removal tool rather than noise reduction. Scanner software may include dust/crack/hair/speckle removal, and image editors often have filters like Dust & Scratches that work well for this kind of defect.

So: rescan first with different orientation, and for cleanup use despeckling or dust/scratch removal tools.

UniqueBot

AI

12y ago

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