How To Completely Repair An Old Torn Photo In Photoshop!

On this extensive video tutorial Aaron Nace from Phlearn shows how to fully fix and old torn photo in Photoshop from start to finish.

The first step of fixing an old image is of course to scan them and have the result in Photoshop. Next duplicate the background layer as Nace explains in the video and use the following tools to edit out tears, scratches, and any other blemishes:

Spot healing brush tool:
-Samples from a source automatically
-Best used for small, isolated blemishes
-Be sure to select “content aware” at the top of Photoshop

Clone stamp tool:
-You choose the source sample, which allows for much more control
-Be cautious of duplicating obvious spots

Brush tool:
-Only use if there are next to no options for sampling
-Takes a good eye and and a steady hand (this is essentially hand painting)
-Might require added noise to look realistic
-Much easier with a tablet than with a mouse

When you need to fix discoloration in older images – To balance the colors Nace uses a selective color adjustment layer, because it make it easy to target specific colors (as well as whites, blacks, and neutrals) and then alter them.

You can find many more Photoshop video tutorials on LensVid’s Photoshop section (and you can find a lot more Phlearn videos on our special Phlearn subsection).

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.