Restoring an old photo using MGI PhotoSuite 4

No matter how much we care for our photos, somehow after years of dusty isolation in a shoebox, they can end up looking like this one. It's torn and faded, but with a software package such as MGI PhotoSuite 4 there is hope!

Notice the tear near the middle at the top of the photo? We can remove this using the clone tool.

Select Prepare from the Navigation Bar, then Touchup from the Activity Panel on the left. Next, select Clone.

Basically, the clone tool works by duplicating a good part of a photo over the bad.

As is quite often the case, you should first use the Zoom tool (in the Command Bar just under the Navigation Bar) to get closer to the area you will be working on. Following the step-by-step guides provided by the program, click the origin good part of the photo that you will use to clone over the bad. Select an area close to the bad area with similar characteristics. You'll notice the origin is marked with an X. There is an opacity control which is good for creating a ghost image; however, for this particular job set at 100 or no opacity. Next, simply paint over the problem area.

The keys to successful cloning are Zooming into the problem area, and resetting the origin to ensure you are covering the problem area with a comparable area that's undamaged.

If you take another look at the original photo, you will notice the faded areas to the right-hand bottom corner and just to the left of centre. You can use PhotoSuite 4 s multi-functional Effects Brush to fix these.

Select Prepare from the Navigation Bar, then Touchup from the Activity Panel. Next, select Touchup Brushes.

Touchup Brushes are extremely useful because they allow you to apply a fix to a particular area of a photo rather than the entire photo.

Use the Zoom tool in the Command Bar to get closer to the problem area to the left of the centre of the photo.

Following the step-by-step guides, select Darken from the drop-down menu list. Set an appropriate brush size and the intensity or strength of the effect.

When performing fixes remember that you have an unlimited undo/redo feature at your disposal.

If you find the intensity level too strong, simply use the undo feature, adjust the settings and re-apply.

Apply this technique to all those old pictures that you've scanned in from that shoebox in the attic.