FRP

I am restoring a very old photograph with all the familiar Photoshop tools (Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, Curves, and Noise Reduction). My image restoration has one need that I am not familiar with. The photograph was scanned from a textured print, which appears as a bas relief (like a canvas). I would like to remove this texture to help remove the noise and sharpen the photo. Please let me know any techniques for removing this moir? texture.

Gaussian

Hi neville310.
Do you have an example, because now it's difficult to make a good suggestion. See, you call it for example a moir?, when it's actually like you said a textured print, which is not a moir?. Moir? is easier to remove than other kind of random patterns and I've shown this on my other site with the (free) Fourier Transform Plug-In (see the results of my tests below).

So if you have an example, great!

FRP

Here's a cropped area from the image. This area gives you an idea about the texture. Hopefully, you could readily see the texture in this low resolution image. The initial scan was over 26mb since I am hoping to output this image to film and frame it as a gift. I already spent considerable time fixing cracks and imperfections with the scanned image. I prefer to learn the process for removing this texture; since my creative direction is uncertain and the restoration may contain imperfections in the final output (the photo is far from ideal).

ladyfinger007

I rememeber that there is a tutorial somewhere involving a Fast Fourier Transform plug-in to do that kind of repair.

...After a search in google on "fast fourier Tranform texture photoshop", (do it also for more results) :

http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=185
The plug-in works only in Windows.

Gaussian

I don't understand why you come up with FFT Spectre, when I just explained why it won't work.
Fast Fourier Transform doesn't work on randompatterns like this and you'll only get the plain frequency output as shown in my example. You will get the same output in the red, green and blue channel.

Anyways, you might want to try median, which doesn't blur edges as much as Gaussian blur does. Since removing this pattern is not an easy job, you want to ask yourself if you really have to remove it. The point is that if your output is going to be a 8x12 print or smaller, then the pattern becomes less of a problem. It's only when you have really large prints that you immediately will notice the pattern, but then one could also say; are large prints intended to look at from really close?
The point I?m trying to make is that it?s pretty much impossible to remove the pattern without blurring some fine details (unless you like two spend a whole week on smudging, blurring and cloning and even then you need to have some painting skills) and you have to ask yourself if that?s worth it.
Sorry, I wish I had a better answer neville310, but there is no miracle solution for this one.

ladyfinger007

Huh? looks like I read too fast, or I just wanted to give a link the the FF plug-in...