MSU Image Restoration Photoshop Plugin Review and Tips

5 Best Ways to Use the MSU Image Restoration Photoshop Plugin

1. Remove Dust, Scratches, and Film Grain

• What to do: Run the plugin’s dust/scratch removal passes at low-to-moderate strength, then repeat at reduced radius if needed.
• Why: Preserves edge detail while eliminating small artifacts common in scanned film and prints.
• Tip: Apply the filter on a duplicate layer and use a layer mask to restore texture in fine-detail areas (eyes, text).

2. Repair Tears and Missing Areas (Inpainting)

• What to do: Use the plugin’s inpainting/repair mode for localized fills, working from coarse to fine scales.
• Why: It reconstructs surrounding structure better than simple clone stamping for irregular losses.
• Tip: For large gaps, combine multiple passes and blend with Content-Aware Fill for more context-aware results.

3. Reduce JPEG Compression Artifacts

• What to do: Run artifact suppression with moderate strength, then follow with a mild sharpening pass.
• Why: Removes blockiness and color banding from compressed images while preserving details.
• Tip: Convert to a higher bit-depth (16-bit) before processing to minimize posterization during edits.

4. Restore Faded Colors and Contrast

• What to do: After artifact removal, use adjustment layers (Curves, Vibrance, Selective Color) to restore tonal range; use the plugin only for structural fixes.
• Why: Structural restoration separates texture/artifact correction from color grading for cleaner results.
• Tip: Use layer masks so restored texture doesn’t reintroduce color defects into selectively corrected regions.

5. Prepare Scans for High-Resolution Printing

• What to do: Perform multi-scale restoration to fix fine and coarse defects, then upscale if needed using a dedicated upscaler before final sharpening.
• Why: Ensures prints are free of visible scanning defects and retain sharpness at larger sizes.
• Tip: Keep an untouched copy of the original scan, and save intermediate PSDs with layers so you can fine-tune corrections for print profiles.

If you want, I can provide a step‑by‑step Photoshop action that automates these steps.