The Absolute Minimum
Photoshop and Photoshop Elements provide the same filters. The most common fil-
ters you will use are Blur, Dust & Scratches, and Unsharp Mask. Keep these tips in
mind while working with images that require the use of these tools:
■ The best sharpening tool is Unsharp Mask. Use it instead of the other
Sharpen commands.
■ In Unsharp Mask, Threshold is adjusted last. Set it to zero until you are fin-
ished adjusting Amount and Radius.
■ The Dust & Scratches tool can work wonders, but isn’t foolproof. Try to keep
dust off your images using a brush and antistatic gloves.
■ With the Dust & Scratches filter, Threshold is adjusted last. Set it to zero until
you’ve adjusted Radius.
■ Use the Clone Stamp tool to remove a few scratches or pieces of dust. Use the
Dust & Scratches filter to remove a large amount of dust from a selected area.
■ Gaussian Blur is often used to soften skin, especially close-ups. Use it
sparingly.204 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY