Newspaper Cutting

[Gaaron]

Hi, I have been passed on a newspaper cutting, of my father as an infant/junior at school. My father is nearly 80 & has Parkinsons & Alzheimer's & I'm putting an album together for him. I have managed to improve old photos etc., but I am unable to enhance a newspaper cutting (which I'm assuming has already been copied - in 1986). I have PSPx6 ultimate. Anything I try just seems to have 'waves' in the image. Any ideas how to enhance it to it's possible best? Any ideas are much appreciated My father is the boy on the left and looks like his name - Angus!!

[Richard Lundberg]

The problem you are seeing is called moire. You can look up various techniques for reducing or eliminating it. If you are scanning the clipping, rotate it 15 degrees and reroute it afterwards in PSP.

[loosecanon]

The image is composed of black dots of varying size to simulate with black printing ink grey tones. The waves you see are caused by these dots and the pixels in your scanner or camera "interfering" with each other. When they match they reinforce the intensity of the dots, when they don't its destructive interference. The pattern is called moire.
As Richard has said you can reduce this effect by rotating the original when scanning or rephotographing, and then correcting the rotation. This reduces the generation of moire.

You can also experiment by blurring the image to reduce the dot pattern. You need to play with the radius and amount. It may be the best result still retains some of the pattern. The image will be softened but look less "dotty" especially if enlarged. When the correct amount is found you will then need to adjust the contrast to get back blacks and whites.

I have had quite successful enlarged printed photographs where the dots have been very reduced in the impact they make.

[shreds]

Arhh,

the dreaded dot screen prints, so beloved of newspapers. When we used to send our send our advertising copy in each week, the photographs had to be specially created to achieve this effect in order for the press to use them.