How to Reduce Pixelization in Photoshop

How to Reduce Pixelization in Photoshop

Photoshop is the gold standard for photo and image editing, especially on a pixelated image. The software is extremely powerful and capable of manipulating photos in a number of creative ways. It also functions as a means of restoring or improving image quality after the shot is taken. Reducing pixelization is a common need for improving quality in a lower resolution photo.

Understanding Pixelization

Pixelation essentially reduces the image quality when you attempt to enlarge a photo. The pixels cannot compensate for the expansion and the image becomes blurred and distorted. Pixels are the small dots that compose a digitized image. Attempting to increase the size of a photo effectively reduces the resolution.

The problem is most often relative to photos being prepared for print. The photo is enlarged to meet the print standards and the quality takes a major dive, reducing the clarity and in some cases, making the photo too distorted for a decent print.Older photographs taken with low pixel cameras and phones see this problem. Luckily, a digitized photo has the potential to experience significant improvements through Photoshop repair processes.

It should also be noted that many other photo editing programs are capable of reducing pixelation. If you do not already own Photoshop, consider using a free photo editing program first. Otherwise, Photoshop is a fantastic tool for reducing pixelation on a low res image.

Remove Pixelation in Photoshop

Photoshop can reduce the pixelation and touch-up the picture better than any other program. Free tools are available and they are effective but Photoshop is the best option when you need the highest quality result possible.

Open Photoshop and open the image within the program. Click on the Filter and Sharpen option. Choose Unsharp Mask to open a slider. Adjust the slider to sharpen the image until it hits a nice visual point. This will reduce the pixelation. Save the changes to print the image.

You can also cover up pixelation by masking distortions with a layer of soft light over the photo. You are actually creating a separate layer to achieve the softening result. Right click the image and create a new layer. Choose Blending Options from the header menu and click Soft Light. Click Filters and Noise then Despeckle to open a slider. Adjust the slider until the pixelation clears. Next, click on the Brightness and Contrast tool. You can auto adjust or manually adjust to find the right balance. Save the changes to complete the process.

Free Editing Tools

Run a quick web search for free pixelation tools and you will find a number of browser based options. Many offer the ability to simply upload the picture, click a process button and download the new image. Others have a slider tool specifically to work over the pixelation.

The free tools are extremely easy and they can substantially improve the image. You cannot however adjust the lighting and use advanced features to touch-up the photo with many of these tools.

The upside is the simplicity and time savings. The price is also right when you receive a quality service and zero cost. No installation is needed and you can quickly reduce pixelation right from a standard web browser.

Fotor is a common tool for pixelation adjustments. Photo Gimp and Microsoft Paint also have the ability to reduce pixelation while providing additional editing tools similar to those found in Photoshop.

References

Resources

• Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book; Adobe Creative Team
• The Photoshop CS3/CS4 WOW! Book; Linnea Dayton and Cristen Gillespie
• Photoshop Restoration and Retouching, Third Edition; Katrin Eismann and Wayne Palmer

Tips

• If your project will be printed on a commercial printing press, sharpen more aggressively than if you’re targeting onscreen or desktop-printed use.
• Always sharpen images at the size they’ll be reproduced. How much you need to sharpen an image depends on its size, not just its content.
• Sharpen an individual color-mode channel to avoid accentuating digital noise. For example, in an RGB-mode file avoid sharpening the Blue channel because it typically shows the greatest effects of camera-induced artifacts.
• Convert your image to Lab color and sharpen only the Lightness channel to affect the contrast between dark and light tones without sharpening color information. Convert back to the proper color mode for your project after you complete your sharpening task.
• Sharp images compress less in JPEG format than soft images do. If file size becomes critical to page-load times on a website, sharpen selectively with a mask or selection to avoid unnecessarily increasing file size.

Warnings

• Oversharpening introduces “crispy” edges that present an unnatural appearance. Although you can use this as an effect, it’s undesirable in routine retouching.

Writer Bio

Zach Lazzari is a freelance writer with extensive experience in startups and digital advertising. He has a diverse background with a strong presence in the digital marketing world. Zach has developed and sold multiple successful web properties and manages marketing for multiple clients in the outdoor industry. He has published business content in Angling Trade Magazine and writes white papers and case studies for multiple corporate partners.