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I have an old image with scratches that I would like restored. Here is what I have so far:

old = Import["http://i.imgur.com/8pHDEvh.jpg?1"];
mask = Binarize @ TopHatTransform[old, DiskMatrix[2]];
fixed = Inpaint[old, mask, Method -> {"TextureSynthesis"}];
Sharpen[fixed, 2.75]

picture

This code is far from optimal and there are many things I'd like to improve:

  1. In masking the scratches I use a disk matrix, but I'm not sure if is that is correct way to go.
  2. I have manually chosen the sharpening threshold - this should be automatic.
  3. and I'd like to get rid of more of the salt-pepper noise.
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    $\begingroup$ I didn't know my mother was so fond of her old boss. Oh, well, thanks for the eye opener- $\endgroup$ – Dr. belisarius Mar 21 '16 at 19:43
  • $\begingroup$ 1) The optimal masking is probably found either by ImageLines or manually. 2) You need to define what the "optimum" sharpness is before you automate it. 3) Try MedianFilter or TotalVariationFilter. $\endgroup$ – dr.blochwave Mar 21 '16 at 20:17
  • $\begingroup$ Also relevant for deblurring: mathematica.stackexchange.com/questions/95164/… $\endgroup$ – dr.blochwave Mar 21 '16 at 20:21
  • $\begingroup$ The docs example for Inpaint you need to generate the mask by hand, which I don't know how to do quickly, I guess that is another question in and of itself. $\endgroup$ – M.R. Mar 21 '16 at 20:28
  • $\begingroup$ @M.R. Mathematica has a built-in mask tool when you select an image... $\endgroup$ – dr.blochwave Mar 21 '16 at 20:38
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It seemed to me "scratches" are prominent here and in restoration photography, because they are different from de-noising. There are usually just a few, as in his photo, so you do a few masks. Cracks are easier approached manually then trying to automate their detection, - they can be quite subtle and confused with other parts of the photo. Then developing code that "sees" them is as custom but more complex and time consuming than a good interface for a mask. De-noising is a different problem and I would ask a different question for it, but I think it was answered before on MSE. While I saw no cracks examples besides this one, there are many de-nosing examples, - just search the site or docs - for example this or this. Piling up many complex questions in one usually gets no answers. The method below works very well for few cracks.

enter image description here

I see that you are on the right track using Inpaint, so you probably seen this video:

Image Processing: Real-World Applications

There is an example there that does exactly what you need. Notebook can be downloaded too. The thing that you are lacking is a good interface to build the mask. So here is the example.

Given this image:

enter image description here

let's import it:

lincoln = Import["http://i.stack.imgur.com/rr105.png"]

and find edges and dimensions:

dims = ImageDimensions[lincoln]
edges = EdgeDetect[lincoln]

{371, 432}

enter image description here

The code for the interface design in top animation (a little more detailed explanation in the video I linked):

Manipulate[
 LCPP = ListCurvePathPlot[pts, PlotStyle -> Directive[Thickness[th]]];
  Row[{Show[lincoln, LCPP, ImageSize -> dims, 
    PlotRange -> {{0, dims[[1]]}, {0, dims[[2]]}}], 
   Show[Inpaint[lincoln, 
     Dilation[
      ImageMultiply[edges, 
       ColorNegate[
        Binarize[
         Show[LCPP, ImageSize -> dims, 
          PlotRange -> {{0, dims[[1]]}, {0, dims[[2]]}}, 
          Axes -> False]]]], 1], Method -> method], 
    ImageSize -> 370]}], {{pts, 
   RandomReal[Min[ImageDimensions[lincoln]], {3, 2}]}, {0, 0}, 
  ImageDimensions[lincoln], Locator, 
  Appearance -> Graphics[{Red, Disk[{0, 0}]}, ImageSize -> 7], 
  LocatorAutoCreate -> {2, 10}}, {{th, .004, "thickness"}, 
  0, .1}, {{method, "Diffusion"}, {"Diffusion", "TotalVariation", 
   "FastMarching", "NavierStokes", "TextureSynthesis"}, Setter}]
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  • $\begingroup$ I don't really see how this answers the question, as the OP's example photo requires much more careful treatment (creases, white spots, black spots and scratches) than this photo of Lincoln. $\endgroup$ – dr.blochwave Mar 22 '16 at 11:34
  • $\begingroup$ @blochwave I gave my reasoning in the head of my answer. $\endgroup$ – Vitaliy Kaurov Mar 22 '16 at 15:45

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