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This lesson demonstrates how to optimise pet photographs. To work along, you can download the image I am working with Here. Unzip the file, and open it onto Photoshop’s workspace.
Note
Photographs are individual and as such, will always respond uniquely to commands. Therefore, you need to alter my settings to suit the needs of your image.
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
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Open your image onto Photoshop’s workspace.
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Then from the keyboard, press Ctrl and L, to display the Levels command. Then grab the Black point and move it slightly to the right. The black point’s value should read 10 - or thereabouts. Now click OK. Levels Tutorial.
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To increase the vibrancy of the eyes, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool (Tutorial).
Set the Feather to 20 and ensure (from the Options Bar), the Add to selection tab is active. Then surround both eyes with a selection marquee.
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Now, press Ctrl then L to activate Levels. And in the Levels dialogue box, move the Grey point (Gamma) to the right - you are looking to change its input Levels to around 0.54. Click OK, then press Ctrl then D to remove the marquees.
The cat’s eyes are now a deeper colour.
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Activate the Polygonal Lasso tool once again, and surround the very light area of the right eye, with a lasso. (selection marquee). 
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Press Ctrl then D, to display Levels, and move the Grey point to around 0.65 - then click OK.
Press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee.
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Now, to brighten the left-side of the cat a little, (retaining a Feather of 20), isolate the
left-side with a marquee.
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Then press Ctrl and L. In the Levels dialogue box, move the Grey point (to the left), to around 1.11, then click OK.
Then press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee.
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Now, zoom into your image, and remove the sleep from below the cat’s right eye, with either, the Clone Brush Tool (Tutorial), or the Healing Brush Tool (Tutorial). I used the Healing Brush.
 
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Now, (from the Layers palette) duplicate the Background layer by dragging it over the following Create a new layer icon.
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Then working on the new layer, from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Noise then choose Dust and Scratches. In the Dust and Scratches dialogue box, set the following Radius and Threshold settings. You are looking for a balance between removing the white speckles upon the cat’s face, and the overall sharpness of the photograph.
Tip
Begin with a Threshold of 0, and find a Radius that produces the best result - then gradually increase the Threshold. Then click OK.
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Now, (still working on the Copy) activate the Eraser Tool, Tutorial. And with an Opacity of 100%, choose a small round brush, and remove the area around the eyes and nose, revealing the underlying, (speckled) layer.
By removing parts of the top layer, you are looking to sharpen the image - as much as possible, whilst disguising the underlying layer’s speckles.
If you reveal too many white speckles, Step Backwards. Small speckles can be removed later, with the Clone Tool, therefore, don’t worry if it is not perfect.
 
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When you are happy with the result so far, from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Flatten Image.
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Now, activate the Clone Tool, Tutorial. Zoom into your image, and Clone (remove) the remaining white speckles, and errant hairs.
When you have completed this step, your image is ready to save - link Here to save your work.
Note
I finished by applying an Alien Skin’s (Exposure) Colour Photo Filter.
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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