The Dust & Scratches effect reduces noise and defects by changing dissimilar pixels within a specified radius to be more like their neighboring pixels. To achieve a balance between sharpness of the image and hiding defects, try various combinations of Radius and Threshold settings.

This effect works with 8-bpc and 16-bpc color.

Original image with scratches (top left), enlarged view of scratches (bottom left), and scratches removed with loss of clarity (bottom right)

Radius

How far the effect searches for differences among pixels. High values make the image blurry. Use the smallest value that eliminates the defects.

Threshold

How different pixels can be from their neighbors without being changed by the effect. Use the highest value that eliminates the defects.