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.

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Original image with scratches (left), enlarged view of scratches (center), and scratches removed with loss of clarity (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.