STEP BY STEP RESTORATION IN AFFINITY PHOTO

Learn how to fix old damaged photos with simple Affinity tools then add a hand-coloured finish

01 FIX MARKS AND SCRATCHES

Open the portrait, go to the Layers panel and click the new layer icon. Grab the Inpainting tool from the toolbar. Go to tool options and set ‘Current Layer and Below’. Paint over scratches to remove them. Hold Cmd/ctrl+space and drag to zoom in or out.

03 DODGE AND BURN THE FACE

Press Cmd/ctrl+shift+alt+e to merge a copy of all layers. Grab the Burn tool and set Tonal Range: Midtones, Opacity 5% and paint under the chin, cheekbones and lips to deepen shadows. Get the Dodge tool and lift the forehead, cheeks and nose.

05 BUILD UP THE LAYERS

Make another new layer. Again, set it to the Colour Blend Mode, then paint a colour for the skin. Continue adding layers to build up the colours. If a colour looks too light, try duplicating the layer, change the Blend Mode to Multiply, then lower the layer opacity to suit.

02 ENHANCE THE TONES

Click the Create Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel and choose Black and White. Next, click it again and choose Levels. Drag the Black and White points inwards to boost the contrast, then use the Gamma slider to control the overall brightness.

04 PAINT THE DRESS

Make a new layer and click the Blend Mode dropdown at the top of the Layers panel and change it to Colour. Grab the Brush tool, choose a colour, then begin painting over the dress to apply it. It’s likely to be too strong, so go to the Layers panel and lower the opacity.

06 ENHANCE THE COLOURS

Click the Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel and add a Selective Colour Adjustment, then target and darken the blues. Add a Curves Adjustment and plot an S-shaped curve line to add contrast. Finally, add a Vibrance Adjustment and up Vibrance and Saturation.