How to Remove Dot Matrix From a Photo

You can remove pixelation from digital photos.

In digital photos, pixelation -- being able to see the dot matrix making up the photo -- is a problem you likely will want to eliminate before printing or sharing the photo. When there are enough pixels per inch in a digital image, they blend into what your eye sees as a smooth photo. But if there are not enough pixels, you are able to see the square, grainy pattern that makes up the larger image. There is no easy solution for reducing the dot pattern; how you remove or smooth the pixelation depends on the software you have available and your skill with it.

Things You'll Need

• Photo editing software

Instructions

1. Change the resolution of your digital image. All digital images have a dots-per-inch (DPI) or pixels-per-inch (PPI) number that usually ranges from 72 to 300. A DPI number of 72, called "low resolution," is usually sufficient for reproduction on the Internet. A number closer to 300, "high resolution," is needed for printing, particularly if you are having something done professionally. Some software enables you to alter the resolution; if this works well, it will smooth the image and remove a visible dot matrix.

2. Reduce the graininess of an image, which may result from pixelation or a photo being taken in low-light conditions. Many photo editing programs have a feature called "Selective Blur," "Remove Noise" or "Despeckle." These attempt to reduce the graininess of the image and smooth the picture.

3. Try other techniques available through certain kinds of photo editing software. Converting a photo to vector art allows you to scale the image more smoothly to a larger size -- a main cause of pixelation. Some software includes a feature called "Gaussian blur," which smooths textures in the photo. Either one can be used to reduce or remove pixelation from your image.

Tips & Warnings

• Photo editing often requires you to use your best judgment as to what techniques work sufficiently for your purpose. As a result, you may find what works on one photo is unsatisfactory when tried on another. Likewise, if software allows for a range of correction, you may find one photo requires more despeckling than another.

• Always work on a copy of a digital image; that way, if you make a mistake or edit the photo in a way that causes problems, you can revert to the older version.

References

• Photo Zen Online Photography Magazine: Understanding Pixelization...
• A&E: Corel Draw: Changing Resolution
• Gimp.org: Chapter 9: Enhancing Photographs
• Darren Hoyt: Cleaning Up Grainy, Low-Quality Digital Photos with Photoshop
• VectorMagic: Easily Convert Bitmap Images To Clean Vector Art
• Take Great Pictures: How to Smooth Unwanted Textures or Pixelization in Your Image