How to Remove Moire Patterns in Paint Shop Pro

Many times, when you scan a photograph, you will discover that the finished scan has a moire pattern on it. This mars the appearance of the image and can become worse when it is displayed at reduced size on the Web. You can reduce or eliminate moire patterns fairly easily in Paint Shop Pro.

Instructions

1. Scan your image at the highest resolution feasible. Usually, 600 dpi is the maximum resolution to which you can scan a picture without the file size becoming unwieldy.

2. Open your picture in Paint Shop Pro. Click on the "Magnifying Glass" tool or turn the scroll wheel to see the extent of the moire patterns on the image.

3. Click on "Adjust," "Add/Remove Noise," and "Moire Pattern Removal." Adjust the numbers in the "Fine Details" field. Higher numbers will result in the fine details being obscured and blurred. Lower numbers will result in a sharper image. Adjust the numbers in the "Remove Bands" field. The higher you adjust these values, the more the appearance of lines will be reduced.

4. Click the "Auto-Proof" button to preview the changes in the image window. If the image looks very blurry but the moire pattern is still present, you may need to scan your image at even higher resolution to remove it. If it looks very blurry but the moire pattern is gone, try reducing the "Fine Details" to a lower value. Check the preview window to see whether or not the moire pattern has returned. If the image still seems blurry, but there is no moire pattern, try reducing the value in the "Remove Bands" field as well. Reduce both values as much as possible without causing the moire pattern to return.

5. Rotate and resize your image. When you resize your image in Paint Shop Pro, be sure that the "Resample Using" check box is selected, and that either "Smart Size" or "Weighted Average" is selected in the drop down box. These options can help somewhat to further remove moire patterns in some cases. If you fail to use "Smart Size" or "Weighted Average," however, resizing your image may cause it to become distorted or blotched. Also select "Lock Aspect Ratio" and "Resize All Layers." Generally speaking, if you're editing your image for the Web, the longest side should be no longer than 600 pixels.

6. Save your image with a new file name to preserve the original scan for future editing.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes resizing alone with "Smart Size" or "Weighted Average" is sufficient to remove any moire lines.

• Always use the lowest "Fine Details" and "Remove Bands" values that remove the moire pattern.

• Moire lines tend to show up most often in scans of photographs and books.