Defog Free Action Pack

This action can remove the fog (either environmental or digital) that sometimes appears in your digital photographs.

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This action works in PSE 4, 5, 6 and 7 on XP, and PSE 5, 6 and 7 on Vista, as well as Photoshop CS4 and probably other versions of Photoshop.

Use these instructions for installing the action in Photoshop Elements.

The action comes with 4 different defog settings.  You only need ONE for any given image.

After running the action, you will have 4 separate layers for each different level of defogging.  No changes to your image will be visible because each layer is turned off.

One at a time, activate the layer by clicking on the eyeball box on the left side of the layer.  Look at the image to judge whether you like the effect, then turn the layer off by clicking on the eyeball again.  Look at the next layer in the same way.

When you have decided which level of defogging improves your image the best, flatten your image.  This will delete the unused layers.

A couple of notes:

• Use the lightest defog setting possible.
• Portraits especially can very quickly become to harsh and contrasty when defogging.
• Adjust your favorite layer’s opacity to fine tune the effects.
• Or, duplicate your favorite layer to add a bit more defogging, and reduce the opacity of the new layer.
• I added a layer mask to each layer, in case you wanted to brush out the effect in areas where the effect is too harsh, like faces or eyes.

Post your results in the Digital Photography for Moms group on Flickr.  You can post any questions you have there too.  And make sure to tag your Flickr pictures DPMoms!

Click on this image to download the Free Digital Photography For Moms Defog Action Pack.