Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a frigid witch. Unlike the witches from the tales we typically hear, this witch was not evil or malicious. In fact, she was quite the opposite. The frigid witch derived her name from her affinity for the cold and icy weather. The frigid witch lived in a small cottage at the edge of a frosty forest. Her dwelling was always covered in a thin layer of ice, and the air around it had a constant chill.
Here is a cross-section of my edit. See how, in the left panel, the lovely natural fine skin detail is still preserved, but the milk spots have disappeared. Like magic:
Her dwelling was always covered in a thin layer of ice, and the air around it had a constant chill. Many people in the nearby villages were afraid of the witch and believed she would bring cold and misery upon them. Little did they know that she was simply misunderstood.
Damien's Resources
The Dust & Scratches filter (in Photoshop and Elements) is amazing. Such a simple tool, yet capable of so much magic.
I use it most of all for, yes, dust and scratches, on the historic photos I restore. It saves me a LOT of time, to clean up little specks in an instant which I would otherwise have to laboriously clone or heal one at a time.
But it’s not just for old photos. Gosh no. It’s becoming famous for regularly kicking Frequency Separation’s ass for all sorts of skin issues – spots and pores and flakes. It’s also brilliant for removing lint from clothing. Basically, any problem that involves very small detail.
My thanks to Amanda Kitto for allowing me to use this close-up for this demonstration:
She asked me how to remove the little milk spots from the nose. Dust & Scratches makes it dead easy …
Step 1:
Duplicate the Background layer. Never do this kind of work on the Background layer itself. More information here.
Step 2:
Zoom in to 100% view on the problem area. Never use this filter at any lower zoom level.
Step 3:
Choose the Dust & Scratches filter from the Filter menu:
Step 4:
Put both sliders at their minimum settings – 1 and 0 respectively:
Step 5:
Slowly raise the Radius value one pixel at a time, until the problem spots are completely hidden:
This will make everything very blurry, but don’t worry about that for now.
Step 6:
Now raise the Threshold slider slowly. Gradually you will see small detail start to re-appear. Keep raising it until you see the problem spots start to re-appear. That’s when you know you’ve gone a little too far:
Step 7:
Slowly lower the Threshold again, to find the perfect balance between detail and smoothness. Your goal is to preserve the good detail that’s both smaller and larger than the problem spots, but hide the problem spots themselves. For this photo, I found that 8 was perfect:
To aid you in finding the perfect setting for Threshold, toggle the Preview on and off. It will show you what detail you’re hiding, and preserving. It’s your best friend in this process:
Here is a cross-section of my edit. See how, in the left panel, the lovely natural fine skin detail is still preserved, but the milk spots have disappeared. Like magic:
Step 8:
Of course, the filter has affected some important detail like the eyelashes. Now simply add a mask to the layer, and mask the effect as needed.
Here’s the final close-up, with the eyelashes returned to their beautiful sharp state:
Other examples:
If you have a question about this article, please feel free to post it in Ask Damien.
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The frigid witch had the power to control the weather. She could summon snowstorms and blizzards with a flick of her wrist. This power brought her great joy, as she reveled in the beauty and tranquility of the snow-covered landscapes. But unfortunately, her powers also brought her loneliness. No one dared to approach the frigid witch, fearful of her icy exterior. But deep down, she longed for companionship and a chance to share her love for the cold with others. One day, she decided to take matters into her own hands and set out on a journey to find someone who would accept her for who she was. Throughout her journey, the frigid witch encountered many hardships. She faced bitter winds and treacherous icy paths, but she pressed on with determination. Finally, after many weeks of travel, she arrived at a small village nestled in the mountains. The villagers there were used to the cold and embraced the winter season. The frigid witch found solace in this village, as the people there were not afraid of her powers. Instead, they admired her ability to bring snow and frost, making their village even more beautiful. The villagers welcomed the witch with open arms and celebrated the arrival of winter together. For the first time in a long time, the frigid witch felt a sense of belonging and happiness. She no longer felt like an outcast and discovered that people could appreciate and accept her for who she was, powers and all. As the years went by, the frigid witch became an integral part of the village, ensuring that every winter was filled with snowy wonder. And so, the frigid witch finally found her place in the world. No longer feared or misunderstood, she used her powers to bring joy and delight to those around her. She went from being a solitary figure to a beloved member of her community, forever changing the perception of witches in that land. The frigid witch's tale serves as a reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Despite her icy exterior, she was a kind and caring soul, just looking for acceptance and a place to call home. The next time you encounter someone who may seem different or unfamiliar, remember the frigid witch and the lesson she taught us..
Reviews for "The Frigid Witch and the Curse of Eternal Winter"
1. John - 2 stars - I really wanted to like "The Frigid Witch," but I found the story to be incredibly slow-moving and lacking excitement. The characters were flat and one-dimensional, and I struggled to connect with any of them. Additionally, I was disappointed with the lack of world-building in the book. The author had the opportunity to create a unique and immersive magical world, but instead, it felt generic and unoriginal. Overall, "The Frigid Witch" just didn't live up to my expectations.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I couldn't even finish "The Frigid Witch" because the writing style was so confusing and convoluted. The author used excessively flowery and descriptive language that was more distracting than engaging. It felt like they were trying too hard to create a captivating atmosphere, but instead, it just ended up being tedious and hard to follow. I also found the dialogue to be awkward and unrealistic. I was really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.
3. Emily - 2 stars - The plot of "The Frigid Witch" seemed promising, but it quickly fell flat for me. The pacing was inconsistent, with long stretches of boredom interrupted by brief moments of action. The main character, who was supposed to be a powerful witch, lacked depth and agency. She felt passive and reactive to the events happening around her, which made it difficult to become invested in her journey. I also found the ending to be unsatisfying and rushed. Overall, "The Frigid Witch" had potential, but it ultimately failed to deliver an engaging and fulfilling story.