If you’ve searched for a way to clean dust from film scans without an infrared scanner, you’ve probably found SRDx \u2014 the “Smart Removal of Defects” Photoshop plug-in from LaserSoft Imaging, the developers of SilverFast. It’s a capable tool, and it earned its reputation honestly: adjustable automatic detection, careful manual controls, and correction that preserves the sharpness of the original.<\/p>\n
But SRDx lives inside Photoshop and works one image at a time. If your problem is a folder<\/em> of dusty scans rather than a single image, there’s a faster way. This article compares the two fairly \u2014 they solve the same problem for quite different workflows.<\/p>\n Hardware dust removal (Digital ICE, FARE) uses an infrared channel on the scanner to find dust. That means it:<\/p>\n Software tools exist to fill this gap. SRDx is one. DustMagic is another \u2014 built for a different workflow.<\/p>\n SRDx is a plug-in for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (officially supported: Photoshop CS5.5 through CC 2023 and Elements 13 through 2023, 64-bit, on macOS 10.10+ and Windows 7+). It combines an adjustable automatic detection of dust and scratches with manual fine-tuning tools \u2014 a defect marker to flag what the detection missed and a rubber tool with content protection to exclude areas you want left alone. On Mac it adds its own mask tool; on Windows you use Photoshop’s masks and layers to control where it applies.<\/p>\n Two things SRDx does well: it corrects without blur, so the sharpness of the original is preserved, and it uses your graphics card (OpenCL) to keep corrections fast. There’s a 30-day demo with all features available, and activation requires an internet connection.<\/p>\n It’s a precision instrument \u2014 you open an image in Photoshop, run the plug-in, tune the detection, and fix that image properly.<\/p>\n DustMagic is a standalone desktop app for macOS and Windows (it also installs as a Lightroom Classic plugin). Instead of correcting one open image, you point it at a folder of scans, pick a preset for slides or negatives, and let dark-bright dust detection work through the batch \u2014 around 100 images in roughly 3 minutes, though actual speed depends on your processor, image size, and settings.<\/p>\n Every image gets a detection mask you can inspect in-app \u2014 overlay, split view, Mask Only, zoom up to 20\u00d7 \u2014 so you can verify exactly which pixels were modified before trusting a batch. The detector is film-aware and grain-preserving: it removes surface contamination, not film texture. For the odd stubborn spot, the Smart Brush Tool handles single-click touch-ups without leaving the app. All processing happens offline \u2014 your images never leave your computer.<\/p>\nThe Infrared Gap<\/h2>\n
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What SRDx Actually Is<\/h2>\n
What DustMagic Does Differently<\/h2>\n
SRDx vs DustMagic at a Glance<\/h2>\n
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\n \n<\/th>\n SRDx<\/th>\n DustMagic<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Runs as<\/td>\n Photoshop \/ Photoshop Elements plug-in<\/td>\n Standalone app (macOS + Windows), or Lightroom Classic plugin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Requires Photoshop<\/td>\n Yes (CS5.5\u2013CC 2023, Elements 13\u20132023)<\/td>\n No<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Workflow<\/td>\n One image at a time<\/td>\n Batch \u2014 ~100 images in about 3 minutes*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Film types<\/td>\n Colour, black & white, and Kodachrome<\/td>\n Positive slides, colour negatives, and Kodachrome<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Detection<\/td>\n Adjustable automatic detection + manual defect marker<\/td>\n Dark-bright dust detection with slide\/negative presets<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Verification<\/td>\n Preview window<\/td>\n In-app detection masks: overlay, split view, Mask Only, 20\u00d7 zoom<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Touch-ups<\/td>\n Defect marker + rubber tool with content protection<\/td>\n Smart Brush Tool<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sharpness & grain<\/td>\n No-blur correction, preserves sharpness<\/td>\n Grain-preserving \u2014 removes dust, not film texture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Internet<\/td>\n Required for activation<\/td>\n Fully offline \u2014 images never leave your computer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Formats<\/td>\n Whatever Photoshop opens<\/td>\n JPEG, TIFF (8-bit and 16-bit)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Trial<\/td>\n 30-day demo, all features<\/td>\n Unlimited images, watermarked output<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n