Crispier critter needed

[Silver Surfer]

Can you experienced types please give me a few tips as to which features of Paint.net or its add-ons would be best to make the attached scan of a copy of a copy crisper and sharper? Also, it doesn't really need to be white on black. Black on white would be just as good provided the sharpness is better than what it is now. Thanks.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Before we get all technical, let's try a couple of simple effects that are built in to Paint.NET...,

1. Got to Adjustments | Invert colors (keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + I). This inverts the colors so you get a black on white image.

2. Next, try Effects | Photo | Sharpen. Run Sharpen at the defaults to crisp those edges.

Good enough or do you need more?

[Silver Surfer]

Well, that was good advice. The color inversion turned out quite well.

After the inversion, Sharpen gave me a mixed bag. The default setting seemed to improve the upper portion of the illustration, but made the curved lines in the bottom portion a little choppier. I can probably separate the two sections and manipulate them separately with features of Paint.net and then put them back together.

But for now the illustration is much improved thanks to you.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

No need to chop up the image. All you need to do is constrain the Sharpen effect to a specific area.

Try selecting one area with one of the selection tools and then running Sharpen. The effect will only affect the selection area.