Elimination of scratches

[ron]

Is there an option for removing scratches from damaged photos

[XnTriq]

I'm afraid there is no dedicated function to perform this task.

a remove dust function would be useful to improve the quality of older photos

Try 'Filter>Effects>Noise>Reduce Noise'.

• About.com: Dust Removal: Free Plugin vs. My Method
• Polaroid.com: Dust & Scratch Removal Utility

[helmut]

Is there an option for removing scratches from damaged photos

As XnTriq has pointed out, there is no built-in dust removal tool. You can use another graphic tool or you could use an Adobe Plug-In which can be used from within XnView.
The Adobe Plug-Ins are configured for XnView in Tools > Options > Adobe Photoshop Plugin. After configuring they can be started from within XnView using "Filter > Photoshop Plug-in".