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Home » Challenges » Restoration Challenges » Restoration Challenge #68

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Sow's Ear

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Matt Roberts Junior Member Registered: December 2002 Location: Australia users gallery	There is an old saying “you can’t turn a Sow’s ear into a Silk purse”. After a couple of hours on this, that saying started to hit home. To say I was having a hard time would be an understatement. Reduce the grain and it looked too soft. Try to sharpen and it looked too grainy. This photo is in the restoration section. I shouldn’t be doing heavy manipulating. But I felt I had to make changes in the background to improve the composition of this photo. I thought it might help if I straightened Mom and Bary a little. I added some shadow under Mom’s feet and Bary to lessen the floating on the background appearance. Cow Bums – I tried to add a little more definition to the cattle and their heads. But one Cow bum seemed to be growing out of Mom’s arm and another bum was sticking out on the left side of the photo. I removed them and think it looks better and less cluttered. It looks a bit dark and blurred. But it looks grainy if I lighten the colors. Best Wishes to all who do this difficult restoration Matt
	· Date: 7/2/2004 · Views: 6561 · Filesize: 45.0kb, 179.3kb · Dimensions: 720 x 735 ·
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Doug Colwell
Senior Member

Registered: October 2003
Location: Alberta
Posts: 157

7/2/2004 9:35pm

While you may have 'blurred' the line between restoration and manipulation, the result looks great! Composition, coloring, textures and 'edits' all combine to make for a bucolic masterpiece. My only nit-pick would be too much starch in the socks.

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Marc

Junior Member

Registered: January 2004
Location: Leverkusen, Germany
Posts: 9

7/3/2004 5:09am

Seems to be the perfect balance between "blurry" and "grainy". In my eyes, there is no chance to get it any better, considering the original image which is really hard.

Phillip Whitt
Junior Member

Registered: February 2003
Location: Columbus,GA
Posts: 2

7/3/2004 8:09pm

Very good, Matt-the grassy area looks natural with the patches of dirt. I believe you made this as good as anyone could.

maestro

Junior Member

Registered: April 2004
Location: Baldwinsville, NY

7/3/2004 9:51pm

Nice job Matt!

This was a tough one. Not only was the original in poor condition, but the focus problem made this one especially difficult. I like the idea of removing some of the clutter from the background - it keeps the attention on the girl and dog. Your choice of colors is great, too. Bary's eyes look a little sharp in contrast with the rest of him, but that's my only real nit-pick. I've been inspired enough that I might attempt to colorize this one too!

Great job!
maestro

Matt Roberts

Junior Member

Registered: December 2002
Location: Australia

7/5/2004 7:10am

Thanks Doug, Marc, Phillip and Maestro,

This one was a head banger.
The next challenge has got to be easier.

Matt

Cassidy
Senior Member

Registered: September 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,104

12/30/2006 9:44am

Well done matt, yes a toughy, like the tone of the grass but I think you've lost a cow or two

, looks a little like it could be an Australian landscape

------------------------------
Cass

Matt Roberts

Junior Member

Registered: December 2002
Location: Australia

12/30/2006 5:23pm

Thanks Cassidy,
I just couldn't get this one to come out, as I wanted.
In desperation I removed a few cows.
But it didn't improve things at all.
The background could have come from my hometown of Narromine.

Matt

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