Voting will run from 24 Sep to 30 Sep 2005. Deadline for votes is 6pm EDT 30 Sep 2005.
Only those that entered the contest may vote. All other votes will be deleted. If you did not enter, but would like to comment on an entry, please post your comments to the Sep 05 Discussion Thread (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11438).

Vote for the 5 best entries in order.

Note you cannot vote for your own image. If you do, your votes will be deleted.

Example Vote:
Pick the top five contest entries and list in order...

1. Entry X (First Place)
2. Entry A (Second Place and so on)
3. Entry Q
4. Entry S
5. Entry P

This thread will remain closed until it's time to vote.

And as always, when you vote try to include some things you especially liked about your choices…what made them stand out, what impressed you, etc. This is a learning experience!

Well it’s time to vote. Remember to make sure you have the most current version of the entry as many changed throughout the month. If there is an edit tag at the end of the post, then most likely the entry has been changed.

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My criteria for voting was that the lil man had to look very close to the original or what was left of it! It was difficult to keep him looking old I thought so that was my second critieria. If I were paying someone to restore this photo and make it a painting I would sure want grandpa to look as close to the original as possible.
I guess we are supposed to give our reason why we voted for each which seems hard to do since I don't want to hurt anyones feelings with my opinions.

Good work everyone and good luck! :bigthmb:

Hugs,
Loverly

1.Doug-His glasses were incomplete as well as his collar but mostly he looked very close to the old guy and about the same age and I liked the colors. Would have liked to see a bit more detail on him but overall he was the closest I could find to the original.

2.Fembot--His glasses and collar are also incomplete but still he looks old enough to me as well as as close to the original as possible.

3.Shalford-His glasses are also incomplete but he has both sides of his collar! Colors are nice and he looks good age wise compaired to the original.

4.Freddieanne-Good work on the painting part. I felt he just didn't quit look like he was the same age as the photo but the details are very nice as well as the colors. His ear is a bit different which seems to make him look a bit different than the original.

5.Lorraine-He has completed glasses and collar! The hair makes him look a bit different than the photo. The painting part is very nice as well as the colors you have chosen. His age seems a bit younger than the original.

I went more for the oil-painting side, but still being faithful to the original.

1.Doug Colwell - First rate stuff! Well executed, and maintained the atmosphere of the original.

2.cazubi - Ended up a lot younger than the original - your client might be quite happy about that, but here you lost some points.

3.freddianne - the background was the easy bit. Some lighting there would have helped a lot.

4.Bob Down - (Welcome to RetouchPRO :bigthmb: ) nicely executed very bravely painted, although the hair's going the wrong way, and the background doesn't exactly combine.

5.Camaraken - Lots of good things going on, but didn't seem to come together. Is that a beard?

Just missed out....
Loverly - with so much frame and border the actual image ended up pretty small. Otherwise could have been in the top five.
Lorraine - very good except that the hair is going the wrong way, and the high contrast necktie doesn't fit in with the rest.

....however, I believe that all who even attempted this one are winners! ;)

Rô

Congratulations to all entrants. Everyone did a great job.
In picking my top five, I based my selections on (1) the restoration, (2) the painterly effects and (3) colorization. My choices are:

1. freddieanne
2. Loverly
3. Bob Downe
4. cazubi
5. Doug Colwell

Lorraine

I based my voting mainly on the capture of the details with comparison to the original, then followed by aesthetics to my eye.

I really hate voting on this as everyone who attempted this and posted a pic really deserves a congrats.

Nominating 5 for me was almost impossible.

1. Doug Colwell
2. Loverly
3. Fembot
4. Kschulz
5. Freddieanne

This has been the most difficult contest to vote on! All great entries, with a wide range of accuracy, styles, and flair. After much wringing-of-hands and gnashing-of-teeth, I decided to base ranking primarily on how well the end result represents an accurate restoration, and less on artistic flair which is abundant in every entry.

1) Doug Colwell - although seeming to have less detail, it still manages to imply a very accurate restoration, correctly capturing the pince-nez style spectacles and the era coat, collar and scarf. Downside, looks more like a pastel than oil to me.

2) Shalford - very well done. Excellent restoration, same comments as for Doug's above as far as accuracy. Face may be just a bit beefy. Great oil rendering.

3) Freddieanne - in my opinion, best overall oil painting effect, while still maintaining a believable restoration.

4) Fembot - excellent job capturing the facial features!

5) Loverly - good overall restoration and oil painting effect.

Great job everyone!!

This was a very tough challenge and a good learning experience. My choices were based on the rules as I understood them: restoration, colorize, and make into an oil painting.

I think that there are some very good restorations in this contest, but some missed the mark on being “oil paintings”. Some were very nice sketches and pastels, but they are not very painterly. I picked work that I felt met the criteria of the contest in all three areas of the rules.

1.Freddieanne
2. Bob Down
3. Lorraine
4. byRo
5. Shalford

I think honorable mention goes to Doug Colwell on a fantastic restoration, but missed on the oil painting look.

I think everyone that participated in this challenge did a great job.

Cathy
:bow:

1. shalford - good likeness, right nostril a little wierd, REALLY an oil?
2. loverly - overall great heavy oil, frame is a bit much
3. freddieanne - good likeness, no detail in coat
4. kschulz - great detail in coat, collar a little off
5. raniday - unique thin oil rendering

Hi All,

Congratulations to all.

Looking over the images, I don't have a sniff what y'all are voting on :question:

So, good luck to whoever acquires the most votes.

I'm out.

Sean

oddly, picking out the best was quite easy this time. the hard part was the runner-ups. in fact, picking out my top three was fairly easy. the criteria was RESTORE and OIL. that meant to me that the gentleman had to look like the gentleman in the style of oil portrait. this is a very distinct style. a number of folks went for something else and whereas nice renderings, just didnt meet the criteria.

to me, part of this contest is, how well can you follow instructions. in the real world that would translate to how well can you duplicate a customer's instructions and criteria and therefore is VERY important, not a side issue. so, no matter how nice a piece is, if it doesnt meet the rules criteria, it's out.

thus, my votes go:

1. Loverly. overall, this just looks the most like the old, oil portraitures we've all seen hanging on walls in big frames with dark backgrounds and maybe a small light shining up on the thing. excellent restoration. excellent oil look. hands down the best. this guy just looks like one of those portraits of a banker, oil baron, industrialist, done around the early 1900's or so.

2. doug colwell. i wasnt real keen on the 'canvas texture', but the rest was excellent. very good restoration. got all the details duplicated without distortion. those old oils were done in heavy oil, thus the heavy canvas texture was unwarranted. but still, a very nice job.

3. kshulz. also very nicely restored. no marks lost on that. why you didnt beat out doug, in my opinion was, you missed a bit on the oil look. it was good, but not quite 'oil'. i specially liked your treatment on the clothing. i also think you had a bit too much 'canvas texture' for an oil.

4. cazubi. this was a toss-up between cazubi and freddieanne. both missed a bit on the restoration details. thus, the gentleman didnt quite look like himself. you straightened his nose. he actually looks to have something like a boxer's broken nose effect going on in the original. both you and freddie took this out. you definitely nailed the oil effect. very nicely done. wouldnt have been my choices on clothing color, but no marks off on that.

5. freddieanne. like i said in cazubi's, missed a bit on the restoration. you thinned his head and elongated or straightened the nose a bit. thus, he didnt quite look like himself. you also did a very nice job on the oil. the ear wasnt quite right either. still, a very nice job overall.

some have questioned the frame of the glasses. shld you add in the missing frame or not. to me, this was a secondary question when compared to how well did the gentleman's overall look and restoration compare to the original. it is a valid point, however, and was considered. it just happened that it didnt really make much of a difference in the final analysis....this time.

Craig

1. BobDown - This to me just stands on it's own as a really good painting. It's a good like-ness too, but that's a bonus.

2. byRo - This one 'screams' expressionism. Very Edvard Munchy (19th century) and very well done. Probably would have lost you the commission, and your carreer as a portrait painter, but it eventually sold for 1.2 million (postumously).

3. Freddieanne - Very painterly, nice brush work, good likeness and colours.

4. Shalford - Another good likeness. Definite painted look edge to edge. Nice colours too.

5. Loverly - Had so much trouble ranking this one. Would have been first in restore and colourize. The frame and signature make it look like a realistic painting, but without them it doesn't look painted enough to me.

1. Cazubi –
A wonderful interpretation, looks like an oil to me. Great detail.

2. Loverly -
I ignored the frame in this one and zoomed into the actual image, looks like a painting, very well done.

3. Freddianne
I think the colours on this entry are just right. Reminds me of what you might see hanging in a gallery.

4. Doug Colwell –
Very clear, good idea to crop close – shows up the good restoration work. Nice choice of colours.

5. Kshulz
This would have been a lot further up my list had it not had that cut and paste look. A great shame, the figure of the man is superbly done.


I wish the voting was left to someone else, and not us.
I found it extremely difficult to choose out of a great batch of entries.
I don’t think anybody will lose here, all very well done.

1. Doug Colwell
Excellent restoration and likeness. Looks more like a soft pastel than an oil but it's certainly possible to get this effect in oil so I've placed this one first.

2. Loverly
Liked the restoration and traditional look of the painting. To be picky, not sure if the dark thick lines at the top of the shoulders should be there. I assume the light is coming from above (highlights on face and hair) and this would soften the harsh lines.

3. Fembot
Excellent likeness and restoration. Would have liked to see more detail in the dark clothing and more shading around the neck tie thing.

4. Lorraine
Liked the overall painting. Not convinced by the hair and neck tie.

5. Shalford
Liked the oil painting effect. Not convinced by the clothing.

This was truly the hardest one EVER to judge. :dizzy: But, vote we must.

#1 Loverly - Some achieved closer likeness and some maybe better oil painting effect, but I think this came closest in achieving both. (Does that make sense?) And, you did it fast!

#2 Doug - Amazing (best IMO) job on the likeness of the old guy. Not quite completely convinced it looks like an oil painting.

#3 Cazubi - Beautiful, (best IMO) painting technique. Just didn't quite look completely like the himself.

#4 Fembot - Again, one of the best in likeness. Cropped a little tightly perhaps.

#5 Shalford - One of the very best at achieving both likeness and oil painting effect.

There were several other really excellent ones I would have liked to include. Anyone who even tackled this one is a winner. Congratulations!

I was looking for a combination of great likeness and a great oil painting effect, which was more difficult than I thought:

1 Loverly - This is a great likeness, the colours are really good. I think the jacket looks a bit weird in places, but overall this is the best package of likeness and painting effects. Lovely job!

2 Doug Colwell - Again, a good restoration, and someone who agrees with me that the spectacles don't have any arms (I couldn't find any evidence, anyway). I'm not a great fan of this "canvas" effect, and it looks more like a pastel or drawing, but this is a good picture nonetheless. Great likeness!

3 Cazubi - I don't really think this is a great likeness, he looks a bit feminine somehow, but I love the details, and that palet knife effect is absolutely wonderful. In terms of an oil painting effect this is the best, please share your method!

4 K Schultz - Going for likeness again, he looks properly miserable, good work! The eyes are too bright in my opinion and he looks very cut out of the background, but facially I like this one (and again no arms on the spectacles, bravo!)

5 Bob Down - I really like the colours in this one. It's more of a free interpretation in terms of likeness, but as a painting on its own it works well.

Great work everyone, this was a hard one!

My votes:

1- Bob Down - the background is a bit "hot" but can't beat your restoration! WOW!
2- Shalford
3- freddieanne
4- Cameraken
5- byRo

Well done everyone. I think everyone who attempted this deserves a prize.
I picked out the top eight fairly easily But found it very difficult to miss out 3 of them


1) Cabuzi
2) Freddieanne
3) Kschulz
4) Doug Colwell
5) Shalford

I just never got going in a direction that worked for me on this one, obviously; I applaud everyone who did. Very tough voting. I could probably wait till morning and come up with a different list.

1 Doug Coldwell, well executed detail
2 Cazubi, I really liked the colors
3 Shalford, believable restoration
4 Kiska, interesting abstracted portrait
5 Bob Down, good texture & line

Here's my vote.
1. Bob Down - great job overall with good detail lines, yet the original face.
2.Freddieanne - a close second. Very nice.
3.Lorraine - very nice. just had a little problem with the hairline.
4.DougColwell - as always a great job. I felt the texture was a little too much overwhelming the detail.
5. Loverly-nice. I found the frame is a little distracting.
Honorable mention to Cabuzi- great job and would have gone for a 1 here but thought that the face had changed shape and become too plump; Cameraken - great glasses and eyes.

1. Doug Colwell
2. Loverly
3. Fembot
4. Kschulz
5. Freddieanne

Here is my vote.
1. Lorraine
2 Doug Colwell
3. Loverly
4. KShultz
5. Fembot

:bigthmb: Kudos to all those that entered this month’s contest, and double kudos for all that voted. We almost had everyone vote this time! This contest was an extreme challenge and I agree with the comments that if you attempted this one, you were a winner.

We also had some great discussion especially about the man’s glasses. It brings up an important point when restoring a photo. It’s easy to make quick assumptions on items you are used to seeing, but you really need to research the time period of the piece to understand what should be there, what colors were typically used, style of clothes, and so on. Sometimes the customer may be able to fill in a lot of the history, but many times they may not.

Well without further ado….

This month’s contest winner is Doug Colwell! Congrats on your grand entry. Enjoy your well earned prize! Please take the time to share your steps with us.

THE PRIZE Steve Caplin's "How to Cheat in Photoshop", updated for Photoshop CS2, donated by Focal Press. (http://books.elsevier.com/focalbooks/default.asp?mscssid=TKERWPVU8X178HHREP52XA1D2AKGAM11&)

The top 10: revised as I had reversed two names
Doug Colwell
Loverly
Freddieanne
Cazubi
Bob Down
Shalford
Fembot
KSchulz
Lorraine
byRo

You can view all the entries in the Sep 05 Contest Thread (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11440)