I had a person visit my web site and request that I look at an old photo that he would like restored.... I have no idea if he is willing to pay for the restoration or what print size he plans to use for the work when it is complete. I did ask him if the photo could be used in the forum for a challenge and he said that was fine.

I have also asked for some history of the photo and why it is special to him. It is a somewhat unusual pose, although I think it is innocent....

Photo - 375 KB Link (http://takeyourbestshot.com/Images/ManipulationImages/Small%20-%20Jill%20Potty.jpg)

never seen one deteriorate quite like that before. it almost looks artificially induced.

was there something you wanted to ask here? some problem you want help with? i mean, we can see there's a problem, but was there something specific you wanted to request or ask about?

craig

Kraellin,

I guess he want's to suggest this photo for a challenge, is the subject implies ;)

I guess I tossed this out to see if anyone could restore it. If you can, I would be happy to pass on the contact info. I will email the gentleman to see if he is will to pay a fee for restoration.

I guess I was thinking it would be a challenge... seems there are a number of people desiring a image to demonstrate their skills with... Restoring this image should validate your skills... I don't know what happened to the print. Heat, chemicals???

James

james,

well, it is a challenge. i'd be curious in knowing what caused this damage like this. it sort of looks like flood damage, where there is mud caked on the image and then it dried and cracked, but it would be interesting to know for sure.

also, if this is mud caked onto the image, you might tell the person to have a conservator clean it first...very carefully. after that, a scanning and restoration would be much easier.

the good news is, it can be cleaned up. the bad news is, it's not going to be cheap. the extent of damage is quite, well, extensive. there is a LOT of work here. this isnt something that can be run through a few automatic processes and 5 minutes later, bingo, new photo. there is a LOT of cloning to be done here and cloning is slow and meticulous work.

i did some work on this just to get an idea of what was necessary. i ran contrast/brightness first to bring out some more detail. i then ran both Paint Shop Pro's digital noise removal and polaroid's dust and scratch remover to get rid of some of the easier spots. i ran both of these at light settings. i didnt want to blur things too much when i need that detail for cloning. after that, it was all clone at a low to medium opacity and a very small brush. i started with the little girl, as she is the main focus of the picture. most everything i did was done below his belt line, as this is where the most damage is. i would simply continue moving down from there if i were going to finish this. what i did took about an hour to do. there are several hours of work left to do this up right.

you might also ask him if he'd be willing to have all that space to the right of the gentleman cropped out. this would make the job a bit easier (and thus cheaper if he's willing to pay). it's pretty much worthless space to the image.

i'd be happy to do the rest of the job if he's interested in paying for the service and you can contact me via the private messages here on retouch as a start. if he's not, then perhaps some other volunteers will finish what i've started or try their own. i warn you, though, i'm not cheap :) oh, and i also pay for referrals ;)

craig

..... a little haphazard cloning .....

Anyone want to take it from here? :classic:

A little reconstruction work is in order, I imagine.

Roob.
Well done. I had a lot of trouble with her hand. You have made it look OK.
While I was retouching the bog (toilet) I thought What on Earth am I doing?
So I cropped it down to just Jill.

James.
I could do a lot more with this but as this guy is not learning And is prepared to pay then I suggest you show him these ‘proofs’ and ask if he wishes us to continue.

Tell him we need a large donation to Retouch Pro and we will finish these.
Better still. Ask him to rescan just Jill if he likes my effort. And I will redo it.


Ken

hey,

I just found this site tonight, by accident.

I took a whack at this, but I haven't finished the details.
Mostly just blocking it in still.
Hey, it's a free job, what's the rush?


I think I can get a better hand than the one on his leg.

What is that gold piece of furniture she's leaning on in the bathroom?


-Doug

the little girl is the focus, so I added some details there.

I'm going back to my real work.

I'll have to stop back and see what else is on your site.



thanks,

-Doug

Hi gang!

WOW!!! all very good work on an image that is nearly too far gone!

I agree with the opinions here... a lot of tedious work. Great for a portfolio with a HIGH price tag!

here is the response back from the email I sent asking the nature of the photo and the purpose:

> the picture is of my wife when she was a little girl getting her bottom wiped by her father who recently passed away. She has the memory of the picture being taken and has always thought it was funny that she was smiling so big like she was getting away with something. For whatever reason she has always cherrished the picture.
>
> Michael


As I thought, it is just an innocent memory...

I will ask him how much he is willing to pay for this image.... donation to the site or person. Problem is, I wouldn't know who to chose from all the great examples!

James

I have spoken with the owner again. He is willing to compensate the restoration artist. If you are interested in doing this work, email me for his email address. I will send him the top responders based on what is being shown here or included with the email to me. I WILL NOT send him examples. He has a larger 25MB file if you would like to work on the full size image.

Once I release his name to the artist it will be up to you to negoiate. IF you want to send him an example that will be up to you.

As for the image and your portfolios. This seems like a very challenging project and one that can be used in your own personal portfolio. I will leave it up for a couple more weeks.

Thanks for tackling this project. I wish you all luck in the completion of the image.

James