Something is wrong with this picture and I can't seem to put my finger on it. Please tell me what I need to do to make it better.

Thanks.

I've included the before and after versions.

With just a click glance what stands out to me most is the background. I'm not sure if you replaced the original or just strongly blurred it, but it needs some noise added back in to match the man. Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Play with the slider until you find the amount that makes the background similar to the foreground.

The other thing that strikes me is that some of the masking around the hat and the jacket is a little jagged.

I do think you've done an admirable job handling the large splotch on the guy's pants.

I'm attaching my quick go so you can see what I mean about adding some noise back in. I used the pen tool to outline the guy so I could mask him out, then used the dust n' scratches filter on the background. After that I added noise. It may just be my personal taste and I'm sure other people will have their own opinion. :)

To my way of thinking the photo looks like it has sustained some damage to the right hand side which is giving it a bit of a bleached look. I added a new layer in overlay mode and used a black to transparent gradient from the right hand side of the pic to the middle and then a little cloning on the brim of the hat.

Hi Liasson,

I've been restoring my family's photos (and learning at the same time). I found that it's easy to use plugins globally, but they don't often give the best results (globally). These are old photos and although we have the skills to make them look new, it doesn't match the content of the photo. I think our eyes know that before our minds do.

I didn't use any plugins on my example. I used levels, brightness/contrast, and overlay layers painting white or black to even out the tones. I cloned just a little bit. The background was replaced, something I usually don't do, but I got lazy. To try to make the background replacement look natural, I added a white outer glow layer style.

I took a guess here, but the white marks on the jacket appear to be diamond shaped and they're placed on the lapel and jacket pockets and sleeves. So I think they might be fancy buttons to go along with that fancy cowboy hat.

Good luck,
Bill

One of the main problems I see is that the contrast adjustments are too extreme. The shadows are too dark and the highlights are to bright, causing a loss of detail. That has also magnified the problem with the photo being faded on the right side. That should have been evened out.

Additionally, some part of your process has caused the image to lose it's sharpness. Look at Bill's excellent rework. You'll notice the image has nice contrast, all the folds in the clothing are visible, and the image looks clean and crisp. No extremes. It looks like I imagine the original would look.

As other's have mentioned, it's never a good idea to replace the background. It's such a vital part of the image, that if it's not done to absolute perfection it will ruin the look of the the whole restoration.

Thank you all for your help. This is another version. Please continue with your comments. I need "good" eyes to guide me through this.

(I’m having difficulty uploading files; can only take one at a time.)

Thank you, Vikki,

You've set a high standard for us to try to achieve. Your work is always impeccable.

Hi Liasson,

Restoration is a slow process, take smaller steps. Introducing a pattern to the gentleman's suit doesn't help your restoration. His suit didn't have a pattern and if it did, it would follow the contours of the fabric.

You've added a very different background from the original. Your goal should be to take away the photo's damage to reveal the original photo.

Take tiny steps and clone/dodge/burn/lighten/darken, etc. ... whatever it takes to remove damage and not add new elements to it. When in doubt step back and look at the overall image to decide what needs to be done next.

Good luck,
Bill

I see the right side of his face has lost detail,right side of his hat could be darker,theres a white area on the back of his coat and the background contrast is to wide from one side to the other
But practice makes perfect right,at least your giving it a try

good luck zganie