I've started this photo three times and junked it three times because I can't get the lighting (to my eye) right. All the studio portraits were done by this same photographer and he (I'm assuming it's a he, this is 1918) is very fond of side lighting. I end up with a very harsh light to shadow thing. In a different shot (and different sitting) I was able to calm it down with a gradient but this one has me frustrated.

If I bring up the murk in the background the combination of baby in white suit and side lighting just explodes on the left side of the picture. It isn't exactly blown but there's no contrast. I've fiddled with curves and levels and now want to take a hammer to Photoshop.

Suggestions please to save my sanity?

MJ

Did you try working on the lighness channel in LAB mode?

Did you try working on the lighness channel in LAB mode?

I thought, "What a good idea!" and charged off to try it. I've discovered that I don't know how. Would you please get me started? Every time I tried to isolate the lightness channel and do something with it the selection reverted back to all three components.

MJ

Hi there

I spent just a few minutes with your pic...as you can tell...lol but why not open and adjust exposure in ACR. You can brighten then use the recovery slider to bring back lost highlights.

Butch

Duplicate your image (Image>>Duplicate) and this will give you a separate file to work on. Then Image>>Mode>>LAB. Go to channels, select the lightness channel and do a levels adjustment until you get something you like, Select all, copy.

Now go back to your 1st (RGB) document and convert it to a black and white. Then past. (it will be a new layer), play with the blend modes on the pasted "lightened layer".

My try on this picture. I did notice that the blue channel was damaged and replaced the blue with the green; however, this could also be addressed with the channel mixer.

dc

MJ, you can put you hammer away - this is, indeed, quite a difficult image to get a good result.
As you, rightly, observed the big problem is in the lighting.
Normally the subject will be light on a dark background - or dark on a light background. In this case we have lights and darks on a greyish background. So there's no easy way out.

- I used the Red and Green channels 50/50 to make a greyscale.
- Cleaned up the damage by cloning;
- Cleaned the noise using "Dust and Scratches", the median filter, blurring and adding noise (to the background) - all dutifully masked;
- Cleaned more noise in Neat Image;
- Made the missing parts of the boy's head using D & B layers;
- Did a vignette to darken (slightly) the outer background, then anther to darken the bottom part;
- Slight deGrunge;
- Masked "Razor sharpening".

Well, a bit of everything actually!

Rô

Outstanding job, Ro!

Very well done.

I'm gonna have to do some serious study of your methods, you've got some fantastic insights and techniques.

Regards,

Michael

I thought I'd give this a go, MJ. Other than standard stuff (cloning, airbrushing, dust removal, noise reduction, duotoning), I used local contrast adjustments and other subtle techniques to compress the contrast.

Thought I'd post what I've done so far. It's literally taken me all day to get that much done. I hope that by the time that I know what I'm doing it'll be a faster process :) Grandma's face isn't done but the neckline is so it looks peculiar. I haven't done any refining or dodging and burning or putting back lost shadows and stuff like that. Dad's face took me the longest and I'm almost pleased with it. I reconstructed his boot after finding a picture of a similar one on the web. I started from the top of the photo and I'm working down.

LonK I tried and tried but I can't duplicate great that look you got on grandma's dress. The closest I can come is the airbrush darkening then going back to pick out the beadwork with a brush. Haven't tried that yet but I think it'll work.

byRo please move to Texas and become my personal tutor? :) I tried your deGrunge technique on another studio photo and it works a treat!!

Dee I ended up starting with the original scan with the tweaked LAB lightness channel duplicated twice and soft lighted on top of it. It gave a much better starting point and I thank you for the lesson.

DCobb and Daviskw you both did an outstanding job on some of the worst damage. I downloaded everyone's fixes and zoomed in and had a reall good look. Thank you ALL for your help and patience and generosity in sharing your knowledge and talent with a fumbling beginner :)

I've still not decided what to do about the background. My impulse is to junk it but I really ought to learn to do it properly.

Cheers,

MJ

Hi Charlene

Just wondering if a little smudging would help your version? I took your good work and just added a little smudge and a small amount of PWL.

Butch

I selectively darkened the left hand side area & spent some time on the baby’s face.

Hi Charlene.... the first thing I did was a slight levels adj. then, I darkened the blue channel to bring out some detail in the little guy's outfit....

Then I used the channel mixer set to monochrome and began healing using the healing brush set to pattern in screen mode.... went crazy with that actually....

The little boy's face needed darkening but most of all needed contouring .... just guessed about that.....

I added film grain to gloss over the imperfections and then added the color to get the feeling back....

This was fun!

Beth

You suggested changing the background, MJ, which I thought might be a good idea in this case. For your consideration, I went ahead and tried a classic painted background that I often adapt to portraits such as this. I also did some additional detail retouching.

Then I used the channel mixer set to monochrome and began healing using the healing brush set to pattern in screen mode.... went crazy with that actually....


Beth could you expand on that idea a little? It sounds like a spiffy idea that might be very useful.

I am absolutely gobsmacked by the talent and ability flying around here and I am learning from all of you. Lon I'm going to steal your background :) I semi-replaced the original in mine but yours is better.

Something is wrong with Grandma's face but I can't seem to fix it. I think I took out too much of the shadow and contrast. Suggestions?

MJ

Just got a look at the uploaded photo and it looks really bad. Honest it isn't!

Hi MJ.....

Before you do anything with your picture, you need to create the pattern for the healing brush:

File > New
64 x 64 pixels large
Edit > Fill > 50% Gray
Filter > Artistic > Film Grain
Grain Setting of 1
Highlight 0
Intensity of 5
Select > All
Edit > Define Pattern (like, um... 'skin')

Now, open your photo

Ctrl J to duplicate layer

Activate the Healing Brush and set the Source to Pattern
and choose the Screen Blending Mode (brush) and select the film grain pattern you just created.

Use a large brush and paint over all the skin (or anything else).... overdo it. Reduce layer opacity to apprx. 75%.

Ctrl J this retouched layer, change Healing Brush to Multiply Blend mode and use the same pattern to refine the areas....

The following is the same picture I posted before without the color added.... I used this method on the background, too.

Beth

Beth!! I recognize the recipe!! It's Katrin Eismann's Barbie Skin!! I used that to help rebuild the baby's face on the tape side - along with grafts from his mom. I never thought of using it on everything. I shall give it a try. Thanks!

I'm not asking questions about the attached photo but I wanted y'all to see it because it's the reason why I'm so focused on bringing the old pictures back. I'm working at this one tonight. It was taken a year after the last one, same photographer, same side lighting :) It is the same mother and son (my dad and my grandmother) but the woman doesn't seem to be the same person. She's lost a ton of weight and looks gaunt and drawn. She died three years later when my dad was 7 years old. I never knew her and the photos are all I have of her.

Thank you, ALL of you, for your help.

Cheers,

MJ

Exactly, MJ...... I forgot to credit Katrin in this thread but I recently posted this method where I did credit her.... I always try to remember to do this with other people's methods..... you know, 'give credit where credit's due'.....

I just love the technique when I need to put some 'substance' into vacant areas....

The photos are great and I know they mean the world to you... thanks for letting us play!

Beth