Hi all... I'm by far a photoshop expert, but here we go. I pretty much used the Clone Tool to get the wrinkles out, but I think I may have gone a bit too far. Your opinions and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The first is the Original, the second is modified but they still have wrinkles, and the third is without wrinkles.

Hi Morrow

Your modified rendition looks really good. Maybe you could try to bring back the blue in his eyes. Also his left eye could be brightened a bit. Your
instincts about the no wrinkles is bang on. Very, very few people have the skills to knock 45 years off someone's age...and what's the point?

Cheers
Dave

I think that your grandfather's teeth look too bright.Bear in mind the shadow from his upper lip.

I like the second. Strange to say, wrinkles on an old person's face make me feel comfortable(?). IMHO, to get rid of fine wrinkles and some speckles would be enough. :classic:

Morrow, welcome.
I did a quickie on your grandparents. I have found that a lot of retouching is too strong. PS can do just about anything, and people are tempted to take it 'all the way'. Old people ARE old. I think a little 'refresh' can go a long way.
This might not be enough for your tastes, but it's one approach.

Hi Morrow, of the two I liked the second one the best. The more agressive de-wrinkling did not look natural. Also the photos seem to have a slightly bluish cast which is not a good color for the aged if you know what I mean. Good work though and thanks for posting your grand parents.

I agree with Phil that there is a blue cast to the picture. I've taken the liberty to balance the colors out. Whites are equalled out to 243, Greys to 63 and Shadows to 6. It's a little contrasty but acceptable in that the deep shadows are unimportant to the image. The correction naturally adjusted the skin tones to a slightly more magenta than yellow which I think makes sense.

Cheers
Dave

You guys are great... Constructive critism with suggestions and samples!!! Can't get any better than this.

I know what you guys mean with the blueish tone... After looking at my modifications, the blueish tone kinda 'seals the deal' for both of them.

Ok, why did I remove those wrinkles? Just experimenting, that's all. I wanted to see if I could do it and if it would look acceptable or even somewhat real. I actually took both photo's to Walmart to see what they would look like printed out. Not too shabby from an arms length (I have 6 foot arms):)... but yeah, it looks too fakish.

I see you used a bunch of layers. I guess I have to stop 'winging' it and start applying layers to this stuff.

I'm always open for suggestions. If my work is crappy, I appreciate knowing about it, and wont take offense at all. It's the learning experience that I'm here for.

Thanks again!

P.S. Great work from both of you!

I actually prefer the original, your grandparents, look like they have seen life and seen a world that we have only read about, i personally think you should let the original be the original, and not glamour them up by smoothing out their skin, making them look unreal and plastic, sorry but thats my opinion, let them shine through being the originals they are.

It's fun to experiment but I think you're bang on Elle. It brings back memories of my grampa talking to me when I was a kid. I'm going to loosely paraphrase him. " When I'm dead and lyin in the casket and you're lookin at me, I hope you think I look like crap..that I look used up. Cause that is what life should be all about..workin and strivin and playin hard that when you die you're all used up. If you look pretty in that casket, maybe you didn't live life to it's fullest."

There's a great dignity in the wrinkles and spots isn't there?

BTW Morrow, I'm in absolutly no way suggesting your grandparents look like crap. It was just something I loosely remember from the past.

Cheers
Dave

Here's my rendition which I've tried to keep as accurate as
possible but highlight the couple rather than the background.
Color correction using the layers function and modifying the red and green layeres (i.e. right hand slider in). Background slightly blurred and darkened as a separate layer.

The stories these two could tell.

Click

Here's my rendition which I've tried to keep as accurate as
possible but highlight the couple rather than the background.
Color correction using the layers function and modifying the red and green layeres (i.e. right hand slider in). Background slightly blurred and darkened as a separate layer.

The stories these two could tell.

ClickWow! I'm really impressed! That's beautiful work.

I gave my grandparents a copy of the photo in a frame (the second one). I honestly thought is was fair work. A few people here kinda hinted that it was a photo fit for a morgue! I showed the photo to my father and he laughed at it and said the exact same thing that others have insinuated. I'm sure it was the blue tint.

Now for the stories. My grandfather was a detective for 41 years, my grandmother worked for Singers (sewing machines) in Elizabeth, NJ. I only remember her being a lunch aid in my grammar school.

My grandfather has some really great memories he shares with me quite often. Sometimes it's not the story itself that is great, but the way he tells the story. Every so often, I'll bring the video camera over and ask him to tell me the one about ...

As far as me taking away the wrinkles... I thought about what some of you said, and you're right. Every day you learn something new. Those wrinkles tell a story. Thanks!

Your very welcome, your grandparents have a great life to tell, why smooth it out by photography, i have a photo of my Mum who died when she was 77 yrs old, i love to see the wrinkles it tells volumes of stories...

I agree with those that feel the grandparents should not be made to look any younger. It's a great photo of two grandparents, age lines, marks and all. Theres a lot of "character" in those faces.

What I did was to first improve the contrast with a levels layer. I added a color balance layer to remove some of the red cast in their faces by adding more yellow. Removed most of the colorcast in his sweater by reducting saturation with a hue/saturation layer. Finally I selectively sharpened some of the facial features (ex. eyes, mouth, nose hair).

Alan

Hello Alan not had pleasure to meet you, so i shall say hello here...I love what you done, that is nice subtle improvements!

Interesting story, Morrow. :cat:
And Alan I like the way you used to make much contrasty between the grandparents and background. Lovely(?) work it is.

Hello Alan not had pleasure to meet you, so i shall say hello here...I love what you done, that is nice subtle improvements!

Hello Legacy, its a pleasure meeting you. I have seen and admired many of your posts.

Thank you for the nice words about what I had done on the photo, it was fun and hope it gives Morrow some additional ideas.

Alan

Hi Click,

To me the darkening of the background concentrates attention on the people. It also seems to move them closer together. This hightens the impact of the image confering an intimacy between the couple. This intimacy is extended to include the viewer by their frank, foreward gaze.

The fact that you have not darkened the background right up to the couple, in my opinion, helps. It says that the darkening is a construct, a thought out idea a frame.

I like it.

Indigo

Welcome Alan, and thank you for the compliments...*blush*

Based on Alan's fine work I thought I would try to balance his sweater, black area behind and the wall a bit differently..not better, just different. I would say that some of the renditions here are quite striking. It really depends on whether you want a balanced natural photo or a striking piece of art. They both have a place I think.

Cheers
Dave

Nice work, Duv. And I agree with your opnion. :)
By the way, for me, your first outcome looks much better.
What I mean is sort of contrast...color contrast(?).
Second outcome...it has 'overall' weak red(I don't sure) tint on my monitor.
IMHO, so it seems that having less contrast between the grandparents and the background.

Hi Click,

To me the darkening of the background concentrates attention on the people. It also seems to move them closer together. This hightens the impact of the image confering an intimacy between the couple. This intimacy is extended to include the viewer by their frank, foreward gaze.

The fact that you have not darkened the background right up to the couple, in my opinion, helps. It says that the darkening is a construct, a thought out idea a frame.

I like it.

Indigo

I couldn't agree more with you, Indigo. I really like what everyone did, but you hit it right on with the "It also seems to move them closer together".

To Morrow and Indigo

Thanks. Hadn't really thought about this bringing them closer
but I believe you are right !

Good teaching point.

regards

Click

What are you talkin' about??? :knockedou

What are you talkin' about??? :knockedou

Look at the original photo. There are many distractions in the background. The photo 'Click' worked on minimizes the distractions, making my grandparents look as if they were to each other. Basically, it's a much warmer picture.

I'm glad I took that photo, it's probably the only 'nice' one my family has of the two of my grandparents together like that. My grandmother suffered a minor stroke this afternoon. I will be visiting her later and hope she will be coming home soon. I would imagine they will keep her in the hospital for a few days. Ok, sorry for the distraction here.