[T Paul]

Voting will run from 26 Nov to 3 Dec 2007. Deadline for votes is 5pm EST.

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 in the Nov 07 Contest Discussion thread.

Vote for the 5 best entries in order.

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!

[jgolling]

Hey all,
this was my first contest and I really liked doing this kind of work under the spirit of competition. There are some really great submissions here and I look forward to more contests! Here are my favorites....

1. DBizzaro
2. Zekeode
3. CathyH
4. Allieok
5. Pixiecho

anybody know of any other good photoshop contests?
Joe

[0lBaldy]

1. Kraellin (Clean, Crisp, True to the Original.. Excellent work)

2. Jgolling (sharp, good art work, looks like a Daguerreotype, would have been 1st place if not for the eyes, I believe the gent was looking at the camera not up and your eyes spooked me.. Sorry.)

3. Pixiecho (Beautiful Restoration)

4. Klassylady25 (a very nice job...well done.)

5. DBizzzaro (Very Nice Work.)

Everyone Did Some Very Fine Work On A Difficult Photo!

[lcramer53]

1-Pixiecho - IMHO, you kept the integrity of the original picture with your restoration.
2-Kraellin - It is the cleanest restoration with great attention to detail.
3-Ol'Baldy - Beautiful job on the eyes and the scarf.
4-Klassylady- Nicely done.
5-Arienn- Nice and clean.

[allieok]

With my list, I am including some of the reasoning behind my choices. Some of it is criticism, but I hope that it will be taken in the spirit it was given. I know that I appreciate feedback on my work, even though it is sometimes hard to hear. I always learn from others observations even when they are not on my skill level. A fresh eye, as uneducated as it might be, is always a valuable resource. I hope I'm not over-stepping my ground as a junior member here, but I gave a lot of thought to my choices and compared the full size images side by side, and feel that my take on it might be of some use.

1. Zekeode -- this image is wonderful overall and it is my favorite. The only fault I can find with it is that the clothes and background have a slightly different feel from his head. Either there could have been more detail and definition in his wrinkled face or a rougher rendering of the background and clothes.

2. Kraellin -- Remarkable detail in this one, and I really like that the whole image has the same feel. To me, however, as skillful as the restoration is (one might even say "masterfully") the subject, to me, does not appear as relaxed and manly as in the original. Otherwise, it would have been my favorite.

3. CathyH -- I have given a lot of weight to the feel of an overall image, and I like the harmony of the different elements of this image. Not too much detail, but then more would have had to be manufactured because of the lack in the original. I don't find that a fault, but an attempt to be as true to the original as possible. It could have been a bit softer, and the left eye is a little scary. (In my opinion, it was a scratch on the original photo that created that weird look of his left eye, but I could be wrong.)

4.DanBizzaro. Very nicely done. I think it would have been a stronger piece with some detail between his lower lapels. Without it, he appears to be slumping. I also thought there could be a bit more contrast in the face. I don't think he looks as proud as the original portrayed him.

5. igolling... This is a beautiful restoration of the figure though the background detracts a little. I was blown away by the amount of detail. I'm thinking igolling knows a lot more about period dress than I do -- and definitely more than was visible in the original image. The highlights in the eyes seem a bit too bright

[CathyH]

1. Jgolling
2. Kraellin
3. DanBizzaro
4. Pixiecho
5. AllieOK
Great job everyone.

[ScubaMargie]

Well done everyone this month. I found it difficult but definitely a learning experience.

1. Pixiecho
2. zekeode
3. CathyH
4. Kraelin
5. Dbizzzaro

[Kraellin]

voting is harder than the work. lots of good entries here and i had to read over the rules again before i voted. i also had to look over the entries quite a few times. and, reluctantly, i had to discard some.

in general, my criteria went like this: did they follow the rules? did they get the head right and not damage/alter it too much with clone, etc. did they include all the elements (quite a few broke down here by too much darkening or vignetting, which excludes the elements). did they 'paint within the lines', meaning, did they get the outlines right and detail right and not wipe anything out that shld be there? and, did they do it all... did they complete it? and finally, did they overdo it or stylize it (to me, a restore means bring it back to original state. stylizing or enhancing is outside the pervue of a restore.)

all that being said, i picked

1. pixiecho as my first place. the leaving of the tabbed corners did not break the rules. the rules said dont ADD a frame. it said nothing about leaving something that resembled a frame already there. most all the elements were there and done well without stylizing.

2. dbizzaro. i almost threw this one out for the dark vignetting, but it was a nice job regardless.

3. cathyh. a bit grainy and somewhat smudgy in the darks and stylized that lower vest thing (whatever that is) but it didnt detract from the main image and was nicely done. and i liked that you filled the canvas, brought him forward and cropped off the unnecessary.

4. zekeode. this was another i almost threw out for the dark and dark vignetting, but the rest was so nicely done, i couldnt.

5. allieok. also a bit dark, grainy and smudgy in spots, but overall, nice.

a couple of the images could also have qualified if they'd paid attention to the aspect ratio when they cropped/resized to get the final image. the gentleman got scrunched up and i'm sure he would have protested

[zekeode]

1. jgolling - Gave me most inspiration, and ideas how you can try to improve pictures that lack details. I don't agree with everything that was done (eyes & background mostly), but still really nice image.
2. Dbizzzaro
3. Allieok
4. Kraellin
5. Pixiecho

[T Paul]

Sorry for the delay, but here are the long awaited results and it was a close contest....

Congratulations this month go to Pixiecho!

Prize: Knoll Light Factory 3.0 donated by Digital Anarchy:

Description
Knoll Light Factory 3.0 adds flare and sparkle to any photograph or Photoshop image, giving photographers and digital artists a unique tool for their commercial work. Designed by Photoshop co-creator John Knoll, Light Factory was originally created to generate Photon Torpedoes in the Star Trek movies.

Top 5:
Pixiecho -22
Kraellin - 21
DBizzzaro - 20
Jgolling - tie 15
Zekeode - tie 15

Don't forget to share your techniques!!! There were some pretty imressive results!

Happy Holidays!

~T