Critiques - - Colourisation - Did it work?

kizmiaz · #1 10-05-2005, 05:25 PM

Hi

As a newcomer round here, I hope this works..

I would just like some comments on this picture of my mother that I've repaired and colourised.

Its difficult for me to judge it myself, having spent hours looking at it in fine detail during the colouring, so any ideas on improvements would be most welcome.

Is it over- or under-worked? Do the colours look right for a late 40's-early 50's era picture? Personally I think I may have overdone the pink, but what does anyone else think?

Thanks

smiley guy · #2 10-05-2005, 05:48 PM

I'm not an expert on colourization but I do have my own thoughts on it and I genuinely like what you have done with your picture.

I only have problems with the repaired portions of the photograph, the cracks and the blemishes on her leg. The repair work seems somewhat flat on her leg and just a little out of alignment on the brick work. Hard to do with so many straight lines to deal with.

My advice on the leg would be to add a little noise on the portion that was repaired and perhaps a little shading so it looks as round as the rest of the leg.

Those are my 2¢CAD.

Vikki · #3 10-05-2005, 10:07 PM

The coloring is nicely done.
However, the colors you've used, aside from the skin, which looks good to me, do not look natural (to me). Maybe it's a guy thing, as I notice that men pick some odd colors. I hope I don't get flamed for that, it's just a personal observation.
There seems to be a predomance of magenta and greenish yellow, as seen in the two most prominent objects the girl's dress and the steps. Almost as if you only had a few colors to choose from. There doesn't seem to be the subtle variations of color (if you've selected and filled with color, that could be the cause).

Duv · #4 10-05-2005, 10:47 PM

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I have to agree with Vikki in a lot of instances. Probably also being a culprit I've tried to do something a bit more balanced..not sure if I succeeded. Perhaps a bit too much cyan in the skin?

Cheers

Dave

Vikki · #5 10-05-2005, 11:15 PM

A few changes (not necessarily everyone's taste)
I changed the bars from green to gray, and I thought they took to much attention being green.
Changed the other children's clothing for much the same reason.
Added color variations to the steps.
Added a more girlie pink to the dress.
Changed her hair color to a warmer brown.
Changed the color of the shadow under her dress.
Little odds and ends.

philbach · #6 10-06-2005, 04:01 AM

I think your project was a success. Well done. Everybody has their own idea on the proper color of things but hey it looks pretty real to me.

kizmiaz · #7 10-06-2005, 05:29 AM

Thanks for the comments.

The leg was a bit of a pain, because the reflected and refracted light made it look too bumpy and rough. I cloned away too much, so I'll have to retrace my steps and put some back.

I really like that pink. It probably is a guy thing (not a manly colour, pink!) that I went for those particular colours, and looking at the "original" pink on a different monitor it does look much too magenta, and generally "dirty" looking. Its now looks really good and girly.

Those steps look much more life-like with the subtle colours added. That's something I must start doing more often. I tend to use too limited a pallet and go for wholesale colouring of large areas to save myself some work.

The girl at the back was a bit of a cheat to save time, and I agree that a recolour of her dress is certainly called for. I think I'll keep the green railings, though, but toned down a lot. Most of the schools in this area have painted railings, and I think these look about right for the local council paint schemes.

I am still trying to work out what that little light coloured object on the steps actually is, and whether it also needs a spot of colour. Maybe that will be a bit too distracting though and is best left as it is.

Thanks

Glen

Vikki · #8 10-06-2005, 06:15 AM

Glen, I think you've got a good eye for detail when coloring. Just a matter of applying that same eye to the colors themselves. It might help to look over color snapshots or paintings. Use the color eyedropper tool to sample different objects from those images, you'll be surprised by the color readouts.

"I tend to use too limited a pallet and go for wholesale colouring of large areas to save myself some work."
You're not alone, I would say 90% of people do the same thing.
I think if you do that bit of extra work, you'll have some awesome colorings.

kizmiaz · #9 10-06-2005, 04:30 PM

Right, all comments duly noted and here is the new version.

The pink is now "slightly" more eye-poppingly pink, the steps have been livened up with some colour, the girl at the back has gone home and chnaged her dress, the woman at the back has changed her top, mums hair has been dyed, her undergarments and socks have been given a wash, and her leg has been de-flattened a bit. The railings have stubbonly refused to change colour!

Does this look any better? I'm much happier with the pink now. Mum certainly stands out from the background now! But is it too much?

(The old version was created using Paintshop Pro 7, and this new version has been enhanced using Photoshop CS. Its the first time I've used it for any colouring, and I must say that I really love the "soft light" layer method I used to get the new colours. So much easier than the method I was previously using I never realised how much more powerful this software is)