Amateur Digital Restorationista Needs Some Advice

[Generations]

Hello,
I have been working on my first restorations for my family and I wanted to share my very first.

Since completing this restoration I have been reading through Digital Restoration From Start to Finish by CTEIN and learning as much about Photoshop CS5 as possible. Knowing what I know now I would have attacked this photo in a much different way, but we all have to start somewhere.

I'd like to note that I am training myself to do this professionally so please be brutally honest and also please be constructive as far as sharing some knowledge.

Thank you,
Generations

[TPF]

Howdy,

Well, as a start it is OK. To be brutally honest and constructive - it needs work

The area between the eyes where the rip was, needs some work. The corner of each eye where the rip was especially.

Not sure what you have done, but her mouth looks different too.

The creases haven't been completely healed away - as an example look at the collar on the right of the pic, also the guys neck above that.

There are a few other things, but I think the best advice I can give is: Pay attention to detail, if something just doesn't quite look perfect to you, it won't to anyone else either. Don't be afraid to trash a layer you are working on, and start that area again.

The attention to detail thing is very important. When people are paying for the restorations you usually get two types of customers......the first are just AMAZED and grateful that you were able to do anything at all. The second will pick every single fault you left in there...and then some!

[Generations]

Thank you for your honest critique. I completely agree that the detailed work is lacking. I'm thinking of it anew now that I've learned many more restoration techniques. Technique aside I think the attention to detail or lack thereof will be my biggest challenge, as that comes with time and skill.

So far I've been working on restorations for family and friends and they have fallen under the "AMAZED and grateful" category, which is why I'm in this forum. I really need some professional critiquing so I'm ready to handle the clients that are looking for perfection.

Thank you again for taking the time to comment. I'll repost when I have a new version.

/Generations

[jesterjeni]

it looks a little pink to me...I put it in a black and white mode and it corrected alot of the color....I love cs5 I would use the healing brush in a smaller area and fix it piece by peice.it looks like the details were "smudged" away. the creases on the right side of the moulth are no longer there and the nose isnt as rounded as it may have been. as far as clients that are looking for perfection.....wow..as you contenue to do this you are going to see your own flaws much more than your customer will.

[Generations]

@jesterjeni, yes I agree the image does look a little pinkish (well I see more yellow).

I'm always wondering if it's good form to remove sepia tones in older pictures. I guess it's up to the client, in my opinion B/W looks better and helps regain some of the detail that may have been lost over time. But sepia certainly has it's place in the history of photography so I try not to be to pretentious by removing it without asking my client. What is your opinion about sepia?

CS5 is great, in this image I used the clone tool and healing brush a little too liberally hence the smudged look. I've reopened the original file and employed the Context-Aware Fill Tool which has worked wonders on the face. The hair not-so-much, it looks to smudged so I'll tinker around with that more. I also ran it through noise ninja to see how it did, but I'm finding those sorts of tools are really touchy and I don't like any blur added to the image.

As for perfection, I don't know as if that is really attainable since a lot of the work I have been doing is based on my personal preference. It is true though, I have showed some of my work and pointed out areas I thought needed more work just to be assured that the end result was perfect. I see all the flaws and improvements I could make but often my clients (friends and family don't).

Thank you for your comments,

/Generations

[jesterjeni]

you can re-apply a sepia tone when you finish the picture...no one will know
(wink...wink...!)

[GraphiXimage]

A lot of times dependent on the image and amount of damage I will use an adjustment layer to desaturate a color file make my repairs then put the color back and do some healing touch up.... I also flip my images upside down so I focus more about the restoration and less about the content, working at 200% helps also

[chinchillakilla]

I like what you have done but I agree with the others so i wont say anything on that but it seems to be a bit of a strange tone i also think it needs some contrast adjustment maybe using the curves or levels a bit just to make it pop a bit. Have you been working with this image on normal levels. I would definitely work on a really high zoom i prefer to do all mine as high as i can before the picture pixelates.

If it is a photograph you scanned i would go no lower than 600dpi as you need the size to see all the little bits the eye does not normally pick up ( in preference i like to scan 1200dpi that way it large to work on also allows a crisp image at various sizes to print)

A little perseverance and trying to see it how it will look to the client and i think you will do well. Remember cs5 is your friend.