How to start

[susan]

I want to fix this photo, it's been faded and discolored by the sun but I'm not sure how to go about it. Can anybody point me in the right direction?
Thank you.

[0lBaldy]

See if this tutorial might help get you started:
"Getting the Ring Out"

[TommyO]

This qualifies as a restoration, although there really isn't any physical damage. So, you can skip all the "work on tonality first stuff" and get right to the color correction. The more difficult part will be smoothing out the difference along the edge of the ellipse. But, that is not impossible either.

You may start with a practice run on the portion inside the ellipse. In preparation for setting some reference points, create a Posturize adjustment layer. Move the slider to where all the white is almost gone - use the Color Samper Tool to select a white pixel in that small area on her dress. Readjust the slider to where all the black is almost gone - use the Color Sampler Tool to select a black pixel in that small area under her leg.
(oops - edit - then turn off that layer!)

Use the elliptical lasso and stay well within the sunlight exposed area. Then create an adjustment layer, either levels or curves (I'd say curves). In that dialog you can leave the curve adjustment alone, but will need to set all three of the black, gray and white points to get the colors moving in the right direction. For the black point, click on your black marker, for the white - on your white marker, and for gray click on a part of the sidewalk to her right (be selective as the exact pixel makes a difference). Retry a different pixel for the gray until you're happy.

This will get the colors close. But, you'll need to adjust them more in a Hue/Sat layer as well as another Curves layer.

Repeat for the outer section and then work with opacities to blend the areas. If you struggle, then you can always turn it into an elliptical image, or purposely vignette the outer area.

Good luck and I'm sure others will have equally effective ideas. Just select your favorite !

[crazyfly1]

Susan. I started over on this image 4 times. I tried everything I know from channel mixing, to a hs layer set to color blend and with the monochrome box checked.
My best advice is to use the green channel and hand color from there. This image just has so much working against it. Even if you ignore the dark outer edge (BTW it looks as though at some point the picture was removed and replaced into the frame differently so you have to ovals there) and just work on the inside, there is color shift across the whole image, correct the face and the lips go purple, there is a faded line that shoots across the top at the babies head, and the background is more faded on the right than on the left.
Now watch, somone will come along with an amazing retouch that looks like it was shot yestarday and only took 5 minutes, that's why I love this forum.

[JD Spears]

I gave it a try. Long from perfect but hopefully headed in the right direction. Started with cures adjustment much like Tommy suggest. Used mask 1 for each outside and inside. Gave the mask a blur to simulate the image oval. Then targeted the odd colors with several hue/saturation readjusting the hue slider to a better color. However after I did that the babys skin was very flat so i added some hand coloring & burn & dodge. Also did some clone & heal around the oval circle to blend. And did some of the same on the lake

[susan]

Thank you for your great advice. I'll try the tutorial first and hopefully I'll be able to do it.
Thanks again.

[crazyfly1]

Susan, I gave it another try. I used different hs layers for each color. I used the black and white conversion tool on its own layer set to color blend in order to try and fix the tones of the colors. I hand colored the lake and trees. The result is marginal.
JD, good job with yours, I didn't even try to do the oval part. You matched it really well.

[susan]

I tried the tutorial but although the image is better it's way too green now. So I'll move on to the other suggestions.
Thanks

[Flora]

Hi Susan and everybody!

Originally Posted by susan

I tried the tutorial but although the image is better it's way too green now.

... It would be if you used the exact values shown in the Tut... Alas, even if the problem is similar, and even the colour cast is similar (not this case, though), each photo seems to have a 'life' of its own, that's why what works perfectly for one, can be totally wrong for another.

I've worked on your picture and I'll post the explanation as soon as I've finished it...

[susan]

Thank you Flora, I didn't use the exact values but played around with different ones, but I think this photo is starting to get to me. I'll look forward to seeing what you did and hopefully I can follow your directions. Thank you very much.

I've been working on this for hours and I'm happy with some areas but unhappy with others. So what I have done is mask a lot of different areas and put them on their own layers so that I can adjust them individually. Is this the right way to go? I'm getting to the stage where I'm going to have to replace some of the colors is the color replacement brush the best way to do this or is there a better way? Also should I convert the areas to be recolored to black and white before recoloring?

[Nan]

Flora, what you've done with this is just beautiful...as usual.
It's always a joy to see your restorations.
Nan

[susan]

Thank you Flora, now I can see what can be done.

I've worked on your picture and I'll post the explanation as soon as I've finished it...

I would really appreciate know just how you did it.
Thank you very much.

[JD Spears]

Originally Posted by Flora

Hi Susan and everybody!

... It would be if you used the exact values shown in the Tut... Alas, even if the problem is similar, and even the colour cast is similar (not this case, though), each photo seems to have a 'life' of its own, that's why what works perfectly for one, can be totally wrong for another.

I've worked on your picture and I'll post the explanation as soon as I've finished it...

Great job!

[Flora]

Susan, Nan, JD,

thank you for your feedback!!!

Originally Posted by susan

So what I have done is mask a lot of different areas and put them on their own layers so that I can adjust them individually. Is this the right way to go?

Yes, Susan... this is exactly how I work... IMO, global correction is great for fixing 'global' problems, but, if you have different problems in different areas of an image, selective corrections are the way to go.

As you can see from my work flow snapshot (Attachment1), if you use Adjustment Layers, you don't always need to copy-paste your selections on their own layer... simply select and with your selection active, create a new Adjustment Layer ... (it reduces the file size drastically !!! )

Originally Posted by susan

I'm getting to the stage where I'm going to have to replace some of the colors is the color replacement brush the best way to do this or is there a better way?

IMO, the only 'best way' is the way that gives the best result... Meaning ... I usually try everything (and I mean everything ) until I'm happy with the result. If colour is the problem, if I'm lucky, one single Adjustment Layer (Hue/Saturation; Selective Colors; Channel Mixer...you name it...) may be it, if not I just mix&match different methods. The ones I use first are:

• Hue/Saturation
• Selective Colors
• Levels
• Color Balance

Originally Posted by susan

Also should I convert the areas to be recolored to black and white before recoloring?

I can't remember ever having to do that ... but, if the faded original colours (or colour cast) are too distracting .. then ... why not?

My first aims in this picture were to:

• Minimize the strong Blue/Magenta Cast.
• Try to bring back some of the original Colour
• Remove/Minimize the edge of the Oval

As you can see from my work flow snapshot (Attachment1), I started with a global Selective Colors Adjustment Layer and here I tweaked nearly everything..

Since it would be incredibly long to write down the values I tweaked in all Adjustment Layers, I will upload my .PSD file where, starting from the background, you can see, step by step, all the changes I made (just click on the 'eye' left of each Adjustment Layer).

By double clicking on the Adjustment Layer 'icon' you will open its dialog box where you can see the values I changed. (please, remember to check all the fields of the Adjustment Layers together with their Blending Mode and Opacity.. )

Attachment 2 > the phases of my restoration

*The .PDS file can be downloaded from here*

If you still have questions... just yell ...

[susan]

This is great, your results are wonderful and now I have a plan to follow. Thank you very much for that, I'm going to print your post out and use it as a reference hopefully I'll get a decent result, I'll post it if I do.

Thanks again
Susan.

[TommyO]

Flora,
Very nice result, and thank you for the guide. Your work is always remarkable !

Susan,
Be sure to post your results afterward. (This keeps a little pressure on you to complete it ).
Good luck !

[Flora]

Susan, TommyO,

thank you for your kind feedback!!!

Glad to be of help!!

P.S. did you manage to download the .PSD file without problems?

[susan]

P.S. did you manage to download the .PSD file without problems?

No I wasn't able to open it.

[Flora]

Originally Posted by susan

No I wasn't able to open it.

What Photoshop version are you using? I'm working with Photoshop CS3 and I had the option 'Maximize PSD And PSB File Compatibility' turned off... that's why, if you are working with a previous version of Photoshop, you couldn't open my .PSD file.

I re-uploaded the file saved with the option turned on... the file size has increased, but you should be able to open it now....

Could you, please let me know? Also could you let me know if you get any kind of warning from Photoshop? ... It would help me to know how to 'compatibly' save these files in the future.

[susan]

I'm using CS2. I got a message "unknown data has been encountered reading "brightness/contrast 1" and will be discarded.".
Below is what I have been able to do following what you told me in your post.

[Flora]

Thanks for your feedback.

"unknown data has been encountered reading "brightness/contrast 1" and will be discarded."

which means that you couldn't open the file at all ...or that only the 'brightness/contrast 1' has been ignored?

It doesn't really matter to you since what you did is simply wonderful! but I'd really like to know for future reference.

[0lBaldy]

Flora, I can't speak for Susan but this is what showed on my 'puter..

I would like to add that your PSD has helped me understand some things that have been pretty foggy to me... Thanks bunches!!

[susan]

The first couple of times I tried to open it i pressed "read composite data" because I thought it would read it and open the file. But it didn't open I just tried it again and pressed "OK " and it did open, so it would have been a great help if I had thought to just press OK in the first place. my fault I should have just pressed ok and not read composite data.

[smak]

Certain features of CS3 like Smart layers, etc. will not be recognized by earlier versions of Photoshop but the files will open.
The new Brightness/Contrast is another feature that earlier versions don't recognize.

Press OK. Why not? PS won't break.

[Flora]

0lBaldy, Susan, Smak,

thank you so much for your feedback and help!!!

I had forgotten about the 'Maximize PSD And PSB File Compatibility' option...(I usually keep it off to reduce the size of my saved .PDS file) ... and I hadn't a clue about the opening options ... but now I do!!

0lBaldy,
thanks for your snapshot!! And I'm very glad I could be of help!

smak,
I am aware that specific CS3 features are not retro-compatible, but I didn't use any for this picture ... no smart layers... nothing...so...I'm a bit puzzled by the fact that a simple Brightness/Contrast AL might be considered 'Unknown Data' by PS...
I've started with PS6 ... if I remember correctly, Brightness/Contrast existed already then ... and is definitely there in CS2, version used by Susan .... Any Ideas?

[susan]

Press OK. Why not? Photoshop won't break.

I just thought that read composite data was the right one to press at the time.
I didn't mean to cause anybody any problems. . Sorry for my mistake.

[lurch]

Flora - brightness/contrast in CS3 is different from the ones in previous releases, which is why Susan's CS2 passed over it; the new version works much better.

Susan - here's what I accomplished with guidance from Flora's psd file (thank you, thank you, Flora! I learned SO much.). If I can do it so can you . . .

[crazyfly1]

Flora and Lurch really nice job! Susan you've brought it a long way, very nice!
Flora, it's good to have you back.

[Flora]

Hi Susan,

I didn't mean to cause anybody any problems. . Sorry for my mistake.

Not only you didn't make mistakes... but you helped me a lot! I'd never posted a .PSD file before ... so, I wasn't really aware of this kind of situations... Now I am, and since I think that this way is much better than writing miles of 'detailed explanations', I'll adopt it for the future ... Only now, thanks to you and the tips of the others, I'll know what to advice and what to expect!!!

Hi lurch,

Flora - brightness/contrast in CS3 is different from the ones in previous releases, which is why Susan's CS2 passed over it; the new version works much better.

Thank you so much for letting me know ...I'd really never taken into consideration the fact that something that has been there since always could have been changed!! (.. just concentrated on the very 'new' features...)
Great Job!
So glad I could be of help...

Hi crazyfly1,

thank you so much for your feedback and for the warm 'welcome back' !!

[susan]

Thank you everybody for your help.
Flora you are awesome. Thank you.