130 and 90 year old photo

[KBOOM]

Hi,

My grandfather was looking for someone to touch up some photos of family, and I volunteered.
I am webdesigner by hobby, and never read about restoration of photos. Let's see what I can do!

First picture:

http://www.upload3r.com/serve/251008/1224982012.jpg
http://rapidshare.com/files/157739670/1.jpg.html

In addition to restore, he wants me make an image with only the couple, cut the kids around, will be a difficult task to rebuild the man's clothes.
This photo is 130 years old.

Second picture:

http://www.upload3r.com/serve/251008/1224982636.jpg
http://rapidshare.com/files/157743371/2.jpg.html

The second picture will be easier, I just make a few retouches, and maybe put a color!

This photo is a curiosity, the person who is more the right, is the last child of the family, he was not yet born on the day of the photo, and decades later, my grandfather asked him to put in the picture.
This photo has 90 years.

I will be using Photoshop CS4 during this work.
I will be posting the partial result as I doing, if the staff wants to give me tips, I would be grateful, because it is the first work to restore what I do.

Sorry for my English!

[KBOOM]

Starting..

I used the Clone Stamp tool

HQ:
http://www.upload3r.com/serve/261008/1225039032.jpg
http://rapidshare.com/files/15775877...ckbig.jpg.html

[TommyO]

Kboom,
Welcome to RP by the way !
Nice pictures, and yes, they will be challenging. But, the goals are very achievable.

Since you are just starting, one word of caution. Choose your scan resolution carefully. Many times we are tempted to scan very high so we don't lose detail. However, at a very high resolution (1200 and above), you also pick up lint, fine scratches and other very fine imperfections that can eat up much of your time in the restoration. So, scan at several resolutions and see which is the best compromise.

[plugsnpixels]

Aside from the technicalities involved in doing this, you might consider the historical ramifications of creating such a hybrid family image.

I am in the middle of a big family history project myself, and rely heavily on old photos to provide information about relatives long gone. Had one of the family group photos been thus altered, it would really screw up the research.

So I would recommend that you give your grandfather the retouch he requests to enjoy, but make sure after his eventual passing that it gets destroyed.

[KBOOM]

Done!

This is my best..., anyone has any more ideas?

HQ:
http://www.upload3r.com/serve/021108/1225663641.jpg

[Mark Wilson]

What I would suggest is that you pay attention to the sharpness of any edges in the original image. The edges you have introduced are far sharper than any in the photo. Try a 2 or 3 pixel feather on your selections to soften them and create edges that match the softness of the original.