Photo for my grandmother: What did I do wrong?

[timmy1729]

Hello everyone!

Since my grandmother isn't doing so well and her birthday is next Friday, I thought something that she might like would be a photo of her from a long time ago that she probably forgot about. It might get extra brownie points since I retouched it myself. It's already on the plane to Michigan with my mother. But, just for future reference, I need help seeing what I did wrong here. I am satisfied with my skin retouching. What I'm not happy with is the hair being overdone somehow. But I don't know what I did to cause the hair to be like that. I need to know so I don't do it again and I can retouch the hair properly in the future. So, can anyone help me out and tell me what could've caused this and how to keep hair smooth(er) in the future?

Oh, BTW, the original was not much bigger than the top half of your thumb. So, I scanned it at 4800dpi so I would have plenty of information in the image to work with. Probably not a smart idea, but live and learn

[learninlady]

pspx2
I did a fade correction
neat image
black and white film
contrast/brighten
digital noise removal

Theres a few other clean ups to do, but this can give you an idea.

[learninlady]

Thought color might help.

[timmy1729]

Thanks for checking it out! I probably just try to do too much. Your retouch of it looks great and was simple. Good job!

[learninlady]

For myself I tend to over do things. Thats when I have to force myself to keep it simple. The least steps the better.

[TommyO]

Timmy,
It's hard to say what you did without seeing your workflow or history. I don't think you over did the hair, but there are some funny contrasts in there that are noticeable. I do like Kate's version, and you should examine it and maybe try to duplicate some of her end results, contrast, etc. The best way to learn is to try it again, now that you have some intimate knowledge of the image. You may not want to work on every little part, but go through all the steps and be sure you know how to improve upon your original workflow.

I would also agree that the image did not need a lot of work. Mainly cropping, levels, a little selective adjustments with some masks, a small bit of fixing defects... that's about it. There was not much wrong with the original texture, as it reflects the era nicely. The retouched face/skin is a bit too smooth for me; again, take a look at Kate's.

Either way, I'm sure your grandmother appreciates it and your efforts very much. To her, it's not the end result, but rather the fact that you did it and she has a picture to share with others.

[timmy1729]

Hey Tommy,
Yeah, she loved it. My mother said that she wouldn't stop talking about it and she had to tell and show everyone what her grandson did for her :-)

Quality work or not, since it gave her such joy, it was time well spent.

[learninlady]

Originally Posted by timmy1729

Hey Tommy,
Yeah, she loved it. My mother said that she wouldn't stop talking about it and she had to tell and show everyone what her grandson did for her :-)

Quality work or not, since it gave her such joy, it was time well spent.

Thats is so nice isnt it? I do work for my Mom and her friends, and they enjoy it so much that there isnt any room for money, their smiles are payment enough.

[Cupcake]

I'm happy that she liked your picture.

I added some color to it also.