Civil War Soldier

[JRC.]

I have an ambrotype that had been backed by a bituminous substance, which has been removed. That method was sometimes used in place of the black varnish, or the black velvet which allowed you to view the image. I can't tell if there is loss on the image and if it is the result of the bituminous being removed and taking some of the emulsion with it, or if it is actually something the soldier has inside his jacket. If it is loss, how can I repair it?

I have a second question regarding a glass negative, but think it better to do one at a time, so I will submit that question on another posting.

Thanks for any help you may give.

Regards, Joanne

[mistermonday]

Joanne, to me the color looks unnatural and would appear to be some chemical damage and not part of the uniform.There are a number of ways to repair it. One method I would try would be:
Duplicate the background layer.
With the duplicate layer active, Go Image>Apply Image and apply the Green Channel of the background layer, change the blend mode to Normal and opacity to 100%. This will give you a grayscale layer.
Change the blend mode of the layer from Normal to Luminosity.
Add a new blank layer on top and set the blend mode to color.
Sample a good dark brown color and paint over the red stains. When done you can teak the colored layer with a Hue / Sat adj .
Paint over the buttons and stripes in the same manner on that same color layer or new ones.
Regards, Murray

[JRC.]

Thank you. I printed out your suggestions. I'll let you know how I make out. I agree, the color looked odd. Thanks again. Joanne

[aartist]

Do you want to repair the original ambrotype or restore scanned image using PhotoShop?

I desaturated to zero, reduced fade, blurred then added noise to selected background. Removed scratches and spots. Added lost button. Added slight sepia.

[JRC.]

I am hoping to restore the original, but am really impressed with what you did with the copy. I am definitely going to try that if restoration of the ambrotype is not feasible. Thank you so much....he really looks good .

[Cupcake]

My try with the Civil War Soldier.

[JRC.]

Cupcake:
That is terrific. I am really amazed at what you did...
Joanne