Is there hope and where do I start?

[chzuck]

This is a photo of my brothers and myself that I would like to touch up. Is it possible to fix this photo and if so, where do I start? I have just started working with PhotoShop Elements 3.0 and have worked with PhotoDeluxe Home Edition in the past.
My brothers and I plan on reshooting this pose next month at a tractor show and it would be nice to have a better version of the original for comparison.

[JohnnyL]

This could just be my opinion, but it looks to me that the original image is out of focus or almost as if the lens was dirty. If this is actually what the picture looks like prior to scanning, you may not have much luck.

[chzuck]

I was afraid that might be the case. The photo is not sharp and is small at approximately 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

[lurch]

If you have access to the original, scan it at a bit depth of 16/channel and a resolution of about 1800 dpi or greater. It won't make the focus any better, but will give you enough information to make it as good as you can.

[chzuck]

OK, I will give it a try. Current scan is only 8/channel and 1200 dpi.

[0lBaldy]

Re-scan in color with everything auto turned off... contrast, dust/scratch. color corrections, etc... all off

Leveled, curves, sharpened, shadow/highlight adjustments

[chzuck]

OlBaldy,
Thanks for your suggestions. I will give them a try. At least I can clean out the "blisters" that I see on the photo when I greatly enlarge it.
What resolution and bit depth would you recommend?

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by chzuck

OlBaldy,
Thanks for your suggestions. I will give them a try. At least I can clean out the "blisters" that I see on the photo when I greatly enlarge it.
What resolution and bit depth would you recommend?

Answer:

Originally Posted by lurch

If you have access to the original, scan it at a bit depth of 16/channel and a resolution of about 1800 dpi or greater. It won't make the focus any better, but will give you enough information to make it as good as you can.

Scan at a high resolution in color with all adjustments turned off. Even if it is a B/W or Grayscale picture, it is better to scan in color since the color channels may contain details that might otherwise get lost. The reason for such a high resolution is you may want to print larger and also you want to be able to see the damage at pixel level to make repairs. Extra information can sometimes be the difference between seeing how to do a repair rather than having to guess at it. When the repairs are done you can downsize to 300 dpi at print size and save.

Are the "Blisters" paper texture?
If so then the FFT filter might be appropriate... I find that the Fast Fourier Transform included in Image Analyzer 1.31 (Freeware for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7) is easier than the normal FFT or RGB-FFT filters..
Operations>Filters>Frequency domain filter (paint out light stars/spots) change pen size to just cover spots, use the View Scale to find more spots... when finished click OK.. save image... load into Photoshop to finish any other repairs..
If not.... forget I said anything!!!

[chzuck]

Thanks for your suggestions. Downloaded Image Analyzer and will give it a try. I think the blisters are little bumps in the actual paper.