Help with first go at restoration?

[therookie]

After doing some research, do you think i would be better off just to scan it in at 300 dpi as i am not actually getting any extra detail by scanning it in at a larger dpi... Scanning it in higher than 300 is just if i want to increase the size correct?

Should have some time to try editing it thursday or this weekend...

would i be just as ok with the 3490 or the 3590? I;m starting to have buyers remorse on spending an extra 150$! (had a good salesman talk me into it though...) :$

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....sortfilter.jsp

[therookie]

gave it a bit of a go tonight...

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4...tsstart2td.jpg

think i may cut out the bg entirely and put them somewhere else... the bg in the pic is shot anyway...

was just working on removing the cracks from their faces and bodies etc...

1hr of work so far. not close to being done yet!

[Kraellin]

hi therookie,

if you look closely (as in zoom way in on the pictures) at the first post you made and at the one you did with the new scanner, you can see the differences. and in fact, there is quite a bit more detail in the new one. zoom in on the man's face, for instance and you shld be able to see. so, i'd say your new one is doing quite a bit better than the original scanner. it's also fairly obvious that this isnt just a digital enhancing, but rather a good optical difference. only you can say whether it was worth the extra $150, though

and yes, i wouldnt use any interpolation settings on the scanner. this is just digital resizing for the most part. just use the optical settings. i also wouldnt use any 'digital enhancing' during the scan unless it's something you know actually helps. some folks here swear by things like 'digital ice', but i cant speak to that since i dont have it.

the bottom line on these things is really you. what do you see? what differences do you see? what do you think? the greatest tool you have in photography or photographic editing is you, not the camera or the editor. we sometimes forget that. what's your take on it? what's your evaluation and so on. and one of the first steps and one of the most important, is observation. observation is a skill. it can be practiced. it can be improved. and as an artist or as a technician it is one of the most important.

1hr of work so far. not close to being done yet!

heh...welcome to my world

craig

[therookie]

Thanks for the thoughts Kraellin, its true that too often i try to find the 'right' way and just need to find 'my way'.

The first scan was actually done with my brothers crap all in one epson printer scanner combo thing so i dont know what a scan with the 3490 or the 3590 would look like. I cant imagine it would be too much less so i may have to take the nice machine i got back and recapture 150 bucks...

I dont think i was using interpolation settings on the scanner, it has quite a few settings (not near it now so cant post) but doesnt anywhere say that it is interpolating stuff... I think i like 600 dpi as what to scan it in at.

And this is my first go at everything, retouching, scanning etc so its all a learning process!

Will post my final when i finish it.

[Kraellin]

therookie,

well, i've gotten totally lost as to what all the resolutions are here we're talking about and which scanner you're using, but, the differences between your first post and the one with the new scanner are fairly marked. if you can get another at a cheaper price that does the same thing, why ok. but i'd hate to give up that extra resolution you got with the new scanner.

the job you've gotten so far looks good. i look forward to the final version.

craig

[therookie]

Sorry for the confusion...

the first post is from my brothers crap scanner and the second pic i posted that was scanned was from the new one i bought but i think a scanner that is a step down would do somewhat of the same job...

Anyway, i was thinking about replacing the bg alltogether as it is blown out anyway but was curious what filter in PS i should use to recreate the texture that it has...

any ideas? Thanks!

[therookie]

Any more advice on what to do with this? Thanks!

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/543...arents39mr.jpg

(must say i love the patch tool for fixing the cracks in the white areas!!!)

[bart_hickman]

Nice work on the cracks.

-used Noise Ninja on the highlights to reduce the dirt
-adjusted color balance--more blue/cyan in highlights, more yellow/magenta in shadows--this is just something I like to do to old sepia photos.
-masked curve--darkened the baby's head slightly to give it contrast
-smart sharpen--fade highlights to prevent halos.

Bart

[therookie]

thanks Bart! did you see my final result? the printed version didnt come out well but oh well.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/photo-restoration/13505-final-results-my-great-grandparents-pic.html