Dont know were to start?

[David M]

Hi all,
well I was given this photo to work on, but I really dont know were to start ,I cant figure out how to post it in the challanges section,so if someone could point me in the right direction?
I think you have to upload them to Doug?
Where do I do that?

[daveinnola]

what a nice picture , the only trouble i see with it is the instermatic , that took it , its a easy clean up but when you get to the enlargerment side you might hit a rock or a hard place , myself (self taught ) would crop the white border first , then work my way in from the border ,

[David M]

I know my way around the levels ajustment.
Healing,clonning etc...
But how do I replace missing parts of the image like the little girls leg?
I took a photo of my own girls leg and copied it into the photo,,but I just coudnt get it to look right,can any one talk me through it?
Also I still dont know how to post new challanges.

[mistermonday]

Hi David,
I would begin with the a crop and straighten. Next duplicate the layer and change its blend mode to multiply and back down the opacity. This will rebuild some of the density. Then a simple increase in the level of the green channel will balance the excess Red and Blue. Or a Hue Sat adjustment or a number of other methods to balance the color will work. Fix or replace the sky. From there the clone stamp and patch tools can go to work on the restoration.
For the foot, you can try to clone the right one and reposition it or you can try to find a foot from another image and patch it in. In order for it to look realistic you may need to replace both feet.
BTW, your image is pretty tiny. Hopefully you have a high res scan to work from.

Regards, Murray

[daveinnola]

ah a nice irish sky , now this is my rock and a hard place , the color on the faces look like they come from a 50,s postcard , i know your going beyond the camera ,s range with this one , but i sure would like to learn the next level , as reguards color and focus

[Daviskw]

Hi there

Thought I would give it a try as well. Nothing fancy.. lots of clone and heal. And a levels adjustment. I did add a sky and matched the water reflection to the sky color...sort of...lol

Butch

[mistermonday]

Excellent job Butch!
Regards, Murray

[David M]

Super job daviskw!
Any chance of a breakdown of how you got the photo to that level?
Also how do I upload it to the photo challanges section?
Thx everyone for taking the time and effort.
It`s the level ajustment I`m intrested in,my levels look no were near as good.

[Daviskw]

Hi David

If you just check each channel and move the black, white point sliders to the beginning of the tails on the histogram, you will get close. To me this often leaves the color a little blue. However it is most likely the correct color.

Just as a personal preference I like the color just a little warmer. To achieve this I try and find a gray point in the photo. One way to do this is to make a duplicate of the background. Fill the layer with 50 Percent gray. Set the layer mode to Difference. Then open a threshold layer above and move the slider all the way to the left. Then I move the slider to the right until I just see black. That is the mid color location in the photo and will often be the area to click on with the gray slider. Now I delete the threshold and the difference layers but make note of the indicated location.

If there is any doubt where the white and black points are I either use threshold to locate them or in levels I hold the Alt key as I move the black and white sliders watching the color indicators of clipping.

After I set the white and black points I will use the gray eyedropper and click around the area I found with the difference layer. The first click will not always give you the desired results, move the eyedropper and click around until you get the color close. Then a gamma adjustment and or a Color Balance layer to finish off.

The sky was easy to replace, I just made a loose selection not worrying about getting too close to the telephone pole and tree/house line. I stayed away from them then applied a heavy feather to the selection. Then I inserted a new sky and adjusted the levels to match. I sampled a small area of sky and on a blank layer set to color I painted the water.

There was enough info to clone shoes and legs… at least at the provided resolution. Needed to add a shadow under the man, which was dark gray on a blank layer set to multiply with a little blur.

The rest was clone and heal.


I am afraid I do not know how or where to post a challenge photo but I am sure someone will help you there.

Butch

[Flora]

Hi,

great Job Murray!

Excellent job Butch!

David,

Also I still dont know how to post new challanges.

For entering your picture as a 'Challenge' you should send it to Doug (dnelson@retouchpro.com) .... even better ... contact him before for info on size and resolution ....

[David M]

Thx flora for the info..