Tough image... for me.

[imann08]

This was quite a tough image for me. I have a tough time knowing where that line is of retaining original texture and blurring too much. I paid close attention to that in this one but still don't think I got it right. I was looking to see what some of you would do with such an image. It's got bad stain damage and that finger print in the bottom right was difficult. I ended up using the patch tool for the entire door. Anyways, I know this is far from perfect or even good so I didn't want to put it in the critique forum and get blasted for it but I will take some criticism or helpful advice though. I am interested to see what you would do with the same image. I tried many many different ways with it and this is where I got.

[Vikki]

I think you're doing an excellent job so far.
The contrast is just a tiny bit strong (noticed in her hair).

[imann08]

Vikki,

Thanks for the reply. Would you be kind enough to mention areas you think still need more work? I tend to miss the obvious from time to time. There will be areas that I am aware of but others that I may not be noticing.

I did notice the high contrast after I printed it out myself but it's good to hear that anyways.

What do you think about what I did with the door? I used the patch tool to fix it but am not quite sure if it was the best way to go about it. It was so messed up in the original that I really just took a guess at it. I've never worked on an image this messed up before.

Finally, what do you think about the light splotch above the tv? I was having difficulty removing that properly. I ended up using an overlay gray layer to darken it. I did this with the other lighter stained areas of the image like the top of the picture and her face. I know I could have used the dodge and blur tool but I don't like using "work in progress" layers as it limits my ability to alter layers lower in the layer palette if I change my mind about them later.

Thanks a bunch once again.

[Kraellin]

like vikki, i think it's a pretty good job also. only thing i really noticed was a bit of cloning marks on the background panels. other than that i was quite impressed.

craig

[Vikki]

Looking at the size posted, the door looks OK to me.
There are quite a few light/dark blotches in the image, and I assume this is work still in progress.
I would use a layer filled with gray, and set to 50% soft light, to paint the blotches. I recommend a seperate layer to lighten, and then another to darken (adjusting brush opacity as needed). Additionally, a layer mask can be used to fine tune these layers.

[blue dog]

Here's a quick fix for the TV screen. I used the polygon tool to select the screen. Copy and paste to a new levels layer. Slide the grey slider towards tthe black untilyou get a consistent color. Then select the output High slider and adjust to the depth of grey that you want. Mine still needs a touch up pass.

[imann08]

Craig: Thanks a lot. Appreciate the compliment. What you are noticing is the difficulty I had at getting everything the same tone. It is rather obvious where I was working.

Vikki: Thanks for the little tips. These are all things that I know but when I'm confronted with an image that is giving me trouble, I often forget some of the more simple methods of going about things. For instance, if I was willing to use an overlay gray layer, why didn't I try soft light as well? Stupid stuff like that. Separating light and dark corrections is also a great thing to do but again, I wasn't thinking. I haven't established a base workflow for myself which is probably 75% of the cause of this. Granted every image will need different methods or approaches but all images of a certain type will need to have certain things done and then a whole list of things to automatically consider.

I hope to hear from others here and then will most likely start from the beginning so that it will be a bit more organized and layered properly.

[palomino]

I agree with the previous posters comments, especially Vikki....but I think overall it looks good. Keep in mind when doing restorations like this for people that the main thing they will look at is the person (or people) in the image....so the background is just that...background. It is always nice to get is as "perfect" as possible, but what you have already done so far would make the owner of the photo happy and is probably well beyond what they thought could be salvaged from it. I never hesitate to borrow parts from another photo in these restoration jobs either...You could even borrow a door or some wood grain from another photo. I have used hair, skin, etc to fill in the parts of an image that are just too far gone (moldy, torn, blown out).

Good luck! and nice looking work so far.

-Kate

[imann08]

Palomino,
Thankfully, this is just being done for practice. It's a photo of a friend of my mothers. I must say that room looked much better years later when I was sitting in it. LOL

I understand that the most important area is the individual and was actually trying to take that into consideration when I did it although it may not be apparent in what I ended up with. I know I gave one try where I had the background blurred more heavily but then took it out.

I strongly considered bringing in things from other images or, more specifically, some wood grain that I have for the door but didn't do it. I had this fear of the cut and paste look.

The main thing that bothers me in the girl is the shirt she's wearing. Can't seem to get any definition in it at all.

Blue Dog,
Thanks for the tip however I think that it looks a bit painted in. I think that at least some of that is reflection that should be there if not all of it. Most of it is damage.

[palomino]

yeah-- the shirt is a bummer...it looks blown out in the orig. too. Not much can be done to bring back detail that doesn't exist. I agree about the TV-- it has to have some kind of reflection in it.

-K

[Kraellin]

imann,

i think palomino stated my sentiments perfectly when i first looked at your fixed image:

It is always nice to get is as "perfect" as possible, but what you have already done so far would make the owner of the photo happy and is probably well beyond what they thought could be salvaged from it.

and that's what i thought when i first looked at this and "why is he posting this as a help with restoration thread? and why is he upbraiding himself so much here; he's done a good job?"

it's always a bit of a trick trying to reach 'perfection'. trust me, it doesnt exist except as an impossible standard in our own minds. notice my sig: 'the only absolute is that there are no absolutes'. 'perfection' is an absolute. 'good' is achievable. 'great' and 'excellent' are desired. i think you're somewhere just short of 'great', but above 'good' on this one. 80% of your potential clients are going to be quite happy with 'good' and that other 20% are the difficult ones that are never happy with anything

craig

[imann08]

Craig,
Like most people I'm tougher on myself than on others. Much tougher. I also see what many of the more experienced people on this board do and automatically think that whatever I do will fall short of that.

That having been said, I very much agree with what you have said. I suppose that what I want is not perfection, but the best that is reasonably available. If I am missing a method that would better achieve what I am trying to fix then I want to know about it. I understand that perfection cant be achieved but wanting to get it done the best way is another issue.

I am quite surprised at the generally good things that people have said about what I have done with this mess so far. I really wasn't expecting it. It had a lot to do with how much difficulty I was having on some of the areas. Based on what I have done and the response, it makes me feel really good. Getting the approval from people like you and vikki and flora is important to me because I respect their/your work.

[Kraellin]

I suppose that what I want is not perfection, but the best that is reasonably available.

and that's a good goal.

I am quite surprised at the generally good things that people have said about what I have done with this mess so far.

here's a little exercise you can do. take your original picture and put your posted picture over it as a new layer. then simply turn the worked on piece layer on and off and simply look. do this fairly quickly and look for what is right about your work. forget what is wrong, just look for what you did right. and then grant yourself a little admiration

another little thing you can do is print the finished image. a 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 is fine. put it somewhere a couple feet away from you. now, turn it upside down and just look at it. then decide if it's done or not done. then go from there with whatever is appropriate.

craig