Restoring challenge! Please help!

[superkoax]

Well, I'm new to the restoring peice! But not to retouching! Have zero experience with this type of PS work!

It's afamily picture froma friend of mine, this is going to be a brithday present for the dad(guy in the middle). The pictures is around 22-23 years old!
This picture has been in a frame and the sun has set it's mark on it!

This picture needs a full touchup(remove ring, right colours etc! I have tried, but failed! Yes, I admit it! I'm not perfect! Therefor I turned my eyes to the restoring guys at RP.COM!

can you help?


LINKLINKLINKLINKLINKLINKLINKLINKLINK:

http://download.yousendit.com/4C59449776F6B609

Cheers!

Gerry

[superkoax]

please download the picture from the link and post the final result with a link! Really would liek to get the picture as big as possible! Thanks!

Gerry

[Littlecoo]

This is what I have so far. I don't really have a specific workflow here and most likely will change what I'm doing now. For now I have just cleaned up a bit of the dust, marks etc. Working with adjustment layers and masks, tweaking around with this and that, not so much as to get the colour right but just to get the centre of the image as close as I can match to the rest of the image.

[chillin]

I went in a different direction. I tried to match the outside of the circle to the center section, but that way I didn't get nice colors like Littlecoo.

[dianajenna]

Wellll, here's my attempt. I've been wanting to try one of these challenges, so hope it looks ok.

Diana

[Dave.Cox]

Here's my go at this. Not perfect, but not too bad for a rush job.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...GXUBSXcopy.jpg

[Kraellin]

this is one of those that Flora was really good at. i'd suggest looking up some of her posts for more help.

i gave it a shot, nonetheless.

the first problem was the lighter inner circle. i selected that area and inverted the selection. i ran a hue/sat on that to get the areas more closely matched and then did a bit of clone to remove the transient ring between the two areas.

i also selected out several areas for special treatment, the lower left skin areas, the baby's arm and leg and the guy's face. i treated each of those separately with various adjustment layers.

when i had all the separate areas looking better, i did some global adjustments for balance and color.

i then ran a digital camera noise removal on all.

then just a tiny bit of spot cloning and airbrush to fix a few small specks.

[superkoax]

I had a crack at it! Was pleased with the result here...What do you guys think? is it ok?


Gerry

[Cameraken]

Hi Gerry.

Here is my attempt. Just ask if you would like the large version.

Ken.

[Daviskw]

Hi there

Here is my attempt as well... I used a selection and a couple of color samples as I reduced the sun damage.

Butch

[Caitlin]

I've been away for these forums, and Photoshop, for about a year for various reasons, but tonight thought I'd stick my head back in.

I've very rusty, but thought I'd give this a go!

A lot of mucking around, as I was trying to remember techniques I've totally forgotten as I went. First off copied the green to the blue layer which seemed a bit damaged. Not sure if this was a good idea or not, as I then had to manipulate it to get the blues back. Did a few adjustments curves etc on the central circle with a feathered edge and some healing on the edges I missed, a lot of small healing spots, and clone set to colour to even out the colours, and a separate brightness adjustment on the dad's face. A bit of noise reduction, and light USM.

[Kraellin]

excellent job, ken!

welcome home, caitlin

[Daviskw]

Hi Craig

I hope you and Ken can help me... I have a new Vista system and it is giving me fits. I am waiting for X-rite to write a vista driver for my EZ color hard and software.

Until then I have to depend on the factory settings for my LCD display... I can't use adobe gamme on it so until they write a driver..that works.... I'm out of luck.

On my monitor Kens picture looks like it still has a red or magenta caste. Am I wrong?... To me mine is slightly yellow... is that the way you see them?

Butch

[Kraellin]

hi butch,

ken's on my monitor looks pinkish, and slightly magenta-ish where yours seems like the kids have a bit of orange-ish sunburn. and caitlin's falls somewhat inbetween both of yours, though a bit darker than ken's. so, ken's kids there seem more real to me with the pinkish tints, though it could stand a slight usm to sharpen it a bit.

while you're waiting for your hard and software, you might try one of the online color calibrators. they can be pretty good.

[Daviskw]

Thanks for the info craig... sure wish I had the option to stay with XP until the bugs were ironed out of Vista.. oh well nothing to do but carry on.

Sorry Gerry didn't mean to hijack the thread with a Vista rant.

Butch

[Cameraken]

Hi Butch.

If you can't trust your monitor then the numbers never lie.

I converted both our images to CMYK and blurred them (r3). Then I took three samples
1) From Baby's forehead
2) From Gerry's forehead
3) From Boys Chest

Butch 1 2 3 Av
C 26 35 24 28
M 44 52 46 47
Y 56 62 56 58

Ken 1 2 3 Av
C 20 23 17 20
M 41 44 35 40
Y 31 38 26 32

An average Caucasian should be around C-15%-17%; M-32%-38%; Y-53%-55%;
K-0% (You can ignore the black as it doesn't contribute to colour)
(Babies have less Cyan)
or
Magenta gives the main colour of the skin
Cyan = Magenta - (8 to 20)%
Yellow = Magenta + (17 to 35)%

So all this theory means Craig is correct. Butch's picture has too much yellow and mine is lacking some yellow. However I think they are both within the limits and both acceptable.
In an old picture like this a yellow cast is acceptable and gives an "older feeling".
Craig was also correct about my sharpening (or lack of it)


Ken.

[Kraellin]

thanks, ken.

i only wish psp worked in cmyk.

[mick1155]

I tried to focus on the subjects and not the background, so here's my attempt so far

[Kraellin]

hi mick1155 and welcome to RP.

nice job. a bit dark and the edges around the heads need softening. the children's skins are also a bit orangish-yellowish, which generally isnt natural for young children.

[Caitlin]

Hi mick1155,

You need to be very careful when cutting people out of a background. You've lost a bit of the baby's head.

[unimatrix001]

here is my attempt at this photo.
switched to cmyk reduced each color in channel mixer
used patch tool
color balance
selective color
noise reduction with noiseware
color balance again
highpass filter about 1.2
then despeckle from the noise menu
came up with this.
dont remember the exact settings just kept adjusting till it look good to me

[Kraellin]

unimatrix, you cleaned it up nicely, but why did you remove all the color?

[unimatrix001]

it was late and i posted the wrong file sorry about that ....

[Kraellin]

oh, ok. still a bit colorless.

[unimatrix001]

resaturated the colors some, still learning, and there is so much to learn doing restorations.

[Kraellin]

ok, that's got some color back. that's good.

now, how about all that orange-yellow? we need some pinks in those skins. (if this gets annoying, just let me know).

[unimatrix001]

Ok, one more try not sure on the color but here is a try
just a very slight difference in the two pictures, about 1 percent can just notice in the mans face

[Kraellin]

better

when's the last time you calibrated your monitor?

[unimatrix001]

i have a lcd monitor and i find it very hard to get the colors right, and the fact that color blindness runs in the family doesnt make it any easier. i guess its about time to recalibrate again