How to remove red spots

[Gerald McClaren]

I would like to know how to remove these red spots from this photo. I had tried the channel method but I wasn't successful. I had opened the channel pallette and choose the green channel because it has more contrast. I do not know how to pick the green channel and turn it back into a color channel. I had tried this method a long time ago and never get the hang of doing it properly. I know it can become useful when a photo has defects like stains etc. It save us a lot of time from painstakingly cloning out the stains etc. Thanks for your help.


Gerald Sr.

[Graphics23]

The stains, being red, are most visible on the Red Channel. This is were we make our repairs. There are other things we can do to improve this picture, but this should get you started.

I agree, the Green Channel offers the best detail to help us fix the Red.

Copy the Background layer to a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd J).

Select the Red Channel (Ctrl/Cmd 1) to make it active, then hit the Tilde key ~ (top left on your keyboard) so you can view the composite image.

Go to Image>Apply Image. Source will default to the image we're working on. Change Layer to Background, Channel to Green, Blending to Normal, Opacity to 100%. This will remove most of the stains but will also change the overall color. Make sure the Preview checkbox is checked so you can see the change.

Now let's do another channel blend to help the Blue Channel.

Select the Blue Channel (Ctrl/Cmd 3). Go to Image>Apply Image. Change Layer to Background, Channel to Green, Blending to Add, Opacity to around 30%. I liked 30%, but feel free to adjust to taste.

There you go. Two quick channel blends and you've jump started your repair considerably!

Have fun,

Michael

[Gerald McClaren]

Thanks Graphic23, I'll try your method and see how it comes out. I appreaciate your help.

Gerald McClaren

[Gerald McClaren]

I noticed that all of the red spots are all gone, nicely done. How would I bring the photo back to its original color?.

Gerald McClaren

[DCobb]

This is my try.

-Cloning
-healing brush
-Historybrush (lighten-darken) after doing dust and scratches
-burn and dodge tool
-third party filter to air-brush the photo
-Not perfect,but improved.

dc

[BobJones]

I tried a different approach. 1. remove color cast and adjust levels. 2. add a new layer in color mode. Sample color near red areas and paint over red areas. 3. add new layer in soft light blending mode filled with neutral color. Paint using black or white at 18% opacity to dodge/burn to balance tonal differences where the red areas were. 4. used clone and/or healing brush to fix some defects. 5. There was motion blur so merged layers and applied smart sharpen to compensate slightly. 6 . reduce noise. 7. staightened and cropped.

It still needs quite a bit of work to clean up. Color balance could possibly be touched up a tad. Also, fixing the catch lights in the eyes would help give the illusion that it's sharper. But, you get the idea.

[Graphics23]

Originally Posted by Gerald McClaren

I noticed that all of the red spots are all gone, nicely done. How would I bring the photo back to its original color?.

Gerald McClaren

Arrrr, so ye wants to have yer cake an' eats it too? Well, since it was I what got ya inter these murky shoals, I guess I be honor bound t' plot ya a course fer safer waters. Arrrr.

(Pirate mode off)

My initial post was aimed solely at getting you started with channel blending, an art form which requires a certain predilection for experimentation. Let's see if we can't do a better job this time around by trying some variations on the theme.

Let's return to our original image (you do still have the original, right?). We setup our blend just as we did before; copy the background layer (Ctrl/Cmd J), make the Red channel active (Ctrl/Cmd 1), display the composite image (Tilde Key ~).

In our first example we blended the Green channel into the Red using Normal mode at 100%, which completely replaced the Red channel with the Green. While this move did a marvelous job of removing the red stains, it had the unfortunate effect of sending our image towards gray. This time let's choose Pin Light. Now we get to keep our color but still strike a strong blow at the red stains. They're not completely gone, but we're in much better shape. See attachment 1.

Let's see if we can't hit the stains again. Setup just as before, but now blend the green into the red using Normal mode at 100%. To confine the effects of this blend check the Mask checkbox, set Image to the working image and channel to Blue. This will prevent the blend from making our reds too gray but still reduce the stains. See attachment 2.

I specifically neglected to address the color cast in my last post. Let's do so now.

I don't know what color the coats should be. Clearly they're yellow, but what shade of yellow? Likewise, I don't know what color the walls are. They could be a cream color, but maybe not. But there is one thing in this image that we can count on, the hair should not be a yellowish red.

Using the Eyedropper tool on various parts of the hair reveals that red values average twice the green, which in turn are typically twice the blue. Not good. So we create a curves adjustment layer, and in the three-quartertone we lower the red and raise the blue. See attachment 3.

At this point there's still quite a bit to be done. Using the green channel we could do a luminosity blend to boost contrast, not to mention all the cloning and healing that's left. Then there's local contrast adjustments, noise reduction, and sharpening. But those are subjects for another time.

(Pirate mode on)

Arrrr, so there ye be, me hearty! Back on course with smooth sailin' ahead!

Fair winds,

Cap'n MadEye (aka Michael)

[Gerald McClaren]

I have the original Graphics23. DCobb, thanks for your input and time, the photo came out very, very good. You didn't explained in detail what you had done, I'll try and follow your method. BobJones, thanks for your input and help, I'll try your method also. Graphics23, I really appreaciated your time and expertise in helping me. I'll put all this information together and work on this photo and I'll let you guys know how it came out. Thanks again gentlemen.


Gerald McClaren

[chillin]

I replaced the red channel with green & used channels mixer

[philbach]

Well many of the artifacts weren't red. So the usual tools like the spot healing brush worked fine. For the red areas what I did was select the red channel in the channels palette and view the RGB channel and then used the burn tool on the red channel while viewing the RGB channel that seemed to work fine.

Unfortunately I'm unable to upload the corrected photo for some reason.

[Gerald McClaren]

I had successfully restored the photo and it came out very well. The last time I tried to show a photo that I had restored and was told not to show the same photo twice. How can I show this photo that I had restored without mentioning the same subject? I thanked everyone for their help, time, and expertise.

Gerald McClaren

[chillin]

Edit your post & include a link to Image Shack or Photobucket

[philbach]

Gerald just change the name of the photo you restored. Since that would be a different photo.

[Kraellin]

gerald, you can certainly show a before and after. nothing wrong with that. you've already got the before posted, so showing the after is perfectly fine.

[toe]

Graphic23, I'm new here and very new to photoshop and after reading your last few post's, I'm absolutely amazed! I,m kind of at that point you said in another post where i looked at the channel thing and though that looks pretty!
Anyway i would LOVE to see what you could do with the restoration challenge 79, it has a lot of yellow dots on it but in good nick other than that, I tried to do what you have been talking about, but like a Neanderthal!

I thought all these spots are the same color, You've got to be able to get rid of them some how, My attempt turned out "black and black" through contrasting.

I'll have to get that book on the subject that you talked about and have another swing at it with your methods.

Again I'm amazed, I don't even know what your talking about "yet".

[Kraellin]

but in good nick other than that,

in good nick? what does 'nick' mean here?

[toe]

Sorry mate, Aussie here, It means good condition, Sometimes i forget you guys mite not know what the hell im talking about, I'll try and be clearer in future, Did'nt mean any offence.

[Kraellin]

no offense taken. i just want to understand. no reason i cant learn a new language

and if i havent said it before, welcome to RP.

[toe]

Ha ha. Oh good then consider me your guide to Aussie slang, Unintentionally, just cant help typing the way i talk, Will try to keep it under control though.

and thanks for the welcome.

[Graphics23]

Originally Posted by toe

Graphic23, I'm new here and very new to photoshop and after reading your last few post's, I'm absolutely amazed!

Thank you, that's very nice of you to say.

I'm new here as well, but I'm not exactly new to Photoshop.

Originally Posted by toe

I,m kind of at that point you said in another post where i looked at the channel thing and though that looks pretty!

Just about everything done in Photoshop - Blurring, Color adjustments, Sharpening, even making a simple marque selection - is done to and with channels. About the only things that don't involve channels are the type and paths features.

For anyone using Photoshop, a thorough knowledge of channels and how to manipulate them is invaluable.

Originally Posted by toe

Anyway i would LOVE to see what you could do with the restoration challenge 79, it has a lot of yellow dots on it but in good nick other than that, I tried to do what you have been talking about, but like a Neanderthal!

If you're referring to the channel blending moves I used in some of my posts, they may not work very well in this example. The image is a B&W which has been yellowed with age and scanned in RGB. The real power of channel blending comes from working with full color images. There does appear to be a little more detail in the Blue channel than either the Red or Green. I might try using a Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer, set to Monochrome, then emphasize the Blue channel and reduce the Red.

What I would most likely try first is to create a mask to isolate the worst of the damage. To do so I would convert to LAB and use the B channel to create the mask. Then probably use the Clone Stamp tool to repair most of the damage. I would follow up by adjusting contrast both overall and locally, then see if I couldn't coax some detail out with some judicious sharpening moves. Finally, I would convert to Duotone.

Originally Posted by toe

I thought all these spots are the same color, You've got to be able to get rid of them some how, My attempt turned out "black and black" through contrasting.

You have the right idea. Unfortunately, the damage exists in all three channels. So blending moves would not be able to reveal any hidden detail. That's the essence of channel blending, taking detail from one channel to enhance or repair detail in another.

Originally Posted by toe

I'll have to get that book on the subject that you talked about and have another swing at it with your methods.

I'm sure you're referring to books by Dan Margulis. I highly recommend you start with Photoshop LAB Color. Another author I like is Katrin Eismann. She has a book that is specific to restoration and retouching. Both authors require a certain dedication from their readers, but with your enthusiasm I'm sure you'll do fine.

Originally Posted by toe

Again I'm amazed, I don't even know what your talking about "yet".

And again, thank you.

Understanding will come with perseverance and time. One topic which supports my channel skills is color theory. Check out Wikipedia for starters. Then read the articles here:

http://www.worqx.com/color/index.htm

I'm always willing to answer questions, so don't be shy. And judging from your posts, that's a trait from which you don't appear to suffer.

Regards,

Michael

[toe]

Michael,
Thanks for taking the time to reply, and thank you for the book and web reference I'll look into it, Although photoshop for dummies might be even more appropriate at this stage, They do say to post your skill level, think i pretty much achieved that the first time i opened my mouth.
A big thing for me too is knowing what your looking at, Some of the threads I've seen in here, You more experienced people pull apart photos to the smallest degree, Just comes with reading what others have to say again i suppose.
It is very frustrating seeing a photo like that though and knowing that once you're done with brute force it isn't going to be the same picture anymore.
Anyway it's "more reading" less typing for me it seems, and that offer to ask questions might have been a mistake, ha ha

[Kraellin]

Ha ha. Oh good then consider me your guide to Aussie slang,

well, as long as you dont try to explain rugby to me, we'll get along fine. i used to work with a couple aussie blokes and made the mistake of asking them to explain it to me. lol. i never got past 'scrum'.

[Gerald McClaren]

Philbach and Kraellin thanks for in how to show a before and after, but how can I show them side by side?

Gerald McClaren

[Kraellin]

gerald,

there are two ways to do it, though this first will only show the thumbs side by side... when you export your image to retouchpro here, simply add another image after the first one, but do it in the same post. each post can have five images within it, like graphics23's post above.

or, you can do it in psp/ps by stretching your canvas and then placing a 2nd image in the new blank area of the image. or, you could make a new blank image that is the size of both images combined and add both images onto the blank and save it that way.

[HroadhogD1]

I tried something different. All I did was use the spot healing brush, cleaned up the picture a little bit, and used a curves adjustment. Then I used noiseware to get rid of some of the noise.

[maginp]

See my post about inpainting,
you can try the tool, I managed to remove most spots and defects