Help"unrestoreing" an image

[DigitalPhotoDoc]

Hi! I have never posted before but love this website! I have a not so normal challange and I need some help. I need to "unrestore" or distress a picture, It goes against everything I have every done. I'm usually fixing old thrashed images back to the original state. Well with this one I am trying to distress an original and duplicate the look of the picture of the man. I have figure out most of it but I can't figure out how to recreate the worn off part of the picture, mostly around the edges where it looks sanded off, if you know what I'm talking about. I have been trying for weeks and am at my wit's end. So if any of you have any tricks or suggestions I would love to know how to do it. Here are the images good luck and have fun!

[amica999]

Hello DPD :-) Welcome to RetoucPro. I hope you enjoy your visits here as much as I do! I would suggest to look for socalled grunge brushes to accomplish your aim....www.deviantart.com would be a good choice...

[DigitalPhotoDoc]

I have download a few "grunge" brushes but either I don't know how to use them or its not the look I'm going for. When I use them it is a repetitive pattern. Are you not suppose to hold the mouse down? Sorry dumb question. Thanx DPD

[0lBaldy]

How bout a simple copy N paste from the other picture then set the copied layers to Darken...!

You could even Merge those layers and save for later, or make a pattern, or your own texture from the pieces moved for later applications

BTW, I think your aging is looking pretty good!

[Mike]

The damage to an old print is usually caused by physical means. To recreate that, do physical damage to a print.

Beat on it with a board, take some sandpaper to it, throw some mud on it to stain it. Don't try to recreate the physical damage, just DO IT!!!!!!

Very satisfying at the end of a hard day.........

[DigitalPhotoDoc]

OlBaldy, I have threatened to do that very thing but I don't wont to get into an copyright issues. So I have basically been reverse engineering this whole process. To avoid that. It sure would be easier, though.

Mike, that is actually how I got allot of the aging. I scratched the yeck out of numerous sheets of acetate until I got what I was looking for plus I made masks from actual photos, I have restored, for tears and more real distressing.

I have pretty much concluded I've got to do the really thing to get the look I want plus I'm so frustrated with it I may get some real satisfaction from it.

Grand Jct, eh? I'm kind of your neighbor. I'm a Utr'd

Thanx all for your input!

DPD

[neumanns]

Try this, Take the source and run a high pass followed by gausian blur and copy that into a new layer on the destination file Rotate and scale to fit with linear light blending. Mask out whatever you do not want to show thru, like the portriat. Or is that also edging on infringment. Part of me says yes and part of me says the damage is proabably not copyrighted.

On this size image I used high pass of about 2 and gausian of .5 I think.

[DigitalPhotoDoc]

I think I finally got it. How's it look? I ended up using a number of grunge brushes over and over painting and erasing then applies a sandstone texture. I think it looks pretty good or should I say pretty trashed. I'm still going to do the board and sand paper technique when I have more time. Thank you all for the tips. I love this website!

Neumanns,
I tried the high pass method and it didn't really work. The file I'm working on is 11x16 @300dpi. I couldn't get it to look like what you submitted.

DPD

[Kraellin]

looks great

there are grunge filters out there, too. try a google. there are also a few grunge types in filter forge, but i havent really played with those yet.

you could also use masking techniques on some of that, using partial opacity, feathered masks followed by painting/airbrush brushes.

at any rate, i think you did a great job