Quickest way to fix flakey photo?

[macca2009]

Hi, i'm repairing this photo for a friend.

Does anyone know of a quick way to repair all the flakey white areas and get a good result???

I tried burning the highlights with burn tool set on highlights but didn't get the best result.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[TommyO]

Originally Posted by macca2009

Does anyone know of a quick way...

Not a quick way. However, you did not post a color scan. Sometimes, scanning a black & white in color reveals subtle differences in the color channels that can be exploited to make the restoration easier.

There have been similar threads in the past dealing with white speckles within images. You would just have to examine a few of those to see if the results are what you're looking for, and what technique was used.

Just do an advanced search, only within the restoration forum. Here is one example.... link

[macca2009]

Hi Tommy

I did check the channels before desaturating it and the white specks were very similar in each channel. I will do a search as you suggested, Thanks

[sponge03]

Have you tried painting over the white areas, then trying different blend modes to see if it blends in?

[Cupcake]

Duplicate your layer,
make the picture RGB.
Use Photo-Shop noise remover at its highest level 12, 0, 0,and 0.
turn that layer to overlay.
Then use the selective color white, black and neutral to get it the way you like.

Touch up the sky with the color of the sky.
Less then 5 min.

[philbach]

Well another way if you just want to get rid of white spots is to copy the layer and use darken as your blending mode. Next blur that layer using a filter like dust and scratches. To the same layer add a black layer mask to hide the blurred layer and then paint white in the mask to reveal the layer and eliminate the spots.

Another option which didn't work here is to copy the layer using darken blending mode and then select the move tool and click the up arrow once and the right arrow once.

[macca2009]

Hi Cupcake

Its mainly the white specks on the grass and house i'm wanting to fix where the detail has flaked off.

Philbach, i will try your method now.

I have uploaded an rgb version of the photo if that helps.

Thanks

[0lBaldy]

Not a quick process...
copy background, ...
dust and scratch filter @ 3,.. hide all mask,.. paint with white... a million clicks later.
Polaroid scratch and dust filter set to light... hide all mask,.. paint with white... a half million clicks later.
Polaroid scratch and dust filter set to dark... hide all mask,.. paint with white... a quarter million clicks later.
blurred sky
Polaroid scratch and dust filter set to light...(just for clean-up),.. hide all mask,.. paint with white... a few clicks later.
Desaturated
levels

Some noise or grain should probably be added to the blury grassy areas

[macca2009]

A lot of clicks there OlBaldy....I will give it a go.

Thanks

[Kraellin]

i looked at the original and immediately thought clone. so, that's what i did on most of this. when i got the bulk of it done, i went over it with push and a bit of airbrush here and there. the lawn was a bit too smooth after the cloning so i turned off all layers inbetween the top layer with all the work on it and the original background layer. i then went over the lawn with eraser set at about 2%. this brought back just enough of the original layer to bring some texture back to it. i then cloned and pushed over that a bit to blend things in nicely. oh, and i also used a little burn to darken some of the big tree in the upper branches.

after all of the cleanup, i used fade correction and clarify to change the lighting and contrast a bit, bringing out the detail a bit more.

all in all this took a few hours to complete. it's a good pic but would have been even better at a higher resolution. the only real difficulty i had here was the lack of resolution. it's decent as is, but a higher res would have made things a bit easier.

[macca2009]

Hey nice work Kraellin, its come up really good.

Thank you for everyones input, all very helpful

[Southbay]

Originally Posted by Kraellin

...oh, and i also used a little burn to darken some of the big tree in the upper branches...

Nice job – and on the large shrub to the right. As first look, I'd have thought the top of the large tree was gone forever.

[Kraellin]

thanks, macca. i love these old black and whites

thanks, southbay. yes, i had to cheat with the top of that tree a bit... clone, clone, clone

[MiningArt]

This was an interesting effect, so thought I would post it. Made 4 copies all darken mode. 1 pixel to the right, 1 pixel down, 1 pixel to the left, 1 pixel up. Most of the bright white spots are gone and the detail is fair. The roof area could use some more work, the trees and bushes came out a bit.

[chepegarrobo]

these what i did in paint shop pro x2
salt adn pepper: 3 - 5
fade correction: 25
Clarify: 3.6
http://picasaweb.google.com/chepegar...74395816724786

http://picasaweb.google.com/chepegar...74396353787698