First restoration advice

[deboismenu]

Hello!
After spending some time only reading I decided to write my first post :-)
I found plenty of great examples and ideas but since I'm new to restoration I would like to ask for your advice on this photo.

I scanned it using Epson V700 and SF. Saved it in tiff and only did some minor sharpening during scanning. This copy is resized and down sampled to fit in here.

Full resolution jpg can be downloaded here: www.boismenu.com/1982-full.jpg

Theres a problem with the shadows of the heads (caused by flash angle). So no, it´s not an absurdly afro what he has ;-)
But seriously, this is the area were I'm not sure what to do.
Thank you!

[philbach]

Well I first used curves and used the "auto" button in photoshop which increased the contrast. I then copied the layer and used screen blending mode to lighten up the picture. Finally I used Neat Image to remove some noise in the photo

[deboismenu]

Thanks Philbach!

I wonder if I should try to remove the shadow of the heads on the two persons standing up? It's difficult to know where is the border between shadow and hair.

[deboismenu]

Here's my first attempt. I'm using PS CS3 and working on the original tiff scan.
I have not touch any of the shadows yet.

[chillin]

I think cutting & pasting plus warping might help.

[philbach]

It looks like the shadows are slightly to the right of the objects. So maybe shaving some hair off of their left side (Our right side) may help.

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by deboismenu

Hello!
After spending some time only reading I decided to write my first post :-)
I found plenty of great examples and ideas but since I'm new to restoration I would like to ask for your advice on this photo.

I scanned it using Epson V700 and SF. Saved it in tiff and only did some minor sharpening during scanning. This copy is resized and down sampled to fit in here.

Full resolution jpg can be downloaded here: www.boismenu.com/1982-full.jpg

Theres a problem with the shadows of the heads (caused by flash angle). So no, it´s not an absurdly afro what he has ;-)
But seriously, this is the area were I'm not sure what to do.
Thank you!

Welcome to RetouchPRO Hope you enjoy your stay here and make lots of friends. Poke around, ask questions, take part in some of the discussions, challenges, etc., offer help, have fun!

Seeing as the hair and shadows on the wall are indistinguishable I just selected, on a copied layer, about half of the hair and a portion of the wall and moved it toward the head ( the wall covered the hair/shadow on the lower layer) the other shadows I just cloned them out

[aartist]

Nice job OlBaldy!

[deboismenu]

Thank you! Very good ideas and suggestions. I'm half way but I'll upload a new version once I'm done. So far I'm using a mix of all suggestions.

Maybe this post belongs more to "Retouch" forum than "Restoration" as I will be making some retouching (that distracting bent candle!!)

[deboismenu]

Well, it's been a long time since I started this post and completed my "retouch" and never posted the final result ;-)

Here it is. The client wanted everything removed from the background and to put a recent photo of the original house...

[aartist]

I'm a little surprised at the client's want and the final results there of.
Thanks for sharing!

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by aartist

I'm a little surprised at the client's want and the final results there of.
Thanks for sharing!

Ditto!

Me tooo!

[lurch]

Probably way too late for critique on this one, but might help in the future if you have clients with similar desires (that *was* a strange one!). The final composite looks like a cutout placed on a photograph of a house. Edges of the cutout are sharp, but edges on its interior are soft. Tonality in the house photo is much different (more contrasty) from the cutout, and its focus is sharper. The light is from the front on the people, but high in the sky on the house. But if the client was happy . . .

[deboismenu]

Originally Posted by lurch

Probably way too late for critique on this one, but might help in the future if you have clients with similar desires (that *was* a strange one!). The final composite looks like a cutout placed on a photograph of a house. Edges of the cutout are sharp, but edges on its interior are soft. Tonality in the house photo is much different (more contrasty) from the cutout, and its focus is sharper. The light is from the front on the people, but high in the sky on the house. But if the client was happy . . .

Thank you for the feedback!! Very useful
I know this was a strange request but she hated that living room and wanted wiped it off.
Originally I tried to address some of the issues you mention but could not achieve it with my still limited technique

BTW, the "client" was my wife... I find it harder to deal with family.

[lurch]

Aahh, yes! Dealing with family can be tricky, but in many cases they can be more appreciative than 'real' clients. And worry not - your technique will improve with practice.