Photo Restoration - - Photos Too Dark.......

fotofreak · #1 03-28-2004, 05:02 PM

A friend of mine went out taking photos and came across a bald eagle. He got some amazing shots, but they are all too dark. He did not have his flash with him and now he wants me to fix this for him. I tried to do one of the photos, but the lighter it got the more noise was noticeable and the colors changed. Can someone help me please? I would like to salvage some of the photos for him. They are really good if I can figure a way to save them. Thanks for any help you can give to me on this..............

Noelf · #2 03-28-2004, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotofreak

A friend of mine went out taking photos and came across a bald eagle. He got some amazing shots, but they are all too dark. He did not have his flash with him and now he wants me to fix this for him. I tried to do one of the photos, but the lighter it got the more noise was noticeable and the colors changed. Can someone help me please? I would like to salvage some of the photos for him. They are really good if I can figure a way to save them. Thanks for any help you can give to me on this..............

If you can post a scan of one of the pictures, it helps with how to fix it

- Noel

fotofreak · #3 03-28-2004, 10:18 PM

I do not know how to post an image on this site. I tried and it wants to link to an image off of another site. It will not allow me to upload a photo. If you could please let me know how to do this I will gladly post a photo. Thanks for your help........

Noelf · #4 03-29-2004, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotofreak

I do not know how to post an image on this site. I tried and it wants to link to an image off of another site. It will not allow me to upload a photo. If you could please let me know how to do this I will gladly post a photo. Thanks for your help........

Go down a little bit under the reply area and you'll see a manage attachments button.

That allows you to upload an attachment to your message without having to link to it.

- Noel

Flora · #5 03-29-2004, 01:33 AM

Hi fotofreak,

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotofreak

I do not know how to post an image on this site. I tried and it wants to link to an image off of another site. It will not allow me to upload a photo. If you could please let me know how to do this I will gladly post a photo. Thanks for your help........

Here is a step by step description on how to attach images to Posts or Threads

You can attach up to 5 images per Post wich must not exceed the 100 KB file size limit each...

In order to keep them to a workable size I suggest about 800x600 pixels at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch.... but you can 'play' with this .....

fotofreak · #6 03-29-2004, 01:25 PM

Well here it is. There is a picture of an eagle in there I swear. I just hope that this can be saved.........

Flora · #7 03-29-2004, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotofreak

.....There is a picture of an eagle in there I swear. I just hope that this can be saved.........

Yep!!

There is an eagle alright ....

I managed to uncover it.... and tons of noise with it, mostly using the 'Levels'

.... It's terrible, I know, but it's the best I could do ....

fotofreak · #8 03-29-2004, 11:43 PM

Thank you for trying Flora. I do appreciate it. I guess he will know next time not to leave home without his flash unit. Thanks again Flora.......

Noelf · #9 03-30-2004, 12:22 AM

I must say, that picture was the most challenging to work with so far this month

I couldn't do much better than Flora, but I have to admit when I saw the bird come out I was really surprised he was actually hiding in there!

- Noel

fotofreak · #10 03-30-2004, 12:30 AM

Well thanks for trying Noel. I thought maybe someone here could do something to fix this photo. I guess nothing could fix this photo. I have seen photos just as bad as this one fixed, but that was by a governmental institution that shall remain nameless. Again, thank you for trying. I do appreciate it............

Noelf · #11 03-30-2004, 10:34 AM

The jpeg and size may have effected the artifacting I was seeing when cleaning it up.

If you want to e-mail me the original I can see what I can do with it. I can't guarantee anything, but it might be slightly better

If you want too, just mail it to noelf@nomigraphics.com

- Noel

Leah · #12 03-30-2004, 01:12 PM

I agree about the jpeg artifacts - I had a go but I was getting big square jpeg blocks. Saving as a non-lossy format like tiff (or at least at a very high quality of jpeg) will give more to work with (of course, you then probably won't be able to post it on this site...).

Was this a digital photo or a scan from a negative/transparency? If a scan, then playing around with the scanner settings if you have a decent scanner could help to get more information out - if one could combine a really good scanner operator with a really good scanner and then save the file with no lossy compression, then something decent might be salvageable.

If a digital photo, then there are techniques for editing out some of the noise that can be helpful - but one of the best ones involves having access to the original camera.

fotofreak · #13 03-30-2004, 01:16 PM

This shot was taken with a Fuji Finepix S602 digital camera. If that helps I don't know. Anyway just thought I would add that.

Leah · #14 03-30-2004, 01:51 PM

In that case (1) the shot straight out of the camera without any additional compression would be a big help (while hoping that it wasn't taken at any setting worse than Fine) (2) From the EXIF information on the shot, you can find out the exposure details. Set the camera to manual, leave the lens cap on, set the aperture and exposure time to the same as for the problem shot, and take a photo (which will be very nearly black). That at least gives you the consistent pattern of noise that the camera will add for all shots at those settings, and you can use image arithmetic to cancel that out in the original shot.

Unfortunately I have found the 602 (I have one myself) to be Not Terribly Good in low-light conditions generally (although it is a lovely camera in decent lighting conditions). What you can get out of the image depends on what is actually recorded in it, regardless of what government agency you may be. If it were a film negative the scope for applying high technology becomes greater...

- or if it's a digital camera that shoots in RAW mode, which sadly the 602 doesn't.