Colorization ???

[sjm]

Any suggestions on how to prevent a colorization from looking so *flat* or *dead*?...particularly the facial features.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1269000&a=9405164&p=53861184

I don't know why my pix won't 'stick' here, but this is the link at photopoint.

[Doug Nelson]

I don't know why you can't attach, either. It should work.

Try this for your face:
Make a new layer
Pick bright red, soft brush
Paint the cheeks, chin, tip of nose, ears (can't see from here if they're visible)...basically any high place on the face. It will look goofy, but don't worry.
Change layer blend mode to color
Crank down opacity to like 3-5%

It will take a few tries to get the hang of it. You can use other colors as well (I know nothing of cosmetology)

[DJ Dubovsky]

When you colored it did you use the normal mode for your brush?
If you use the color mode instead of normal, color is applied without covering up the details beneath, where as normal mode even at low opacity tends to cover those details up.
DJ

[sjm]

WOW!

It's amazing what a difference it makes when something is done correctly! I tried the color mode first, but wasn't happy with the results. Perhaps I had inadvertently not selected the color mode.

anyway, here's the fix I came up with in just a few short minutes.....can't wait to get back to it and fix it properly, but I need to give the peepers a rest!

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1269000&a=9405164&p=53863807

you think my pics won't upload here because I'm using a Mac?

[Doug Nelson]

Mac shouldn't have anything to do with it, unless they don't have the PC .jpg suffix

Good work!

[jeaniesa]

Wow! What a difference! Great job!

And DJ, great call on what was wrong!

[DJ Dubovsky]

What a difference. Excellent job!

Jeanie,
It was my very first error in restoration and I never forgot it. I recoginzed the look.

Just want to add that the instructions Doug gave will produce the same results. The key being the color mode instead of normal. Whether it's in the brush options or layer options if you're painting on a seperate layer.
DJ

[jeaniesa]

I found it interesting that Doug says he knows nothing of cosmetology. What's interesting to me is that when I colorized my grandparents' photo, I used my (albeit outdated) knowledge of how to apply makeup. (I rarely do that these days, so I'll have to look up the details again. ) But, I think that a quick perusal of a book on how to apply makeup would probably help with colorizations. I know that makeup is applied to enhance features (as well as hide imperfections), so it would probably be good to know.

Jeanie

[DJ Dubovsky]

The last chapters of Katrin Eismann's book suggest doing that also. I think it's a great suggestion.
DJ

[Mig]

The color mode is good and it looks somewhat natural on these old photos because it seems that's the way they might've looked in colour. There are a few blend modes that will do some interesting things with a person's face, especially a woman's face. Try normal, soft light and multiply. Normal mode at a very low opacity, followed by either soft light and or multiply. Cull colours from skin from an existing colour scan and use that as the base for the colorization. These blend modes work best on large, clean scans. I like to look at fashion mags for clues and look at the models, the pics are almost always touched up in photoshop or painter. It helps to have a grahics tablet too.

[Ed_L]

This turned out to be a good thread. Thanks for all the tips. I'm sure they'll come in handy.

Ed

[Mig]

fox alert haha...I wonder if she likes to boogie?

[DJ Dubovsky]

Wow!! She looks like she went to a glamour studio. Love the background and the glittery top. You are going to have to tell us your secrets on this one Mig. Looks like you found those make-up how to books Doug was looking for.
DJ

[paulette conlan]

Mig thank for the tips.Incredible work! If she could see herself now.Like the idea of learning how to apply makeup so that the subject doesn't wind up looking like Tammi Faye Baker. What might be fun to do is to take a photo of some woman from an earlier time and make her look contemporary.PC