How would you do it?

[Ed_L]

This thread is about different techniques, and if there is a better forum for it, feel free to move it. I'm hoping there will be enough interest to keep it going.

I've been thinking that a thread like this might help others when they have a problem area on a restoration or retouch. The archives have quite a few images, and I grabbed one to get this started. The idea is to post an image that has a problem area, and that area (which you identify) is the only thing to be worked on for this thread. Download the image attached, work on the area, and post a description of how you did it along with the image. There are a lot of ways to tackle most problems, and maybe you'll find a way that's better than the technique you usually use.

This image has a problem of silvering. Have fun!

Ed

[Ed_L]

For this image, I used one of my favorite techniques. I checked the channels to see if there was one that showed less silvering than the others. The red channel was best, but it lost quite a lot of detail. But since I wasn't concerned with detail, I used the channel mixer with 100% red, set to monochrome. If I was concerned with detail, I probably would have made a new image with one layer from the red channel, and another layer from the dirty blue channel. These could then be mixed with layer masks to get the best from each one. On to the image in question: I duplicated the background layer, and set the blending mode to multiply. A layer mask was put on this layer, and filled with black. Using a large, soft brush, I painted white onto the silvered areas until it blended pretty good with the rest of the image. For this image, it was a quick fix. The last thing was to add a little sepia to the image by using a hue/saturation adjustment layer, set to colorize. OK, let's see some other ways to do it!

Ed

[dcarr]

I like the idea Ed. I'll give it a shot over the weekend.
Debbie

[KevinBE]

Very nice technique Ed. I'll give that one a trial run tomorrow. How would you deal with the blown-out background? I seem to have to deal with that one a lot. Everything I have tried doesn't seem to work without showing evidence of not being natural.

[Ed_L]

Debbie,
I'll be looking for it. Thanks.

Kevin,
It would depend on the severity of the problem. You might use the same technique I used above. Sometimes you need to dupe the layers several times, in the proper blending mode to get the effects you want, and other times it just can't be done unless using another technique, that I might not be familiar with. That's one reason I thought this might be a good thread. It wouldn't take long for people to work on one particular problem, and we might learn new ways to do things.

Ed