Photo Restoration

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:30 pm

That's a great job Andy! I have dabbled in some restoration but my photo editor (Arcsoft) doesn't work that well. It seems to run out of memory after a couple of fixes then I have to close the photo and reopen it again. A pain. I then downloaded PAINT.net, since I can't afford any decent software, but it seems complicated. I am yet to master it.

Over at Rootschat.com, on their photo restoration board, I recall reading that some photographers had clothes for their subjects to wear for the photo sessions. I am not sure where they got this information, but it might be worth considering.

Nina

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 1:03 pm

Hi all

He did, however, suggest that sometimes changing a sepia image to black and white can also be helpful, but (he stressed) not in 100% of cases.

When working on an old image, it is often the case that the image will be converted to black and white for two reasons:

a. it allows the contrast and tonal range to be sorted out more accurately - so that the blacks can be made black and the whites, white.

b. it is often easier to touch up an old photograph when using shades of grey than dealing with the often strange colourings which can occur in an old sepia print that has aged.

- The normal practice is to convert the print back to an appropriate sepia tone at the end of the restoration process.

You've done a good job on that one, Andy. There is often a temptation to "over-restore" which, in my opinion, completely destoys the charm of the original - looking "good as new" is not always a good thing!! The skill lies in removing any distracting blemishes, and improving the appearance, whilst leaving the "feel" of the original, which I think you have achieved here.

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **Pandabean** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 1:18 pm

The only thing that I feel annoyed with this image is the way it was scanned, it was quite big and was hard to fit on the scanner and that has resuled in one side being a little brighter than the other. This just doesnt look right when printed off on photo paper.

Right now I am working on my Grandfather's WW2 photo and I am just getting rid of the rips and lines as well as stains/marks and a crumb of food (think that may have landed on the scanner somehow

).

Really to touch the photos up I have been using a duplicate layer of the original to work on so that if mistakes are made I have not destroyed the original image. As well as this I have tweaked the contrast/brightness to correct for the fading. To get rid of the rips and stains I have been using the healing and cloning tools in photoshop.

Nina, I too have heard about that, especially if it was a family portrait with kids and perhaps they needed to try and fit people in with the background.

kathyc · Post by **kathyc** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:15 pm

Andy,

That's a terrific restoration!

Kathy

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:33 pm

Hi Nina

You mentioned photographers loaning clothing for a photo session.

My G-grandfather George Oman was a professional photographer in Edinburgh and I have a carte-de-visite of him resplendant in a Highland dress outfit taken in the studio of another photographer. They obviously worked with, rather than against each other, at least in the early years.
The nearest he ever got to similar attire was the plaid and plaid brooch of the Loyal order of Border Shepherds. That photo has been lost unfortunately. I still have the brooch though.

I wonder if they pinned things up at the back to make them fit ?

Russell

Post by **Anne H** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:35 am

emanday wrote:

I didn't mean that carbon paper was used. I used the expression "carbonning" to describe a situation...

Hi Mary,

Yes…I was mulling it over in my mind when I was in bed and realized you wouldn’t have been meaning carbon paper…didn’t feel like getting up again though to edit my post…I was by then ready for sleep.

Hi Andy...your black and white rendering looks wonderful also...great clarity

Post by **AnneM** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:30 am

Hi Andy

Your retouched photos look great. You can come round and fix all of mine any day!!!

Anne

Post by **Pandabean** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:00 pm

I would be happy to try

I printed them out and they look great. Might do them to A4 at one point.

AnneM wrote:Hi Andy

Your retouched photos look great. You can come round and fix all of mine any day!!!

Anne

sheilajim · Post by **sheilajim** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:16 pm

Hi Andy

That was a great restoration, just the right amount done to it. I think that you said that you used Photoshop. Did it take a long time to learn how to use it?

Sheila

Post by **Pandabean** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:56 pm

I have been using photoshop for many years, started off with web graphics when I was younger. I then progressed onto photography and learned the tools as I go. I didnt really follow any manuals but rather tutorials on the web here and there when I needed it. I also didnt sit down an read books cover to cover. There are only a few tools that you really need to use like the curves, levels and cloning.

I guess what I am getting at is that you just experiement with the tools and if it makes it look good and better without degrading the image then go with it.

It really is a great program for almost any graphics and photos.

sheilajim wrote:Hi Andy

That was a great restoration, just the right amount done to it. I think that you said that you used Photoshop. Did it take a long time to learn how to use it?

Sheila