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Dexter

From Out of the Shadows

20090502-DSC_0006-3.jpg

Pink Baby

[kevinashworth]

Hello i'm new to OPR and this is my first restore job here. I'd like the opinions of a seasoned bunch of OPR regulars regarding this pic. I think the lady might be resting her head on her hand - or is it just muck down in the bottom left? It looks like a kind of fist, but really big. What do you think? How would you tackle this?

[Ausimax]

Small pic its hard to tell, but for my money its muck, she is wearing a strand of pearls and that is what is causing the "shadow" to [her] left of her chin.

Thats just my read of it, pleased to see new victims being introduced to the "muck machine" early.

Welcome to the funny farm, I'm sure you will love the rest of the inmates, and enjoy your restore.

Max

[Mhayes]

Welcome to the Forum and you picked a fun one for your first restore. I think what you are looking at is muck from flood damage. It looks to me like this photo was damaged so much that the owner cut off the rest of the photo.

I would start out by using a Levels Adjustment or Curves to get the tonal range right. You are lucky that this is not in color which will make it easier. I would use the parts of the photo that still have detail to repair what is missing or really damaged. Example: Use the background on your right to help repair what is on your left; use similar parts of the hair to match up what is damaged. From there it will be cleaning up the photo.

Kudos for taking this one off, but remember you may also start out with an easier one and work your way up.

Margie


P.S. Max, no warnings allowed! 

[kevinashworth]

Yes the lady looks so full of fun and pretty i just had to have this one. I've done the curves and all that, and made a reasonable job of the face, its just the fist-like thing in the bottom left is bugging me. I think i'll declare it to be muck, and just fill in a shoulder there. Thanks Ausimax - well spotted with the necklace, Thanks MarCat.

[Hannie]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting your work!

This photo has some of the weirdest damage, look at the "corkscrew curl" hanging down from her mouth...

Can't wait to see your WIP,

Hannie

[kevinashworth]

Thanks Hannie heres the work in progress...

[Johnboy]

Welcome to OPR Kevin. It looks like you went from "What was I thinking?" to "I think this looks pretty good!" To me, you have done a great job. I would suggest that you might add a little shadow to her right lower eyelid (viewer left) or darken slightly along the lower eyelash line. To me the cheek and lower eyelid seem to run into her eye. Maybe just slightly darkening the area under her right eye towards the nose may be enough. Her eye really stands out in the original but not so much now. I hope you get what I am talking about.

Johnboy

[kevinashworth]

Hi Johnboy you know i was thinking the same about the eye. Yes its not quite right. I was a little scared to add shadows and tones that i can't see in the original, but thinking about it there probably were subtle shades that have been washed away since. You might have noticed that the iris is darker on mine - this was an attempt to make it stand out. I'll have a tweak and post it up here. Stick around Johnboy I welcome your ideas and opinions

[kevinashworth]

Johnboy i've made the lower eyelid a bit darker and hinted at a few more lower eyelashes.

[Mhayes]

You did a fantastic job! The only thing you might want to do and this is a very small pic is to soften the outline around  her hair and her on your left.

Margie

[kevinashworth]

Thanks MarCat it's added to my "things to do with this picture" list. I've still got five days left to work on it. I've only ever done restoration work for family, but now i'm attempting to make something for someone else the question is how do we know if we have created a likeness of the person in the photo? I mean if this pic gets passed by quality control, and given to the recipient, what happens if he or she looks at it and says 'nah, this isn't her' or 'this looks nothing like her' etc. I wish i had other photos of this lady to use for reference to get a likeness.

[Mhayes]

Kevinashworth (whew! long handle),

Yes, all of our restores go through QC before they are printed. First the distributor will look it over and make sure it looks good to go and then once all of the family's photos have been restored--off to QC. If adjustment are needed, QC will be the final say. In your case, I don't think you have to worry that you have kept a likeness of the person. For photos where so much is missing, we will ask the family if they have a reference photo. I may be able to get you another photo of the woman--different time, but same person.

Your point is well taken about a person looking at a photo and thinking that is is not the same person. That is the reason when we do a copy run that if too many features are missing in the photo of the face, we turn down the photo.  We explain that if we have nothing to go on, their photo would come back not looking like the person. It always amazes me that it doesn't take much to change facial features and change the person's look. That is why we stress not to borrow body parts from other photos.

I will get that other photo out to you today. Enjoy and great to have you on the forum.

Margie

[Ausimax]

Nice job on this one Kevin, my only pick would be her hair on her lower right side still looks like damage to me, doesn't show the fine strand structure you have achieved on the rest of her hair.

Max

[kevinashworth]

Thanks Ausimax - Yep that's on the list of things to do too.  This is still very much a work in progress. I've got five days left on it and i'm saving that bit till last 

[Hannie]

Very nice already Kevin!  I like the placement of the "new" shoulder.

When I look at the original photo your version is spot on.

Hannie