Are we having fun yet?

[Deborahjc]

Of course we are! :crazy:

I have been working on the rainbow of color casts this picture has (yes I have some more to go too).    I am pondering the lovely "muck" texture that exists here.  If I try to even out the blobs I'm afraid it will be too flat.  Would a Gaussian blur or surface blur with a mask be better?  What gives the most believable texture results?

Also is there a way to remove the dark spots from the gentlemen in the center without using the brute force (cloning) method.  It seems that I should be able to minimize them with clever color curves, selective color magic or something.   ::)



 

Thanks!

Deb

[Ausimax]

Hi Deb,


This may help with the face, open a new layer and set the blending mode to "soft light", then set your colours to B&W - paint over the face with a soft brush set to 10% opacity and 100% flow, until you get rid of the dark staining - this is non-destructive dodging change your colour to black to burn.

Then open another layer and set the blend mode to "colour" sample a good skin tone - I used the boy to the left - then paint over the face at 100% opacity, then use you layer opacity to adjust the final colour.

Hope this helps.




Max

[cmpentecost]

It looks like the white haired lady on our left is the same lady in Gary's "Cruising Ladies".

Christine

[Deborahjc]

Thanks Max for the advice.  The soft light burn/dodge method really did help with this!  I will remember this technique! 

Here is the latest version of the photo.  I would really appreciate some extra eyes!  Are there too many blotches still?  I did crop a tiny bit off the top but did leave the lady in the shadows.  There wasn't much to go on for reconstruction so I left her in the shadows with just a little hint of her. 

Thanks!
Deb

[Ausimax]

Hi Deb,

Just a couple of picks, (I've got a hide handing out gratuitous advice when I consider the hassle I'm having with my present one).

The woman in the black dress, her eyes are at different angles, one of them needs rotating a bit. Could she also be wearing Glasses? I get that impression from the original, yet it is not clear enough to say for sure.

The boys white "T" shirt, I think the colour under his arm is damage, it would be unusual to have a pattern in that area.

The white semicircles where you have shaded out the lady, I think they are damage or flare and I would loose them as they draw the eye to the vague area. I think I would be inclined to leave the shaded area right up the side of the photo as it appeared in the original damage, the reason being that it would make it look like there was a curtain or door frame there that obscured the other woman, and the lady with the gray hair is leaning as though she were looking around something.

Their my thoughts on it Deb, others with sharper eyes may be able to provide more assistance.

Max

[Deborahjc]

Thanks Max :loveit:

Thanks for taking the time to help.  I do appreciate the advice (these are hard!).  I have rotated the ladies eye (it was bugging me too).  I know what you mean about the glasses.  She could be wearing them but I would have no idea what style so I decided to leave them off. 

I really did initially think the boys "t" shirt had a pattern on it.  The color of the pattern is so close to the ladies hair color it could be damage after all.  I went ahead and removed it.  I think the 2 big white spots along the left side were flare and were in original.  The edges are very clean.  They obviously dont add to the picture though so I filled them in.

I went back to the original and used it as model to give a hint of the lady in the shadows then I darkened and desaturated the curtains. 

Any more suggestions on this version?

[IMG]http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/deborahjc/PhillipsN_47_4x5wipcopy.jpg[/IMG

[Deborahjc]

For some reason it didnt post the picture - trying again!

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp181/deborahjc/PhillipsN_47_4x5wipcopy.jpg

[Hannie]

It looks good Deb, very nice restore!

Hannie

[Deborahjc]

Thanks Hannie!
:hug:

How was your holiday?  I'm keeping a lookout for your pictures on the gallery or send us a link to your website again.  You have done some amazing photography.  Didn't you have a link to your photos somewhere in the message board (cant find it today)?

Nice to have you back,

Deb

[Hannie]

Deb, could this be a case of mistaken identity and that you mean Tess, Jan, or even Atlantis?  (seen some amazing photos of hers!)?  I have not been on holidays since October (I went to Maine).  Hubby had some medical problems so I did not post any photos from that trip.  I have only ever posted South Africa snapshots (March 2008)...
http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb18/marijtje2/South%20Africa/?albumview=slideshow

Hannie

[Tess (Tassie D)]

If you mean me Deb my holiday photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/tesscam/Summer0809# only a very few of the 80 or so I took.

[Deborahjc]

Sorry Ladies maybe I was having a senior moment (did I just say that  :wow:)  or I was looking through old posts.  Anyhow Tess and Hannie your photos are wonderful.  I do love holiday pictures.