Am I on the right track?Hi

[steven462]

Hello,

I am working on my first restoration and I'm not sure of a few things.
1. Is this the correct forum for this image?

If it is then I maybe be in more trouble then I thought because I am waaaay outside of my comfort zone with this image, but then, I have spent most of my life out of my "comfort Zone"  ;D. I figure that if I can get through this one I will have gained enough knowledge to help here with some of the tougher ones. I hope. When I compare this puppy with what I thought I saw up on photo shelter I gotta say they don't look the same. Still.  ;D

2. Part of the problem I am having is with the wall in the background. I am having a tough time trying to figure out which is dirt and which is the real sponge paint job. I think most of the blue is dirt but then I start second guessing myself. Shoot, I even tried to get rid of a spot that was on the screen.  :D
I did my color correcting, levels adjustment, then started with the restoring.

Below are the original and WIP. I am aware that these are not the same size but I am over what photobucket allows in size (original is 2100 by 1500).






I am interested in knowing if the work on the left side is going to pass. I know I have some work along the bench at the bottom but I need to know if the pattern is acceptable and if you see any dirt.

Thank You,
Steven

[Mhayes]

Hi Steven,

I think you are off to a good start. The one thing I notice is that this photo could have been straightened and you still may. The simplest is to use the ruler and follow the line of the bleacher. Then crop back to the 5 x7.

1. There is no such thing as a comfort zone here, especially when you receive your photo and it looks better in the gallery than it does on your hard drive.  ;) It's what we call a "gotcha moment!"

2. I think you are doing fine with the wall and around the two men's head it may be a shadow from the flash, but you could lighten it up.

When you upload your restore to the forum--and you are in the right place--all you have to do is reduce your resolution and it will work in Photobucket. Yours was a 5 x 7 at 300 dip, but if you change the resolution to 72 dpi it will now be 509 x 366 pixels. Just remember to have this as a copy and not your restore that you will upload back.

The one thing you didn't mention was all the spots all over the photo---all those red and orange spots are not confetti.

Good job, but spot removing on your monitor could be the first sign you are cracking under the strain. Keep us posted, we will have a doctor on call.

Margie

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Great start Steven. Don't worry, I clicked on a spot 4 times trying to get rid of it off a photo I was working before I realised it was dust on the monitor lol.

[steven462]

Hello,
This was a partial to see if the changes I made on the back wall were acceptable. I had already straighted out the photo on my primary WIP.

Regarding the shadow to the side of the 2 men I think I am going to take them out because the flash appears to have been fired straight on and there are no shadows at the shoulder. Upon further inspection of that area I am convinced that it is dirt.

Regarding the "confetti"  :-\, yeah I saw them,  :'( but what can I do. Oh yeah, remove them. Hoped you missed them. I generally work from the top down so they will be next.

I think I am going to need some help on the flooring and eye work on a couple of the girls but will wait before I scream.... I mean ask.

Thanks for the heads up on changing dpi, somehow I got it in my head that I was to maintain the 300 dpi but after you mentioned it I realized it was meant for the WIP and final upload.

On a sadder note it may be a few days before I can get back here. It depends if I can get the rest of the water out of the garage which will be the third time since last Saturday. We have been hit with the remnants of Irene and over the last 2 days Lee (I think, I lose track of the names). No serious damage here but the Susquehanna river about 25 miles away from us is seriously causing havoc to the folks in that area both on the New York and Pennsylvania side.

We have a creek about 300 feet behind the house that is now a raging river and is about halfway up to us. I don't expect problems from it though.

Just one more quick piece of advice. If you are driving and see water over the roadway PLEASE think twice before driving through it. A Mom and her 2 daughters (aged 8 and 12) lost their lives in Pittsburgh last week , the car was caught up before anyone could react. When they began to go through it was not a big flood but the street gave way in an explosion of water and they were swept away.
I keep hearing stories like this over and over. Why take the risk? It's not worth it.
Steven

[Mhayes]

Hi Steven,

When you are ready we will help you with the flooring and anything else. I am sorry to hear about your garage flooding and hope that doesn't include your home too?

That is terrible about the mother and daughter, but it seems that people don't realize how easy for a car to float and be carried away. In this case the entire road gave way. I have been in a flood once and it is really scary the force of the water.

Stay safe and keep us posted.

Margie

[Mike S.]

Good start Steven,

You will find the OPR Team to give outstanding help as you go along.

Also excellent advice on driving through water on the road.  I hear it all the time and still hear about tragedies like you mentioned.  It cannot be empathized enough.

Thanks for being a part of OPR

[schen]

Steven,

Good start on the background.  I would probably go for a little darker on the background to reduce the contrast since everybody was wearing black.

Great advice on driving on water.  I am not sure why people do that but I have to confess that I did it once.  Then I had to vacuum the water out of the carpet and air dry the car for days.  I will try to resist the temptation again.

Shujen