I think I'm done

[RosyBijou]

Hi all!
I think I've finished my little girl and was hoping for some feedback before I send it along for real.  As you might know, this is my first (for OPR) and I must say, has been my most challenging restoration ever.  I'm still not sure about it...

http://picasaweb.google.com/RosyBijou/OPR/photo#5031442441476963778  (scroll one pic to the right for original)

As to the grainy texture, I just couldn't get her skin to look even remotely natural with the standard healing & pixel pushing--there just wasn't enough good information that had non-muddy tones.  Adding the texture seemed to dramatically improve the overall image.

If this isn't up to OPR standards, I'm happy to share my PSD file with anyone who wants to take a stab at it (but be aware that the uncropped version is about 611Mbs when opened...)

Happy Valentines Day!

[GP]

RosyBijou!
I think it looks great and you did a terrific job  :up:
The only thing I could pick on is the girls right hand, it looks a little funny. It might just be, that I don't see the picture in full resolution.

Gerlinde

[glennab]

Hi Kerry

I think you've done an amazing job on an "impossible" restoration.  My opinion is that the texture is fine.  The only thing that slightly bothers me is the "muddy" look in the background.  I wonder if you could do a loose selection around the baby, feather it, and work with levels or curves to give the background more vibrance.

I honestly don't see any way you could pull more out of the destruction than you have, and you've maintained the essence of the child.  Really well done!

Happy Heart Day to you, too.

GG

[kiska]

Looks great! On the right hand; the top 'finger', is that part of her arm instead? If you made that less defined I think the hand would look alright.

[RosyBijou]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

I had a devil of a time with that right hand and arm.  I erased and re-did that part over many times and agree that it doesn't look right.  The top finger is actually her thumb, I think.  I think that her hand is resting with pinkie extended out & thumb touching  index finger, with her middle three fingers gently curling in towards the palm of her hand :-\
but just am not sure, it's so hard to see...  I just had an idea as I was reading your posts, though--I'll revisit that part. 

The background will be a pretty easy fix as most of that is on it's own layer.  I played around with a few different hues & colors but ended up leaving the colors that came out on the earlier versions--makes sense that they're muddy, considering the mold and rust stains plaguing the image.  I'll try to brighten that up a little too.  As I'm sitting here, I'm seeing those dirty shades still on her dress too... (does that jump out at you too?  The dress presented an entire different set of challenges from the rest of the image...)

Still open to any and all suggestions...

[Ausimax]

Hi Kerry,

You have done a good job with a difficult subject, with the blotches on the face you could try using the smudge tool at a very low setting and work with a circular motion within the separate colour zones. if it then looks too smooth, select the area and add a bit of noise.
I find the smudge tool good for small spots, just blend them back into the surrounding area, and on B&W I find it is often better than cloning, even over fairly large areas.

Max

[RosyBijou]

Thanks, Max...

I think that I may see my mistake with the fingers...  Here's a close-up of the original hand.  Scroll one pic to the right for my "finished" version...

http://picasaweb.google.com/RosyBijou/OPR/photo#5031560746351132114

I just took some pictures of my son's hand and he couldn't physically place his hand in the configuration that I was trying to reconstruct.  I think her thumb is tucked under her index finger, not pointing out towards viewer like I thought...  will try to  use the pics of his fingers to modify the shadows...

[glennab]

Hi Kerry,

You and Max certainly have better eyes than mine.  I can't discern any detail in the baby's hand.  As for the "mud" in the dress, I'd suggest you use the MMG key (Make Mud Gone), which is right next to the FWW (Fix Whatever's Wrong) key.  Seriously, unless you can figure a way to get all the darkish look out of the photo, I think you'd be better off to leave it be  Some of our more artistic gurus may know a good way to deal with that issue, but I haven't figured it out yet.  I've tried dodging and burning on a couple of my restorations with mixed results.  I do know it takes a very light hand (low opacity, several strokes) and good eyes.

Another possibility would be to use the gray (mid-tone) eyedropper in the Curves menu (her shoes would be a good place to sample) and see if that evens the tones a bit.

That said, I still think you've done a wonderful job.

GG

[RosyBijou]

Thanks, Glenna,
I've made some decent progress on the hand since last night, but I'm not sure that I'll ever get it right....  Have officially crossed into the "constructing it myself based on what should be there zone..."  Not being an artist, it's not coming easily to me... 

(I REALLY want those two  MMG and FWW keys!!  Let's invent 'em and build a resort somewhere warm and lazy!  :cool:)

I think you're right about the dress.  When I happened upon its stage now, I kinda backed away, like one does when stepping away from a pile of antique fine china in a museum--very gently!  I'll give the shoes/eyedropper a try, but to tell you the truth, have never mastered the eyedropper technique for the tones tools.  I got a lot of my tones from manipulating the image in painter and then overlaying & blending the different layers of the three Painter "paintings" into Photoshop to get it where it is now...  This image has stretched me far beyond any restoration that I've ever done before...

That being said, I can't tell you all enough how much I appreciate the comments and compliments.

[glennab]

Hi Kerry

A quick comment on the eyedroppers.  They're not too tough to get the hang of, and they can truly come in handy.  The main thing is to use the highlights dropper to set your white point, the shadows dropper to set your black point, and the mid-tones, also called the "gamma," for your gray tones.  That's why I thought the shoes might work for the mid tones.  I've been reading so many technical books lately, since I'm still battling with bronchitis (am home from work this afternoon) and have to keep pretty quiet, that some of this high-end stuff is making sense.  SCARY!

As for those miraculous keys, I'd love to create or find them.  Either that or find a "poofer."  My husband builds the most wonderful customized model cars, and he says that when he gets his poofer, we'll make the cars full size and have a different one to drive every day.  Sounds great to me!  And oh, what dreamers we are!

Best to you!

Glenna

[kstruve]

Kerry,

I have a couple comments.  The first thing that I notice is that the eyes and mouth look like hollow cutouts.  I would add some roundness to the lips and a suggestion of the inside of the mouth.  I would also add a little detail to the eyes.  In the original you can see the whites of the eyes and the irises.  The second thing is the pointy shoulders.  It's apparently some sort of garment worn under the dress and it's pink in color.  I would make the one on the right shoulder (her left) a little darker and pinker so that it doesn't look like it's part of her skin.

Looking good!

Kurt

[John]

wow, what an improvement.  I agree that with a little work on the eye/mouth that you'll have an outstanding restoration.

Clicking through your workflow was pretty impressive.  It's amazing what kind of detail you can squeeze out of a damaged photo.

[Ziaphra]

Good job! ;)

[Dave]

Great job, Rosy! However, I think my main concern with this thread is why is Kurt "vogue-ing" in his avatar?

Dave

[kstruve]

LOL!!!  I thought it was a funny picture of me.  "Strike a pose.  Come on, Vogue!"