Getting the mud out

[Johnboy]

As a brand new Newbe I ran into a problem right away. The image I chose looked easy on the screen but once downloaded I could see there was mud stain in the image. I have used Levels to correct as much as I can, and the image does look better. However there is till a brownish tint across the background wall and aparent in some of the clothing. Any suggestion on what to do further.

Thanks for the help.

[cmpentecost]

Hi Johnboy,

Welcome to OPR!  The best suggestion I have it to post your photo in the forum.  Most people do this thru Photobucket, at http://photobucket.com/.  Once you register and upload a photo to Photobucket, just copy the IMG link and paste it into the forum reply section (such as where I am typing now), and your image should appear. 

Don't get frustrated yet on the restoration.  We have an awesome group of people here who will help you on the project.

Thanks.

Christine

[Ausimax]

Hi,

Here's a little cheat for checking out images, it works for PC's, Mac owners will have to make your own arrangements.

When you have the photo open in PhotoShelter do a print screen, crop the photo out of the screen print and resize to double in PS or whatever you use, gives you a better look, you can check channels and decide if you can deal with the problems.

Max

[glennab]

Hi JB

Welcome to our world!  It truly is difficult to tell from the thumbnails what you're actually up against once you have the full-sized photo.  However, Chris is on the money.  Post your image and we'll all do everything we can to help you deal with the mud!

And, really, welcome to OPR.  It's wonderful having new people posting.  Gives us more to contemplate and learn as we go after the best restorations we're able to produce.

GG

P.S. Max, I hadn't thought of using your method to try to determine whether I thought I could conquer the damage.  Do you get enough information when you upsize the image?  I've had a couple of major surprises in the photos I've chosen -- but I'm not sure that would have stopped me.  For some perverse reason, I really love the tough ones!

[Ausimax]

Hi Glenna,

Yes it is surprising how well the screen-shots enlarge, CS 2 seems to do a good job on resizing, it give you a chance to get some idea of what the real damage is, it doesn't stop me taking hard ones but it lets me select those that I think I have the skill to restore.

Max

[Johnboy]

Thanks for the welcome. 

No, I am not really frustrated but just want to be sure I have the image is corrected as much as possible. I really wanted to get rid of as much of the mud stain before I attacked the water marks. I read several of your posts long before I signed up so I figured someone out there is good a shoveling mud off photos. I am sure it won't be the last either.

Max, thanks for the tip on checking out the photos on Photoshelter. I'll try that next time.

I set up an Imageshack account and uploaded the photos as suggested. So here goes nothing as they say.

Original:
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/951/postoriginalaj2.th.jpg

Corrected so far:
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2140/postcorrectedbx8.th.jpg

Software & System: PS CS on and iMac running 10.4.8

What I have done so far:
1. Used a Levels Adjustment Layer to move the sliders on the RGB and all the channels.
2. Used the Color Sampler Tool and picked what I thought were the best white and black in the photo. The white point was in part of the white dress and the black point was in the hair of the middle woman. Then went into another Levels Adjustment Layer and used the numbers to fine tune the image. What you see in the corrected image is as far as I have been able to go. (The firsts Levels Adjustment Layer is turned off as of not, and does not look quite as good as the image does now) I did play a little with the patch tool on the middle woman's face and on the little boys suit. I think once I get the mud out or subdued the rest may not be too bad.

If the links don't work please tell me how best to do it. That too is a new area for me.

I look forward to reading your suggestions. Thanks for the help.

JB

[Johnboy]

Let me add these links as well.

Original:
http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=postoriginalaj2.jpg

Corrected:
http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=postcorrectedbx8.jpg

JB

[Kenny]

John, that's a VAST improvement. Now it looks like it's just a matter of cleaning up all the spots. I personally like to use the healing brush for that. It's tedious, so put on some good music, zone out and heal heal heal  ;D


Kenny

[Ausimax]

Hi JB,

As Kenny says, break out the good music, now it is a spot by spot process - wish I could find an easier way, the one I am doing has a polka-dot blouse, and I have had to clone just about every dot in one by one, time and patience is the key.

This one should give you the chance to try out the whole PS patching tool kit, have fun and keep up the good work. :)

Max

[Johnboy]

Thanks Kenny and Max for your comments. I guess from what you are saying that the image is about as good as it gets. I was hoping to get more of the stain off the wall.

So from here it is patch, patch, patch.

Thanks again,

JB

[Ausimax]

Hi JB,

I don't know of any way to get more stain out of the wall other than cloning any areas of good colour out over the rest of the surface, the healing brush and healing brush tool may do a lot of it, I usually clone in each colour area and where they meet clone over the other colour at low opacity to blend the colours seamlessly, then go over with the healing tool to replace texture.

The other alternate is to carefully select the wall area, don't include shadows, then select the light and dark colours from the wall and fill the selection with a radial fill from the centre, then perhaps add a little noise - unfortunately I find this method is usually too even and artificial looking.

Max

[Johnboy]

The patch tool and I have become great friends tonight. I am posting what I have done so far. I did move the white pointer in the Levels adjustment layer for the RGB selection to get some more detail in the white dress. It was only about 15 points back to full right. It was just enough to see some of the shadow detail.

I started on the right and am working my way to the left. I am up to the boys head.  I have not done anything to the white dress. I have tried to "patch" out some of the smears in the hair and the faces. I am not real happy how some of it is working. The smears seem to be dominate in certain portions of the hair on the boy and the seated woman. If nothing else I have succeeded in blending some of the smear so it is not so streaky.  Have I missed anything in what I have done so far?

Original:

Latest edition:

Thanks Kenny for the post tutorial. It worked great.

Christine, just to let you know I am going to be running late on this. I picked it up last weekend and probably won't get it done until next week.

JB

[Kenny]

John, it certainly looks much much clearer. I think once the spots are gone it will be ready to send home.  :up:


Kenny

[glennab]

Hi JB

The color looks fantastic!  Now it's time for the click, click, click of the clone & heal tools.  I'm hoping that my perception is correct, that the areas of discoloration are fairly contained and won't be as obnoxious as large swaths of muck.  Can't wait to see the finished restoration.  Fine job!

Glenna

[Johnboy]

Glenna, I think the wall and white dress will be the real challenge. Getting some good color for the wall may not be easy. I have played in a couple of places on the wall, but the water mark stains make it hard to find good information to work with. I think it will be as Max said in an earlier reply that I just have to start off with a small good piece and build it from there. I have tried the patch tool on some of those wall marks and get a yucky result when it blends with the brown mud stain. That is why I was hoping someone had a good "mud shoveling" solution.  Time to get shoveling, I mean clicking.

JB