Hope I did this right, Looking for suggestions

[Alvo]

Wasn't sure if diaganol lines in background should stay or go, looked out of place. Any suggestions on lower left side of jersey would be apprciated. Wasn't sure if it was a highlight or damage.

[Alvo]

I can see a spot in his hair I missed.

[Jo Ann Snover]

On the overall color, look at the shadowed areas of the young man's number - they've darkened to almost black and they shouldn't be that dark. The highlights of his skin are too light, and overall, he's a bit green. I think - but the distributor will know - that the gray background was just a copy stand used when they photographed the damaged image.

I used a layer mask to hide the background - but that way it's there if someone decides they need it

There are a couple of areas with damage that I circled, and on the football, there's some writing that I think might mean something to the player, so I darkened that slightly so it's more visible.

Take a look at the overall color  on my version for comparison:



If you're looking for a neutral gray, use the image not the background (given that I think it's part of the rescue process, not the original image)

Ask some more if I haven't been clear enough

[Mhayes]

Alvo, Jo Ann is right about the background that you are seeing with the diagonal lines is the base of the copy stand. Those lines are helpful in centering up the photo and are not part of the photo--filling that area in with white as shown is fine.

[Alvo]

Ok, I have trouble with colors and I still do not see the green but I will do the white balance again. When repairing one of these how far do you zoom in looking for damage. In the "Print View" in PS it looked fair but I see what you mean when I zoom in. I am still not sure what to do with the red area you circled just to the right of the football. Is that a highlight or all damage? Should it be as dark as the left side? I will take another shot at it and repost..Thank you, and If I understand you right you are saying do away with the background like you did, right? Thanks again, it'll take me a few tries but I'll catch on, appreciate it.

[Alvo]

Thanks, just saw your post

[Alvo]

It's funny, I honestly could not see the green but I could tell when it disappeared..LOL

[Jo Ann Snover]

...I am still not sure what to do with the red area you circled just to the right of the football. Is that a highlight or all damage? ...

That area is partly discolored - a red-ish sheen over the blue shorts - and there are scratch-like marks that are damage. It's not all damaged and you can probably clone from the OK areas to remove the marks. The right side should not be as dark as the left because the light is shining on the right and the left is in shadow.

As far as how far to zoom in, the truthful but snarky-sounding answer is "as far as you need to" :) I generally work on details at 200% or more, but frequently zoom out to fit the whole image on screen so I can see overall if things are on track. You cannot - at least I cannot, even with glasses - fix all the smaller marks, scrapes and so on without zooming in.

Sometimes I use adjustment layers to help me see damage or color fades/blotches better - something that isn't part of the finished work, but just helps with a work in progress. Take a look at an example from a recent restoration I did. The curves adjustment layer set to multiply blend mode on the right help show up the blotches and damage on the lace dress that were hard to see otherwise.




Essentially, use whatever tricks you need to help you see the details. Possibly a hue saturation adjustment layer with the saturation set way too high would help

[Alvo]

I think I did every thing you suggested. I learned not to rely on auto color balance but to do it right. I brought out the letters best I could even using channels. Tell me how to bring them out more and I will. I am still not sure of the "Highlights" left of the football.

[Alvo]

Tried something else on the letters, doesn't make much sense but that is what I was able to pull out.

[Alvo]

I brightened the ensignia on his Jersy

[Jo Ann Snover]

You're making good progress, but the edits are a bit rough around the edges - literally!

Take a look at some before and after examples of things that need some work to give you an idea. Ideally, you shouldn't be able to see where you made the fix when there's only minor damage. I'm assuming you have Photoshop, but the comment about the Clone brush flipped at at a 5 degree angle wouldn't apply if you're using something else. You can always copy a part of a layer and do the same thing - flip, rotate and then soften the edges - with other software.



I've circled the areas on your version that I think need fixing and then shown you what the fix should look like in the other version. If you try out improvements, you can do that on a new layer so you can go back to your prior cloning layer if things don't work well. I'm assuming that you're working on multiple layers as you fix things up. If you're not - if you're making all the edits on one layer - I strongly suggest you start doing your fixes on separate layers to make do-overs and changing your mind much easier. Or keep prior versions of the file if you're not happy with layers - just allow yourself to experiment and go back to a prior "better" version if you don't like what you've done.

Hope this helps

[Alvo]

Ok, I am assuming you didn't see the previous post where I darkened the letters, I was thinking the opacity may need to be pulled back some. I see what you mean, the bottom of that jersey has been eating my lunch. Yes I am in Photoshop working in layers plus have the different layers in groups. I copied the letters from channels and gave it a linear burn blend mode to make them dark. Ole stupid me forgot to save my last edits as a PSD file but I will get through it, LOL. I used a new layer via copy to get the top of the 7, I put the highlights in because it looked like they extended up there from the lower part but I will take them out. I appreciate your patience and suggestions, will post again in a few minutes. Thanks.

[Alvo]

I know you want believe this but I know better. I usually blend better sometime with the patch tool, I just over looked those two spots on the arm, just frustrated on the jersy, the healing brush didn't cross to mind. I always tell myself to zoom in and look at the whole photo before I save it but a lot of times I just forget to do it. I must admit, you have darn good eyes, LOL...Thanks again

[Alvo]

Pulled the opacity down some on the letters.