This is my latest restoration.....

[GP]

Hi everybody  ^-^
I just finished a fairly easy one, not much detail to begin with. The history brush came in handy for clean up. Do you see anything that needs more tweaking?  :D
Gerlinde

[Ausimax]

  Looks pretty good to me GP, hard to see much detail at that size, but I suspect it is  only 6"x 4" to start with and if so is almost print size, great work, :up2:

Max

[david_gr]

I would try a multiply layer.  You may be surprised what kind of detail it will pick up.  In the areas, you don't need the additional dark, you can erase those parts. If it doesn't work no harm done, delete the layer.

I would also try a shadows adjustment.  It might soften the shadows in his face.

Doesn't that fellow have a couple of thick white lines on his suit?

I hope this helps GP.  :)

David Gr

[zapphnath]

Hey, Gerlinde, looking good, so far - although there isn't really much more one can do with an image that's already blurry and over-contrasty, like the original of this one is.
There's a pretty simple method for getting back some detail in an overly contrasted image - if your version of Photoshop has the Shadow/Highlight feature - but it may not help this particular image too much.

Duplicate the image (or, if it's still layered, hold CTRL+ALT+SHIFT and tap the E key to Merge Visible to a new layer, leaving the others intact) and make sure the dupe is at the top of the layers stack.
With the top layer active, go to Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlight and switch to the simple view (with only two sliders) and set both to 50 and click OK.
Drag the Opacity of this layer down to zero and slowly creep it back up until it looks right.  You'll know when you've gone too far.

Like I said, it may not help this image much, but it's a very useful technique for bringing out details that you thought weren't there.

[GP]

Max, David and Zapphnath thanks for taking the time to look at my work  :loveit:

I'm going to have a fresh look at it tonight, but as you have already concluded there is not much detail to work with. I have tried different blending modes and also shadow/highlights. His eyes are just 2 black blobs. I actually toned them down a bit with the dodge tool, but there is only so much you can do. I softened the blown out areas a bit with the burn tool to get some definition. It's just too blurry overall. The highresolution makes it even worse once you zoom in. It's supposed to be a 5x7 print, I will print it at that size and see how it looks.
Glenna, in case you are reading.... I'm in chapter 8 now, nothing so far that would help with the stuff we are doing.

Gerlinde

[glennab]

Hi Gerlinde

That's a tough one from which to get detail!  Z - I tried your method, and it works quite well.  That's a new one  for me.  Another option is to dupe the layer, go to filters-other-highpass and set your number at around 1.5.  Don't freak out - it looks awful at this point. Set the layer effects of the duped layer to overlay.  Amazing that they both pulled up a similar amount of detail.  Definitely more than the original.  Sort of like sharpening without really "sharpening!"

David, if you're talking about the horizontal lines at his chest area, I think they're a fold on the sleeve and a handkerchief in his pocket.

Nice job.

Glenna

Gerlinde, you were posting as I was.  I haven't gotten as far as you have in the LAB book, and I'M SO CONFUSED!  I'm going to have to read AND do the exercises from the disk before I can get the logic. I've already read Chapter 3 twice and some of it is sinking in.  It seems so logical until he throws another curve.  It's like speaking another language!  I'm still going to hope that there's material in the book that will help us.  I feel as if my brain cells have been running marathons!

[GP]

Glenna,
the highpass filter/overlay trick is my favorite way of (not) sharpening allmost all the pictures I deal with and is the last step in the process. This picture has it allready applied to it.
There is also a great trick I learn on the PS elements forum: as soon as you open a photo you are planing to work on apply >filter>Unsharp mask with these settings: amount:20, radius:60, threshold: 0. It works great on color photos! ;D

About the book, Glenna... he is confusing me too. At times I'm asking myself what in the world has this to do with LAB mode. He is all of a sudden talking about evil witches in the forest and gingerbread in little kids pockets. Then he takes a detour into Shakespeare's King Henry IV. So don't feel bad, I think he likes to hear himself talk. That's my explanation and I'm sticking with it! 8)

Gerlinde