Eyes, please

[lurch]

I had a hard time working on this one. It was obviously a sad occasion, and the woman in white seemed clearly devastated. Then there was no detail left in the decedent, only a silhouette. And I couldn't figure out what was going on with the center woman's hand (so made her holding a handkerchief, sort of). Was also perennially irritated by the pregnant gal in turquoise, who seemed inappropriately happy for the occasion.  >:(

Any way, here it is, ready for a once-over by the eagle-eye crew.

Original:


WIP:


BTW, I've found frequency separation to be immensely useful in images with a bunch of worm trail damage. Thank you, Jonas!

[Mhayes]

Lurch, great job on the restore and this is a really tough call. When I look at this photo in the blue channel, I get the greatest detail. I have no idea about her hand and what she is or isn't holding. I don't think I would want the brown item as it looks like she is getting ready to throw some mud. In the blue channel, I could see a better outline of the deceased, but getting the color right is going to be a real trick. You have the right idea about the silhouette, but it needs to be darker and that is also going to be a problem as you don't want the gentleman to look toasted. It would be easier to pull this off as a B/W.

I would not be too quick to judge the inappropriate reaction of the girl. People have been known to laugh at funerals when their emotions are under siege.

Margie

[kiska]

I think the lady in white's right elbow is resting on the casket thus the odd angle to her hand. Her hand is empty.

[Hannie]

Great restore Lurch!

There seems to be be more visible in the red channel, the gentleman's eyebrows and the tip of his nose.  Don't know if it would help at all...

Hannie

[glennab]

Nice job, lurch!

I agree with kiska about the lady in white's hand.  It appears to me as if her elbow is leaning on the edge of the casket and her fingers are curled a bit - not enough to make a fist, but just enough to have a difficult time discerning them against her palm.  In calculations, I went through the gamut of blending modes with the channels, and while none of them were very clear, that's what I saw.

Is there any way to use "shadowed" flesh tones to create the shape of the decedent's head and face and add a little darker shadow where the features would be?  I think that would work better than the ghostly looking grey.

The only other thing that pops out at me is the transition between the two women on the right.  I'd sharpen it a bit.  It seems too soft.

Brave soul to take this one!

Hugs

GK

[lurch]

Kiska and GK - On closer examination, I think you're right about the hand, darn it! Have I ever mentioned I HATE doing hands from scratch? And Margie, I'll refrain from saying that the lady in white was getting ready to sling her mud at the gal in turquoise. There, I refrained.  :halo:

I also agree with all of you about the deceased's silhouette. It's too washed out. Hannie, what you see as his nose I see as the left lens of his glasses. The nose shows up in the blue channel lower down (toward his feet, anyway). I'll try darkening and shading it and see how that looks, without toasting the gentleman. I'd already tried differentiating between his face, suit, and shirt - looked really bad!

OK, back to staring at my hand. Thank you all. Your eyes help to make my restorations better than they were at the point I've decided they're done enough. I'm grateful for that.

[glennab]

lurch - I'm with you on the difficulty of hands.  I've had terrible luck with them.    This is one of those times I'd suggest using Jack Hamm's book on the human form or going to one of the photo source web sites and seeing if you can find a hand in a similar position to get the shading and at least the hint of nails.  I've found that photos.com is a great resource - but any of them have good images.  I keep a folder of hands, hair, ears, etc.  so that I can really see the shading.  That's what makes the most difference.  I don't actually use anything in the photos to avoid the wrath of the prez or infringe on copyrights, but just looking at the body part and studying it has been great for me, because I'm not an artist - as with photography, I'm a wannabe.

Good luck, brave soul!

GK

[lurch]

I could fiddle with this one for a long, long time - though my efforts might not lead to any improvements. It has probably gotten to the point of diminishing returns. Not happy with that hand, but every time I try to make a better version it gets worse.  Here is the latest WIP for the eyes of my faithful critics. What think you?



Semi-puzzling observation: what shows up in my (supposedly color-managed) browser is flatter and duller than the same file in the same color space when I view it in Photoshop, Aperture, or Apple's Quick View. Hmmmm.

[glennab]

lurch, I think you did a great job on the hand.  It looks plausible to me.  My only pick is that I think it's a bit too small.  If you look at the original, the fingers are closer to the edge of the photo.  I'd copy it to a new layer, enlarge it to look more proportionate blend the edges and leave it at that.  The only other thing I'd do is try to get even sharper edges between the women on the right and a little less blur on the pleats in the pink dress.  That would match the sharpness to the rest of the image.  I'm torn about the decedent.  I don't know if he/she should be a little lighter or not.  That's my first thought, but I'd like to see other opinions on that.  I think the shape is really good - as realistic as you can get with no more than you had to work with.  You're definitely closing in on it!

GK

[Marydh]

I'm reluctant to give my opinion because I'm still new at this but
as an impartial observer,  I think the descendant should be lighter
and maybe have more of a flesh tone?  My first thought was that he
looked "charred".
I was wondering who would have the nerve to do this one.  Good job.
Mary

[Mhayes]

Mary,

Don't ever hesitate to give your opinion, because what you are saying is valid. We don't want him to look like toast. I agree on the skin tone and darker shading on the hair.

The OPR Forum needs more input from different volunteers as it makes it more interesting and a lot more fun!

Margie

[Hannie]

Amen to that!

Hannie

[lurch]

Marydh, don't hesitate. All opinions are valid, and different eyes catch different things. We all get to the point where we stop seeing the details in a restoration, and there the devil lies. In this particular case, the devil is the decedent. I've been trying to make him look like a human being without turning him into a crispy critter (please forgive the irreverence). Your observation that he looked charred was evidence that I hadn't succeeded yet - so back to the Photoshop drawing board.

Margie, I've been dancing around the shading issue, trying to suggest features without adding shape that's not there. With regard to hair, we don't know that he even has any. Eyes, however, are a pretty good bet, as is a three-dimensional head.

Just so you all know, the version I've just uploaded addresses most of your concerns. The white lady's right hand is a bit bigger, the little shadow between the women on the right has been burned in more, and the decedent is much lighter and more three-dimensional. He's flesh-colored (though in shadow enough to maintain the silhouetted look) with  just a suggestion of features.

Thanks all again.

[glennab]

Mary, please let me add my encouragement to Margie's about posting your observations and opinions.  I find that sometimes I get so close to what I'm doing that I completely miss something that is obvious to someone else.  We need all the eagle eyes we can get, especially ones that are willing to post what they see.  It's amazing how many threads we have with several totally divergent visions of what's in the image.  My feeling about that is that is gives the volunteer the opportunity to test out whatever seems valid to them and run with it. The more the merrier.

GK

[Hannie]

Lurch, you have done a great job on this restore.  You even managed the bring back some of the facial features of the decedent.  Those features only need a little dodging to show up more.

Hannie