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I'm kinda excited about this one.  This is the first one I've been able to get significant help from using the blue channel. Actually the red and green also have a lot of info but blue wins.  The first photo is the original, second is the blue channel layer with blend mode changed to luminosity.  Lot's of damage to repair so I'm going to paint on another layer with the brush set to the color mode for most of it with some cloning and healing brush mixed in on yet another layer. The third photo is the paint layer with just a little repair so far to her left cheek and nose.  I'll also have a separate layer for just the background.
(https://s14.postimg.cc/5u2hkygql/Keller_L_10_05_4x6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5u2hkygql/)
Original
(https://s14.postimg.cc/jnqua0h1p/Keller_L_10_05_4x6_Blue.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/jnqua0h1p/)
Blue channel layer
(https://s14.postimg.cc/7lvgfvfj1/Keller_L_10_05_4x6_Paint.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/7lvgfvfj1/)
Paint layer

Hi Mike.. I'm excited to see your final too!!  I did a quick levels adjustment separate red green and blue and her skin color changed some..

did you do your color corrections first.. just a thought...

Hi Lynn. 

Yes, I normally do the color correction first but I got excited to see all that was in the blue channel. I did the same levels adjustments you did and got very similar results as you did too.

So, as you know, I'm still new to this restoration process. Help me understand why color correcting first is important.  I'm a curious guy and always want to know why.  Technically, I'm thinking it doesn't matter too much if you do color correction first or last.  What does matter are you layer orders.  If you keep your color correction layer, or layers, on the top of the layer stack it's going to affect everything under it.  So, in this case, my paint layer is under my levels layer so it changes right along with all the original colors.  Even saying that I do like having the color corrected first, especially if it's really got a bad color cast.  I think it helps because your working with the color as it should be so your eye "sees" it better, if that makes sense.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts, and anyone else's on that.

Hi Mike.. I always used to do color corrections last and sometimes got in a heck of a state with repairs.  If you do your color corrections first.. all your repairs .. cloning, patching etc will look great.. if you do your color last often times the repairs suddenly show up like a horror story.. trust me.. I've done it.. :cool:  Usually I do my correction first and then tweak it at the end..
I spose what I'm saying is.. you are repairing poor color pixels and then when you correct they all go haywire (technical term) others may have a better and more technical answer for you.. having said that.. your work always looks great so you're not far wrong  :)

 I know what you mean and doing it first just simplifies it so that is a good thing.  I seem to always do that final color tweaking last too and usually in selective areas of the photo like skin tone.

I was messing around with this and found that if you do repairs first and then do the color correcting on layers above it and then try to go back to that repair layer for more work and sample the color it is way off unless you temporarily turn off the color correct layers visibility and then sample the colors, then they come out right.  That can get very confusing if you have a bunch of layers like I normally do. So I guess I may have answered my own question as to why do color correction first, it just makes it easier, K.I.S.S.  :)

Thanks Lynn, I'm always learning!

Meee toooo Mike.. always learning... s'fun innit.. :)

Mike, you are so brave!
It is starting to look good already.

Here's where I'm at, you stare at these to long and you miss things.  How's she looking?  :-\
(https://s14.postimg.cc/5dmbw39q5/Keller_L_10_05_4x6_Forum.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5dmbw39q5/)

Mike..on my tiny phone it looks great..will look with anticipation tomorrow  :up:

Mike, looks good to me too!

 :up:  Really nice!

Mike looks lovely on my big screen.. maybe Hannie will be after you tho for a tad too much gaussian blur  :funny:

Thanks Margi and Shadow!  I know who the troublemaker is in here now... ;)

Who me???  :halo: :P

After looking at her this morning again I decided it needed some more work.  I reworked the shape of her eyes, lips and widen her face a bit and added some more shadow here and there.
(https://s14.postimg.cc/5ilybc3fh/Keller_L_10_05_4x6_Before_After.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5ilybc3fh/)

Lookin good Mike.. strange how images change themselves overnight... happens to me all the time.  I think her bottom lip is a tad fuller tho.. not quite so triangular... I was looking at it in the blue channel..I was looking back and forth to the original and it seems her eyes are darker in the original and the catch light spots a little whiter, a bit more sparkle. I also though the lower lid was a little higher ... like an almost smile eye. you could push it up barely a tad with liquify.. I also added a blank layer .. filled with 50% gray soft light and added a fair bit of noise.. like 7 then gaussian blur about .5 then emboss for a little more skin texture.....what do you think... :up: :up: you're nearly there :) 

Thanks Lynn, good eye! :up:  It won't let me post a photo of it so I'm just going to send her home. Thanks for the help.

 :up: :up: :up:

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