first retouch - skin issues

[fotovult]

Having a bit of trouble with the woman's hand, fingers specifically. I think at 8x10 it will reproduce pretty well, how deep do you guys go with this sort of thing?
Thanks for the help,
Chris

[Dave]

Chris,

Your work on the people is great. My only criticisms would be that the background needs to be less of a pure black. It stands out way too much against the faded quality of the subjects. Also, there's too much of a "cloned" pattern look to the man's suit.

Cheers to you for such a great job removing the damage.

Dave

[glennab]

Hi Chris

Welcome to the forum!  You've got a great start on this one, but I do agree with Dave that a softer background would be more appropriate.  I noticed that in the lower right there's an interesting pattern on the floor.  Perhaps you could play off the colors  on the floor to make a VERY subtle gradient with the purples (blue?).  That would also be a wonderful complement to the woman's peach dress.

I think the front of her dress needs some smoothing, as does the man's face and suit.  I can see the texture you had to battle with, but just a little less spotchiness would help.  Her face looks really good, and you did a fine job on both their hair.  As I look at the colors, his hair appears a bit blue.  Even though it's faded, the color in the original looks more natural.  Perhaps a little color adjustment and slight desaturation would do the trick.

As for her hands, I think your main challenge is the shading.  All I can suggest is try to match what's in the original (I'd make a separate layer and paint with a small brush at very low opacity, using the original as a template).  It isn't really clear in the low-res version, but do I see a wedding ring on her finger?  It's very faint, so it could be damage.

The only other thing I see is a small splotch of white at the back of her hair.

It's my job (self-appointed) to pick, but you've got the bulk of the restoration done.  A few refinements and it'll be ready to go home. 

I'm so glad you're with us!

Glenna

[schen]

It's my job (self-appointed) to pick,

I thank you for pointing out the obvious (and not so obvious) that I can't see myself after immersing in the picture for hours.

[fotovult]

sweet thanks guys - appreciate all the feedback and happy to be on board.
chris