Here are the original and my latest work in process. Attempting to get the faces looking good without losing too much detail. Any suggestions? My approach at this point was to first a couple of layers in screen mode and adjust the opacity and fill values, then go for contrast and other defects.
(https://s30.postimg.cc/6c75jdutp/Katzenellenbogen_M_28_25_9_5x7_5.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6c75jdutp/)
(https://s30.postimg.cc/4yfio2vkd/Katzenellenbogen_M_28_25_9_5x7_5_wip02_in_progres.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/4yfio2vkd/)
if you use the green channel from the original most of the facial detail is there. You can mask it in using your last picture as the mask if need be, don't forget if it is too much use change the opacity if it is too little use try a clipped curve or levels. Hopefully this helps
Hi Mike.. yes these are strange aren't they.. I looked at one and shied away :-\ looks like you are on the right track.. looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Thanks for the green channel tip. I'll try that and see what happens.
Mike, this looks like a newspaper clipping, which may explain the texture.
Margie
Yes, I think it is possibly a news paper photo. Could someone give me a little more explanation as how to use a particular channel as a mask? I've tried but am having trouble doing it. Have not done much with individual channels. Maybe there is a tutorial out there somewhere. Thanks.
Hi Mike. Am not sure if this is exactly what you want ... its steps for using a "good" channel. Good luck with your image!
http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,394.0.html
Hi Mike,
Not sure that the any of the channels are going to help you with the faces, perhaps you can still adjust the highlights to be just a little lower, you will find that you get more detail back.
What you have done so far already looks really good.
The photo may be newspaper but there is no regular pattern in it to be found. (if there were we could use the FFT transform)
It may help the overall photo to increase the black/shadow just a little.
The uneven tone in the background I would use cloning/dodging/burning to even out some.
When converting to black and white make sure that the color mode stays RGB. In Photoshop you can do this by using a Channel Mixer adjustment layer and checking the Monochrome box.
Hannie
(https://s24.postimg.cc/t40m9gm5t/image.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/t40m9gm5t/)
A big thank you to all. I was able to get the channels stuff to work, just had to make sure when you copy the channel and then switch back to RGB that you click on the RGB layer icon, not just the eyeball icons. Discarded the B&W conversion layer and substituted a channel mixer layer set to monochrome. I guess I've been wrong in the past by using a B&W conversion layer when submitting final versions of B&W images. Maybe others have done the same. If using a channel mixer layer is the best method so that the RGB channels are preserved it could be spelled out somewhere, or my bad if it is and I didn't know about it. Will do a little more work on the background stuff and then I think it is ready to submit.
Very good point Mike, thanks!
I will check with the inner team about the RGB mode.
Hannie
When changing a color photo to black & white in Photoshop use:
from the dropdown menu: Image-> Adjustments -> Black/White
or use: Channel Mixer layer (check monochrome)
This way the color space stays where it should be in sRGB.
:)
Hannie