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OPR Workshops => Moderate => Topic started by: philbach on September 20, 2021, 09:31:15 AM

Title: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 20, 2021, 09:31:15 AM
Hi here is my current restore.  The original and where I am now.  The flag in the background is still pretty fades but perhaps it should stay that way.  Let me Know what you find. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/Xrhgc5N7/Before.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Xrhgc5N7)

(https://i.postimg.cc/64dPF030/After.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/64dPF030)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Lynnya on September 20, 2021, 01:02:33 PM
Hi Phil!! Welcome back! Nice color on your lady on my screen.  Couple of things jumped out at me.. because of the reduction of the recurring pattern problem she looks a bit blurred and some of the details have been lost.  Her eye on the right of the screen looks a bit odd with the white showing and there is a red area in her hair in the center part.  I was going to look up and try and download an fft filter but haven't gotton round to it yet..  Others may have more input. Did you use an fft filter?
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 20, 2021, 01:30:23 PM
Hi Lynnya.  No I did not use an fft filter but did use a median filter on parts of the photo that I thought I could get away with it.  To restore the color I used levels on each channel which helped a lot but did create areas of weird color one of which was her hair.  Thanks for your help and I will post another version soon
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on September 20, 2021, 01:45:11 PM
I think that Affinity's FFT denoise filter can help here. Not sure how you removed the bobbly texture, but it looks a bit blurry as a result, except for the eyes and lips where I still see the bobbly texture.

Here are two versions. One with my take on what the colors should be - I see a rather magenta cast in your WIP - and the second just the output from Affinity's FFT denoinse filter on the original file. You could use that in your restore if that helps


(https://i.postimg.cc/fkDvtj57/Woman-flag-FFT-denoise.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/fkDvtj57)

(https://i.postimg.cc/vDhtWgSJ/Woman-flag-FFT-on-original.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vDhtWgSJ)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Candice on September 20, 2021, 02:41:20 PM
She's lovely, Phil.  I just used CS4's preset color filter.

(https://i.postimg.cc/8f4LHQYH/Before.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8f4LHQYH) (https://i.postimg.cc/xq27tv7J/Before2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/xq27tv7J)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Mhayes on September 20, 2021, 04:27:13 PM
This is GREAT Everyone! I love it when we have different ones in the discussion as I love to see how you approached the problem. I'm really not good on ones like this where you are reducing the paper texture where the ink has washed away. I like what all of you have done. Phil, one thing you do need to change is on your right and the woman's left eye--there are no white showing on the outward side.

I took Jo Ann's version after she use the Affinity's FFT denoise filter and played with it for color correction The fun part (among other things) is that the her hair on your left will be brown and not as dark as what is in more of the shadows on your right.

And yes, mine has a color cast also. My background when I first worked was more of a green like Phil's and Candy's.


(https://i.postimg.cc/RqmgrdQk/Woman-flag-FFT-on-original2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RqmgrdQk)

**** When you get ready to upload or even post--If using Photoshop go to Edit and Convert to Profile: sRGB. The photographer shot in Adobe RGB--which is fine to work in, but we have to have the final in sRGB to print.
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Shadow on September 21, 2021, 01:30:37 PM
Good luck Phil. You have some great tips from some of the gurus. Look forward to your final.  :)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 22, 2021, 08:20:39 AM
Thanks everyone for your help.  This would be helped by using an FFT filter.  In the Mac world which I live in, that filter is hard to find but Image J is an app that has it.   I made a lot of changes.  Her left eye I left alone.  Her hair color sampled from her eyebrow and other things.  Thanks again everyone.  I appreciate it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4KXNx57K/Tuesday.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4KXNx57K)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 22, 2021, 08:26:32 AM
One other thing.  The color of what I posted above is different from what I have on my computer.  I do have my monitor calibrated.  Here is a screen shot of what was posted which is on the left versus what the photo looked like before I uploaded it. 
(https://i.postimg.cc/6y6kqmYx/Screen-Shot-2021-09-22-at-6-22-51-AM.png) (https://postimg.cc/6y6kqmYx)
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Mhayes on September 22, 2021, 01:55:27 PM
Phil, that a great improvement--her complexion looks great. One tiny nit-pic--look on your right on her shoulder where the sleeve begins and there is some gray.  :up:
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 22, 2021, 03:21:56 PM
Thank you Margie. 
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on September 22, 2021, 03:30:31 PM
I'd like to offer an alternate take on this image - I think Phil's looks very pleasing, but it doesn't look like a photograph any more.

It may be a judgment call for QA as to whether something that's more painting like is best.

I realize my version isn't finished, but it keeps the photographic quality of the original.

(https://i.postimg.cc/hQDxyGkv/Woman-flag-FFT-denoise-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hQDxyGkv)

On a separate topic, the FFT filter in Affinity Photo does a good job (and it is available for the Mac). I don't use it for most of my work (I use Photoshop) but I'm happy to run the filter on an original photo for anyone who wants an unbobbled version to start with.
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Lynnya on September 22, 2021, 04:33:36 PM
I agree with JoAnn .. Phil's image is lovely and is more like a painting.. I was going to suggest maybe some noise to make her skin look a little more like a photo.
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: philbach on September 23, 2021, 06:28:31 AM
Hi.  I knew from the beginning that the end result would show evidence of a painted look so from the beginning I did my best to minimize that. I believe in retrospect I should have started by using the fft filter but I had completely forgotten about that filter.  I limited my apps for this restoration to just photoshop.   I decided to use the Median filter on the photo since that seemed to work the best.  I used the filter on a layer I had copied and also used a layer mask.  I carefully painted in only enough blurring to remove the pattern.  At the very end I added a noise layer with a layer mask and painted in noise to the skin to add texture.  So yes the restore does show evidence of a painted look.
Title: Re: Lady in front of flag
Post by: Candice on September 25, 2021, 05:43:04 PM
 :up: