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OPR Workshops => Difficult => Topic started by: Jo Ann Snover on April 08, 2022, 08:20:09 PM

Title: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 08, 2022, 08:20:09 PM
Margie was telling the truth - these photos are really challenging!

I've been working on mine today - mostly trying to figure out exactly what's there, so I drew some outlines. I think I now know most of the people, arms and legs, but I thought I'd post something about what I've concluded and see if anyone else thinks I've (a) missed something, or (b) grabbed the wrong end of the stick. Not sure if the original photo (pre-damage) was out of focus, but what I have is so blurry (even before I ran the FFT filter to get rid of the bobble texture) that there is virtually no clear detail or sharp edges or...

Original:

(https://postimg.cc/QVRjMxY7)

My outlines, the outlines over the image (partially restored, but very, very little done) and some of the objects I think I see. I found some images online of the sort of paper bells (couldn't find the doves), rimmed champagne glasses (couldn't find any with a red glass band under the gold) and cake topper.

(https://postimg.cc/Vdnm0Q2V)

I'll be painting some stuff in and taking guesses about the decorations on and around the table + on the cake. I'm assuming that as long as it looks like icing decorations and flowers with ferns, it'll be a reasonable compromise as there's just nothing to tell me exactly what flowers or what icing decoration - except for the patches of icing that appear to match the bridesmaid's dresses.

As an example of something I'm not 100% sure about, I think I see veils on the bridesmaids' heads in addition to the blue bows.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 09, 2022, 11:30:55 AM
Definitely aqua or blue dresses. Veils on the head coverings and looks like the first bridesmaid is pregnant.  I also don't see the groom in uniform on the topper.  Maybe more like this? (brought out colors a little more so that you can see the hat's better).   :)  PS  Have Fun!!

(https://postimg.cc/FYJ1bsnK)

(https://postimg.cc/cKyCFyVB)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 09, 2022, 11:55:00 AM
Tough one for sure.. I agree with Candy on the groom and bridesmaids.. Good Luck! look forward to seeing your progress.. Just looking at it again.. I don't think that white stripe (there are two of them) are in the picture, I think it's damage..not sure if the end maid is pregnant either if you remove the stripe..
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 10, 2022, 01:48:37 AM
It's always interesting what others see, Lynn. LOL
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 10, 2022, 11:29:16 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. Did some more work today, so I'll post progress (although it doesn't look like a lot given all the damage remaining!). I found the other tall candle on the table (had originally missed it when drawing outlines).

(https://postimg.cc/Hc3FWbhb)

I am 99.75% sure that the white "stripes" down the inside edges of bridesmaids #1 and #4 are the long white gloves on their right arms - arms are hanging down by their sides. I have to assume the photographer made them all use their left hands to hold the glasses (and the groomsmen all used their right hands) to make a better shot. What are the odds of all the women being left handed? :)

I'm thinking of omitting the object just in the frame on the right of the photo - the dark cylindrical thing in front of the stand with the flowers in it. I don't really know what it is and I can't imagine it was a significant memory.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 11, 2022, 12:14:56 AM
Now that you mention it, it could be gloves.  As for the dark thing, it probably wouldn't be missed.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 11, 2022, 10:50:18 AM
Yeah good thought on the glove... sure is a doozy... you are not alone.. I'm ploughing through as well :crazy:
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 11, 2022, 01:06:51 PM
Does anyone have any ideas on the brides bouquet? it looks like all white with green but I don't know.. I can't pull out any colors at all.. any clues?
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 11, 2022, 05:32:26 PM
Quote from: Lynnya on April 11, 2022, 01:06:51 PM
Does anyone have any ideas on the brides bouquet? it looks like all white with green but I don't know.. I can't pull out any colors at all.. any clues?

Not really, but I was thinking as it was all so very fuzzy, some of the flowers from the table arrangement would stand in for whatever was there. I'm thinking it was ivory/white and now lost in the bridal gown as altered by damage.

I have plenty to be working on this afternoon, so will see if any bright ideas happen along the way :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Mhayes on April 11, 2022, 10:03:51 PM
Jo Ann, I am going to try and send shots of the photos you all are working on to get more guidance on the colors. Where faces are fuzzy, let Bambi or me know if you need another photo to compare or use. I think you are closer to the groom's jacket being a dark blue.  Storms are coming in tomorrow, so may not be online

Great effort on really badly damaged photos. I even thought about turning them into B/W and then coloring, but that's a lot of work in itself.

Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 11, 2022, 10:10:05 PM
Thanks Margie. I had asked Bambi for references of the bride & groom - even though mine is so small, having accurate fuzzy versus wild guess fuzzy will be better.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 12, 2022, 12:07:47 AM
I'm done for today but I thought I'd post progress. I cleaned up the faces from Lynn's image and used those (blurred, downsized and lowered opacity) over the bride & groom in my image. I need to blend things a little more, but I think it helps.

(https://postimg.cc/1nRJ3dFz)

Ignore the rather crude outlines of the stand on the right - just a placeholder :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Mhayes on April 12, 2022, 12:43:10 AM
Jo Ann, coming along nicely! Take plenty of breaks so you don't go  :D
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 12, 2022, 10:49:14 AM
Looks good Jo Ann.. what color blue are you coming up with for the groom's jacket.. I'm way off..
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 12, 2022, 11:19:00 AM
I hadn't thought about jacket color specifically - what I show is just what happened when I balanced the colors as a whole. As Margie was hoping to get some more detail from the family, I figured I'd wait and see if we got a good reference. Right now it's a petrol blue, not navy blue

Given you've neutralized your groom's jacket it should be easy to put a color blend mode layer over it and make it pretty much any color you like.

I did think that I would need to homogenize the bridesmaids dress color and groom/groomsmen's jackets - whatever they are they should be the same hue.

And to Margie - I have a goal of not further damaging my sanity while fixing this photo. Plenty of tea breaks and the occasional cookie should help with that :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 12, 2022, 11:34:10 AM
Right.. I shall get at it later.. good luck today!
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 12, 2022, 01:59:56 PM
Do you see glasses on the bride?  In another picture I thought I saw them and in this one, too.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 12, 2022, 02:05:01 PM
No, I don't.

Wasn't there another picture I worked on where you saw glasses on a person's portrait on a shelf and I didn't? I think I asked Jonas about that one as I just couldn't find any hint - I'll ask Bambi on this and see if she can find them :)

If anyone else sees glasses on the bride, we might have a tie breaker!
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 12, 2022, 02:09:20 PM
I'm not seeing any glasses..


(https://postimg.cc/9w1cMzm2)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: kiska on April 12, 2022, 04:19:03 PM
Just a thought. Since the brides maids dresses are a blue/green, may the groomed jackets are the same but darker????
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 12, 2022, 06:15:05 PM
Quote from: Lynnya on April 12, 2022, 02:09:20 PM
I'm not seeing any glasses..

(https://postimg.cc/9w1cMzm2)


:up2:   :hug:

Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 12, 2022, 09:06:52 PM
Here's today's progress - lots done, but still lots to do...

No glasses at any rate :) Still need to figure out if the guy on the far left has his arm posed just like the others (probably, but there's nothing I can see).

(https://postimg.cc/hzwH0PK6)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 12, 2022, 11:43:43 PM
Now on your picture I see glasses.  Perhaps she took them off and on.  I know I did.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Shadow on April 13, 2022, 11:16:57 AM
You are so brave Jo Ann. Good luck!!
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 14, 2022, 12:06:15 AM
Perhaps more foolhardy than brave!! Today's progress.

(https://postimg.cc/XXN9WKHg)

I noticed that all these images are in the EPSON  Standard RGB - Gamma 1.8 color space - I assume the default from whoever scanned it. I think everything is supposed to end up as sRGB...

And Candy, I still don't see the glasses :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 14, 2022, 01:16:39 AM
Well, if you did see them like I do they'd look something like this.  LOL  ;)


(https://postimg.cc/N5KpcjMv)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 14, 2022, 10:29:48 AM
Boy that's really coming along JoAnn.. and I'm with you.. no glasses lol
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 14, 2022, 12:21:19 PM
Then, it was all about what the bride chose.  Now, it's about what you can do the restore a memorable time in the young couples lives.  She's probably not wearing any glasses and that would make the restoration a lot easier.  However, some brides choose to do both.  Case in point!  LOL

In the first picture taken by Lloyd Stilley for the Shreveport Times, I didn't wear my glasses for my wedding announcement or for my vows, but after our wedding, I did wear my glasses.  P.S. I'm giving you guys a hard time because I love ya!!!   :loveit::hug::loveit:

(https://postimg.cc/wy5x0gpZ)  (https://postimg.cc/RWqF9k7J)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 14, 2022, 08:29:33 PM
So I know I'm not completely gaga - I can see the glasses on picture #2! I think the bride's eyebrows are quite thin and do a decent job mimicking the top frame of a pair of glasses

Here is today's progress.

(https://postimg.cc/F7rPXHG8)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 14, 2022, 10:01:43 PM
Wow come a long way JoAnn... I give up on the glasses.. look forward to your final final.. :up:
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 18, 2022, 10:31:46 PM
I didn't work on this over the weekend, but here's where I am today. I know there are lots and lots of things that could be touched up, but given the limits of what I can do with the people and their faces, I'm not sure if I should continue working on details more. I guess my question is: given the state of the original and the limits that imposes, is there anything in the current WIP that stands out to you as needing more work?


(https://postimg.cc/6yQ7b5dL)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Hannie on April 19, 2022, 07:22:51 AM
Great job bringing this photo back to life Jo Ann! 
Perhaps just bring in the Level sliders, that's the only remark I would have.

(https://postimg.cc/v10Yvp7z)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Lynnya on April 19, 2022, 11:02:21 AM
Looks good JoAnn.. not much more you can do.. I think Hannie's suggestion is a good one.
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 19, 2022, 12:57:54 PM
Thanks for the suggestion Hannie - I'm always fairly gentle on those types of adjustments and there's certainly room for a slightly more contrasty look. I'll take a walk through my "army" of adjustment layers :)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Candice on April 19, 2022, 01:44:52 PM
I did just a little work on the best man.  The rest of it looks great!!

(https://postimg.cc/xc8qYQzb)
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on April 19, 2022, 01:47:12 PM
I'll smooth him out a bit - thanks
Title: Re: Wedding party toasting the bride & groom
Post by: Shadow on April 20, 2022, 12:02:37 PM
Thanks for sharing. Wonderful work with a nightmare image. Imagine the family will be thrilled.