Operation Photo Rescue's Online Community

OPR Workshop Information Exchange => General Techniques => Topic started by: LSC on July 19, 2007, 10:01:37 PM

Title: When to stop and crop
Post by: LSC on July 19, 2007, 10:01:37 PM
Another try at uploading the photo for most recent work -- Lee(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z33/leebies/TATUMF_5_14x6.jpg)
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: John on July 19, 2007, 10:38:17 PM
I don't know about cropping, but wow, that's a great photo.  Very Norman Rockwell-ish.
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: Ausimax on July 19, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Hi Lee,

It is going to be a difficult photo to crop successfully, I would think, Why not try a vignette?


(http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6102/tatumf514x6copyvigneths1.jpg)

You could further improve it by adding to the canvas at the top to centre your restoration, then crop back to 4x6 and maybe even put a small frame around it to take up some of the space, (You would have to check with Dave to see if a frame would be OK) that way you still end up with a standard size photo and would be better than just repaired damage.


Max
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: cmpentecost on July 19, 2007, 11:08:50 PM
Hi Lee,

I think cropping will be acceptable on this photo.  If you can't find or determine what's under the damage via channels or whatever, then it's not right to make a guess either.  My suggestion would be to include as much of the original photo as possible.  I can see a bit of his shoulder and her shoulder.  A soft, faded vignette would probably work very nice with this.  I tend to go with the faded vignettes, versus the sharper ones, as it gives a softer appearance.

I hope this helps!

Christine
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: glennab on July 19, 2007, 11:34:17 PM
Hi Lee

I played around with channels, color correcting, etc. and here are my observations:  the green-blue area at the bottom isn't a blanket; it's damage.  The baby's arm is discernible under the muck, and a sleeve.  No matter what I did, I couldn't determine what the pink object is, but I'm beginning to think it might be damage as well.  Here's the crop that would give you a 6x4", which is a standard size.  You can set your crop tool to a specific size, i.e. 6x4, and it will crop to those proportions.  You'll then have to enlarge the image, and I found that when I did that, very little, if any detail was lost.  I sharpened it a bit just to bring out any other hidden details, of which I saw none.  Anyway, here's my version:

(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/glennab-fla/TatumF_5_14x6test1.jpg)

That having been posted before I saw Chris & Max's messages, I very much like the idea of a vignette if you can get the go-ahead on it.  I concur with Chris on making it soft, and possibly making the outer background a very faint color that compliments the photo.  This is one of the most wonderful of the photos I've seen so far.  And it's been a great team effort to get it right.

G'night!

Glenna
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: sanbie on July 20, 2007, 01:55:21 AM
I think the little one is a girl and not a boy!

Sanbie
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: Ratz on July 20, 2007, 03:55:07 AM
This is a truely beautiful image.
Glenna, you found an amazing amount of detail in this.
LSC, I would add in the information that Glenna found and go with a soft vignette if that is allowed,
you are doing this wonderful image a great deal of justice, it is coming along wonderfully.
Regards Vicki.
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: Juliet on July 20, 2007, 01:50:13 PM
A vignette might be the best option, but it looks to me like you could do a little bit of a bigger area and preserve more of the photo based on the work that has been done so far.  It might take a little more invention, but that could be blanket and white space.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/romeos_girly/vignette.jpg)
Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: cmpentecost on July 20, 2007, 07:22:58 PM
Hi Lee,

In trying to keep a soft look to the image, I tried the elliptical marquee tool, set to feathering at around 30-35, and made an oval shape.  This still leaves damage to be cleaned up, but it may work in preserving the precious moment that is being shared by the little boy and perhaps his grandmother.  We hate to crop unless necessary, but rather than just having a square zoomed in photo of the toddler and his grandmother, a soft vignette may look better.

This is what I came up with.  I didn't get the vignette quite right, as the top doesn't have the softness of the bottom, but to give you an idea, anyway...

Thanks!

Christine

(http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n140/cmpentecost/TatumF_5_14x6copyjpg.jpg)

Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: Lorraine on July 21, 2007, 07:07:45 PM
First, you've done a great job with this. 

To finalize it, cropping or creating a vignette is about all you can do with this.

I grabbed your most recent version and tried a vignette.  Created a new white background layer.  Then  I moved the photo down a little.  Finished off the child's face and hair.  Also added his hint of an ear.  I added a layer of vingetting, elipicatal selection feathered at 40, select inverse, paint bucket white  feathered at 30 until it looked right. 

Selected the remainder of the photo that was unrecognizable and applied a Gaussin Blur.  Roughly erased whatever else didn't fit into the photo. 

(http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/6487/tatumf514x6copycopybz6.jpg)

Lorraine


Title: Re: When to stop and crop
Post by: klassylady25 on July 21, 2007, 08:36:40 PM
Such a soft and delicate picture.  Touches the heart.

One last suggestion;  replace the necklace.  It seems as though it is part of this picture, too.