latest image... (and picasa albums)

[RosyBijou]

here's the original...
http://picasaweb.google.com/RosyBijou/OPRWorksInProgress/photo#5123111857508875698

and here's the final...
http://picasaweb.google.com/RosyBijou/OPRWorksInProgress/photo#5123112965610438082

If you start at the original & scroll to the right, there are 6 images total, showing some of the steps that I took in this image.  (I think it's fun clicking through to see the image as it "grows!")  Two areas that I'm still a little uneasy with... did I get her hairline right?  I can't tell if the part on the child's left side curls down over her forehead a little more (and if it does, how to do it so it looks real...)

Second, and this is more for Christine, how much color correction do you want us to do?  I did not do any sharpening (as much as I wanted to!) as I remember from an earlier post that this is done in the final processing.  When I view this on my monitor, I am really tempted to crank up some of the colors, making the image "pop."  I think that the original was probably really vibrant, looking at the range thats there.  I'm wondering if I send it with "cranked up" colors, ready to print, if it will be over-saturated when your printer goes to calibrate it. (am I making any sense?)

Also, I tried to find the thread, but couldn't remember where it was... someone mentioned that it would be a good idea to have an album of before & after images.  I agree that it'd be terrific for there to be a spot to see such an album, especially now that the volume of restored images is growing so large.  I keep before & afters of my work, both in and out of OPR.  I haven't done a lot for OPR yet, but here is what I've done so far: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/RosyBijou
the first album is just "before & after" images and the second album is where I put the step images where I ask for help...

[Hannie]

Hi Kerry,

Great job, I thinkthe hair looks really good.  You might make the transition of the lighter to to darker blond on the the girl's left side a tiny bit more gradual.  Other than that it looks fabulous!
It was fun to see all the stages of you restoration, thanks for sharing  that.  I also had a look at your before and after gallery, you have done some amazing work!

Hannie

[glennab]

Hi Kerry

She looks fantastic except for a couple of small picks.

Since you asked, when I downoaded the original and did some tweaking, it looked to me as if there might be slightly more bangs where you had to do the repairs.  I'm wondering if you can use the smudge tool to bring what's there down a bit.  I have a feeling you could also use the liquify tool, but since I'm not well versed with that one, I couldn't tell you how.  The only other thing that strikes me is that her face from the bridge of her nose up appears lighter than the rest of her face.  I can't tell if it's the light shining on her or a little left-over damage.

I agree with Hannie -- I liked being able to see your work in progress.  It's interesting to see the steps you've taken to get to the final image.

Bless!

Glenna

[Tess (Tassie D)]

A beautiful photo. :up: I agree the top of her face looks like it needs a bit more tan.

[RosyBijou]

thanks for the compliments, guys, both on the the photo & the gallery.  I had the OPR gallery on a different site (that has some of my other restoration work) but moved it over here when I read that thread--seemed like a logical place for it, side-by-side-with the OPR work gallery.

Hannie, you are absolutely right about that rough hair color transition--I had completely overlooked it and that's an easy fix!--so thank you for pointing it out.  Makes a much nicer transition...

As to the banding damage stretched across her forehead--she was lucky that the damage was limited to skin and hair (and not to facial features that are so much harder to repair)...   I have to admit that when I picked this image up, I kicked back, thinking how nice it'd be to have a quick simple fix (this image looked like a nice break, few adjustments, few spots to clean up...  but it just didn't behave the way that I expected--It took me longer than to get to this point than I had anticipated-- (I should know better by now that they always do!) --  but it should be pretty easy to deepen the tones that are already there in that region to bring them closer to the tones in the rest of her face.  (Famous last words, right ?)  I'll tinker with that some more this weekend to even out the top & bottom of her face. 

Glenna, I tried playing with the liquify tool with the part of her hair that is done and it looked horrendous!  I managed one strand that looked passable, but then sneezed before setting it and ruined it.  (Only me...)  My little one, who was looking over my shoulder, laughed at me and thought it looked "very cool" and then asked me if I would do that to his hair...  (Kids are wierd.  sweet, but wierd) 

I think you're right tho--the more I look at that spot, I do think that there is a wispy curl/swirl where the part turns.  I may need to just set that part aside for a bit, work on her brother's picture and then go back to her with a fresh perspective in a week or so.  It's such a lovely picture.

Thanks so much for your comments.  Please feel free to keep them coming. 

[Tess (Tassie D)]

I had to laugh at you sneezing before it was in place. I was redrawing in an eyebrow one day when the phone rang. Lets just say it went about a foot out past her head.
I use the smudge brush on size 1 to draw wispy hair then soften it about 50%.

Maybe we could all just do some before/after galleries, low res at picassa so people can browse. Have a link on the board for it with everyones galleries in different folders?

[Hannie]

I tried a few tuts on how to draw hair but my efforts always turn out miserably.  I usually end up copying s.t. from the net as well as I can and then blur it a little.  I wonder if the Jack Hamm book shows you how to draw hair properly.
It really is a lovely photo!

:loveit:

Hannie

[glennab]

Hi Kerry

I hate to say it (not!), but I love the sneeze episode and your little one's reaction.  I think liquify requires an incredible amount of practice and finesse.  I thought of it because I just went through 30 hours of DVD tutorials on CS2, and Deke McClelland offers a lesson on liquify that's fascinating.  Your small person would love it.  Deke took a photo of his toddler son and turned it from a sweet-looking cherub into a snarling, mean-looking older kid.  Reminded me of a bad guy in a video game.  I'm sure any kid would get a kick out of being made into another character.  Deke made it look easy, of course, but the few times I've tried it I've felt like a bull in a china shop.  I suppose much practice will allow one to gently push pixels into place and still have the image look like something other than a Picasso.

Hugs!

Glenna

[schen]

Some of the Picasso's are among my favorites. ;)  And some are not.  :D

One of the greatest impacts of photography is to free the painters from dutifully recording images.