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Black and White Opinion

Started by Marydh, January 24, 2019, 03:22:50 PM

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Marydh

Hi there.  I'd like opinions on my "color correction" on this black and white.
I did a curves adjustment then B/W adjustment.  Would like to know what
you think before I go much further.
Thanks a bunch.
Mary




Jo Ann Snover

I think the contrast is a little too much. If you look at the blacks on the tire and the highlights on faces, both have lost some detail in the conversion

The other thing I notice has nothing to do with your work but there are some repeating patterns in the damaged original as if someone had edited it already. Look at the left side & the grasses and flowers/leaves poking through the latticework. I wonder where those artifacts were introduced, as I very much doubt that was part of the original slide/negative. I think that'd be OK to treat as something to be repaired, but perhaps ask your distributor if it's OK?
Jo Ann

Marydh

I hope this is better.  Is her face too dark?

Jo Ann Snover

I think the darker midtones are all a bit too dark in this version (but the lower contrast is better)

I think something more like this is where you want to aim for



Let me know if you want more how-to details
Jo Ann

Marydh

Hi Jo Ann, me again.  I hope this is better. Yours has a softer look to it.  I can't figure out how you did that.  I fiddled with curves but couldn't figure out how to get that sharpness (contrast?) out of mine. 



Jo Ann Snover

Sorry for the delay, but your latest is much better. I think that's good to work from and you could always at the end selectively enhance contrast in areas you feel need it.

It may be that in my version I did the black and white conversion with a Gradient Map adjustment layer and handled contrast adjustments with a Curves layer set to Hard Light blend mode. I compared a Black & White adjustment layer and a Channel Mixer adjustment layer with Gradient Map to see which one I liked better for this image. Each way to convert to B&W lets you tweak in different ways, so it's not a one-size fits all approach.

Jo Ann

Marydh

Thanks a lot Jo Ann.  I've never used a Gradient Map or  Curves with Hard Light.  Sounds interesting and something fun to fiddle around with.  Amazing how there are so many ways of doing something.  Back to work. 🤓

Mhayes

I was thinking that sometime back we had something about gradients and the dangers of when we print that there was banding. Did I i dream this up and was it more on color?

Come along nicely Marydh.
"carpe diem"

Margie Hayes
OPR President
[email protected]

Jo Ann Snover

A Gradient Map adjustment layer does not produce a gradient in the image. It is a mapping of the pixel values in the image, light to dark, to those colors & tones in the gradient.

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=708297

And from this :

" Unlike a gradient fill, which fills an area by using a linear or radiant blend of colors, the gradient map applies the gradient by using the lightness and darkness values in the image as a map for how the gradient colors are applied"
Jo Ann

Marydh

Hi everyone.  Been working on this and have a few questions.
1.)  What is on her shoulders?  Ruffles?  Damage?
2.)  Do you like the pic with levels done later or the pic before levels  or some other version?  The one with levels is the brighter one.
3.) Have I done enough healing, etc.?
4.) Does her nose look okay?  Not sure what to do with her eye on our right.
    I'm going to do two versions...one with the previous "restoration"  on the left and one without.
Thanks. Mary




Jo Ann Snover

1) Not sure I understand the question, but I think this is a classic 1940s style dress and it's the sleeves gathered into the armhole making the puffed up look. Something like this:



2) I'd like somewhere in between :) Perhaps mask your Levels adjustment layer so the effect is almost nothing for the background and about 60% for the main subject

3) I think the building has black scratch marks on it (top left of the photo) that need to go. If it's easy to straighten out the roofline, that'd be nice, but optional (IMO)

4) The nose has lost the shadow on the left of the photo but otherwise looks good. Her lower lip got a bit thinner and/or lost a small shadow under it. Regarding the eye, if you're thinking the dark shadow makes her look a bit like a Pharaoh statue, perhaps just lighten it very slightly to match the one on the photo's left. It actually was that bad in the original, but now the photo is cleaned up, the dark shadow stands out more :)

It's really close now...
Jo Ann

Marydh

Thanks so much AGAIN Jo Ann. I think I'm on my way.