Ausimax's Workshop

[Ausimax]

Hi Folks,

I don't know if it is just my monitor, but what you did Kiska made him look as though they got him off the slab in the Morgue for the shoot, I changed the background to Gray but I warmed him up some. Anyway they can make that decision when they colour correct for printing.

This is what I will be sending home.




Max

[cmpentecost]

Nicely done Max!

Christine

[kiska]

Looks great Max. I just did that one curves thing to get him in 'the ball park'. He still needed a little maneuvering.    ;)

[Ausimax]

Hi Folks,


I need your help again, there is no detail available for the dress in any channel RGB,CMYK or Lab, there is just enough to show she was carrying a Bouquet, what it looked like I could not discern, though it must have been light in colour to wash out so completely.

I imagine there would be a pattern of some kind on the bodice of the dress, probably lace, or something like that, however not having that info, this is about as good as I could get it, give me your thoughts and suggestions as to how it may be improved please.







Max

[glennab]

Good morning Max

I don't think I've seen such a blown-out area before.  You're right on that no channel shows anything.  I wonder if just a few very soft shaded areas to give the dress some dimension would be allowable.  Otherwise, it appears you've done as much as you can.  I'd even be hesitant to use the bouquet, since there's no way to be sure what she was carrying.  Maybe that could be dropped in opacity even more, so it's just barely discernable.

Tough, tough, tough!  What a challenge.

I'm amazed at the way you're chugging through all these photos.  You're the ace!

Hugs!

Glenna

[Ausimax]

 

Good evening Glenna,

I know what you mean about the bouquet, I will probably bring that back till it is barely discernable, but if I don't have it, where is her hand?

I'll sleep on it and see what others have to contribute, can't see a lot more I can do with tired eyes.

Max

[glennab]

For heaven's sake, Max, I've tried to teach you everything I know and now you're going to sleep on the restoration.?  Please leave it in the computer. Hasn't it been through enough already?????

Glenna

P.S. As for the question about her hand, it's wherever the bouquet is, which is invisible!  I don't know if this is an issue for admin or not.  No matter what you do, it won't be what was there originally.  But I'd also have a hard time leaving that area with nothing showing.  Hard to know what to do.

[schen]

If I blew the contrast way up in green channel, I could see her hand resting on her waist holding a bouquet.  There were five roses visible in the bouquet all above her hand/waist and some leaves or ribbons cascaded down along the white blotch.  I could discern each petal of the rose that was bottom centered.

I would guess the roses were pink because they showed up more prominent in green channel but almost completely washed out.

Then I felt that I was taking an ink blot test.

I used to believe it is the photographer not the equipment that makes the picture until I got my bounce flash.

If I were the owner, I will be happy as the way you did without the bouquet.  The faces are clear and look original.

[cmpentecost]

Hi Max,

I agree on the above thoughts on the bouquet.  It sounds like Shen really pulled some information out.  To add my two cents worth, I'd add some shadowing around the bouquet, to make them appear more realistic, as if she really is holding this bouquet.

Nice job so far!

Christine

[schen]

I know it's all my imagination.  But I am sticking to it.

The high contrast green channel <    > The bouquet I see

[Ausimax]

Hi Glenna, Christine and Schen,

Schen either you have better eyesight or imagination than I do, I just can't find that kind of detail there and I have subjected all channels in three colour modes to every form of torture I know to make them give me some info, without joy.

I can't justify adding too much detail, as she will know what the original looked like and it won't be the same, so I have toned the bouquet down till it is barely visible, just gives the impression and means I don't have to add an even more unrealistic hand.

Thanks for your help and suggestions, I slept on it last night, it was a bit crumpled this morning, but I ironed it out again and decided to go with this.





Max

[glennab]

Max, I think this is a fine compromise.  I like the way you kept the bouquet, but ghosted it way back.

Schen, I'm with Max in that I couldn't see ANYTHING, even in the close-ups where you drew in what you saw.  And I tortured the channels, too.

With a little more study, Max, I think the only other thing I'd do is very subtly soften the edges of her gown.  Since it's so starkly white, i think the softer edges would tone down the blown-out look.

Glenna

[schen]

Max,

I don't have better eyesight.  I might have more imagination.  As I said, it was an ink blot test for me.  I saw what I wanted to see.  :)

I like the toned down version of the bouquet.  Maybe blur it a little to match the rest of the picture.

[Ausimax]

Glenna, schen,

Thanks for your help, I have sent it home couldn't do much more for it, hard to say how much detail it had to start, it was a snapshot taken with flash and the whites may well have been blown to start with, I just can't see how so much detail could be lost from the dress and bouquet without major damage to the rest of the photo otherwise.

schen, seeing things in some of these photos is so subjective, I hate it when you can see things at screen size but when you zoom to where you can work on it you can no longer see the detail, then you discover you have cloned out important detail in mistake for damage.

Max

[Ausimax]

Hi Folks,

This is my latest project, still some finishing off to do but getting close I think, critique and comments welcomed.







Max