Dealing with White dots

[kiska]

schen, here's the download link. It's free.

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/%7Eavc25/archive.htm#FFT

[Hannie]

This may be handy:  A translation site for Photoshop to Paint Shop Pro!

http://paintshoppro.info/tutorials/photoshop_to_paintshoppro_dictionary.htm

Hannie

[schen]

Thanks kiska.  I got it downloaded.

The restoration is always more difficult than it seemed.  I only notice the paper texture flakes at the top center hair region in the lo-res thumbnail at Photoshelter.  After downloading the hi-res photo, I see them all over the face.

[klassylady25]

I also have an FFT star brush to share if you want it, just drop me a note.

[rockthumper]

This may be handy:  A translation site for Photoshop to Paint Shop Pro!

http://paintshoppro.info/tutorials/photoshop_to_paintshoppro_dictionary.htm

Hannie

Thanks Hannie, that's really helpful. I didn't even know PSP had a history palette!

[Hannie]

You're welcome Rockthumper!  It looks like the PS Dust and Scratches filter is the same as PSP's Add/Remove Noise.  Can't find what a snapshot would be in PSP but there must be a way in PSP to use these 2 layers to paint out the white sports.  Any PSP users maybe?

Hannie

[rockthumper]

I've been working away at this white spot idea and have written a group of scripts that work on the light, medium and dark parts of an image to remove the bright spots automatically. I'm sure this must have been done before but I haven't been able to find any reference to a good technique for images as messy as the ones which I've seen in the OPR galleries. There is a process of selection which has to be gone through but after that it is basically a 'one-click' result for each area. Poor initial results can be treated again for further improvement. The idea is to automate the donkey work, getting rid of most of the white dots while still retaining some surface texture, leaving the restorer an easier path to finishing the photo. Here's the result I got when I applied the scripts to the example I posted earlier:

Before:


After:


Some of the areas I had to 'treat' a couple of times and there was a small amount of layer cleanup to do but I think the 'after' photo is a lot further down the track to restoration than the 'before' photo but I then could be off with the fairies.
Does the 'after' photo look like a useful starting point to you? Your opinions would be appreciated.

[Hannie]

Goodmorning RT,

I think you have done a good job so far.  You got rid of a lot of white, that will ease the later use of cloning/healing a lot.
I had a go at your original picture with the Neat Image plug in (I call it the lazy women's FFT RGB filter) but the results were not satisfactory enough to be posted here.
My humble opinion is that you are on the right track!

Hannie

[rockthumper]

Goodmorning Hannie. :) It's actually goodnight for me, my eyes have just about fallen out anyway...
Thanks for your comment on my scripts. I'd better get back to restoring the real photo soon or I'll never get it done.
Cheers,
RT.

[Tess (Tassie D)]

:up: Nice job RT. You wrote your own scripts?

[rockthumper]

Tassie - No, I can't claim to have 'written' them, I just recorded some actions as a script. What I did in the above example is select a dark area of the pic and run my script. The script then makes three copies of the area, turns one into a mask using sharpening, curves and threshold to emphasise the white dots. It turns the second copy into areas of colour, without dots, using the Salt&Pepper filter and then applying an Arts Media effect . The third copy has the second added to it as a new layer and uses the first copy as a mask. The script then merges the layers, takes a copy, tides up the workspace and pastes the result as a new layer (into selection so the registration is correct) in the original image. Not bad for one mouse-click hey?
I'd like to learn more about writing scripts as then I can get PSP to do some analysis of the image and work out optimum values for itself rather than have me select general values (hence the reason I need three scripts, one each for dark, medium and light areas - they are the same script just with different average values set).
Cheers,
RT.

[sanbie]

I know about the white dots...took me forever to do mine on the Adams pic...then I still wasn't 100% happy with the results..but when I printed it out at the 8X10 size it said was it looked fine..so I didn't want to overkill it!!

Sanbie

[rockthumper]

Sanbie - So what technique do you use to get rid of them?

[kiska]

Rock, when I have severe damage like this, I PAINT ( the frowned upon "P" word, almost as dreaded as the "V" word  ;)). Sample surrounding color, about medium opacity. It does not have to match, just close to avoid the splotchies when healing. Then sample some good texture with the healing tool to get a source area. Again, the colors DON'T have to match, just the tone needs to be close. Experiment. Around the edges where the contrast is great, clone and build it up slowly. Hope this helps.

http://upload.pbase.com/image/85427670

[sanbie]

What I did was use the make over tool (Healing tool in PS) then when it was done as much as I could do I got the clone brush and at 45% opacity just gently went over the area to shade it more in...

Sanbie