Thoughts please?

[Tess (Tassie D)]

I'm mulling over this one at the moment. I am in the process of finishing cleaning up the Nun. I can clean up the foreground sections as marked and possibly reconstruct the wall lamp/light.
What to I do in the background of the worst damage? Try to figure everything out or just blur it? It appears to have kitchen wear in there but as to figuring out individual items, its not the focus of the picture. Can I crop it?

I've put it in full size. If anyone wants to compare the original, holler and I'll put that up too.

[Charlene5]

My what a horror :)  I'd fix the lamp and all the stuff to Sister's right.  Whatever that is directly behind her I'd tidy.  I just did a fast and nasty with your photo because I can show better than describe.  The stuff in the far background isn't important to the picture.  I would give it a bit of a crop and then suggest that there's stuff back by cleaning up the damage and then blurring it.

MJ

[glennab]

Hi Tess

You really know how to pick 'em!  At least Sister is mostly intact.  I think to the left of the lamp (as we see her) are molding and drapes, which could be cleaned up fairly easily.  The lamp will be more of a challenge, but you can discern most of it.  As for that center blob:  do you think she's sitting in a corner area?  I keep looking at the perspective behind her to each side and it suggests a corner to me.  I don't think she'd be sitting in front of a door.  I think MJ is right about blurring that area, maybe making it gray to hint at a wall or a corner.

Good luck with this one!

Glenna

[Hannie]

Hi Tess!

The lamp is a floor lamp with a swing arm, you can still see the stand on the left.  Good job you did on the nun!  I agree also with MJ and Glenna that the nun is most important and you can blur the kitchen in the background.  Before the blurring you can even do a really rough clone/clean/heal job on the background to blend it all together a bit?

Hannie

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Thanks everyone. I spotted the lamp pole as soon as I posted the pic here. It sure is odd you dont see something then there it is plain as day.
I will blur the kitchen area and finish off repairing the walls and lamp. Still have to darken the sisters nose & side of face a bit and put the other arm on the glasses. That area was a light streak from the photo album plastic.

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Here's where I'm at with this one. I hate that blurred section but can't find any way round it. Did I miss anything?



Here's the original.

[Charlene5]

Looks good!  Try cranking down the white in the background to about a 40% gray and then desaturating the blur about 50%.  The white against the dark drew my nearsighted old eyes and I think if it is a bit quieter it'll work very well.  You did a lovely job!

[glennab]

Hi Tess

I really like the treatment you gave the background.  The only thing I see that bothers me is the transition on our right between Sister's sleeve and the background.  The edge of the sleeve could be softened a bit and the area next to it also softened or blurred -- something to make it blend more into the rest of the blur from the kitchen.

A really impressive job on a mess of a photo (I hadn't seen how yukky the original was with the glare off the plastic sleeve on Sister's face).  Kudos!

Glenna

[Hannie]

Hi Tess,

That is coming along great, think you're doing a great job!

Hannie

[sanbie]

 :up: You have done a great job on a difficult restore Tess...

Sanbie

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Thanks everyone. I have knocked the brightness on that wall down and blurred along the sleeve some more. Will send it home.

[phischer]

Looks great. One thing though...the lampshade I don't feel has the correct shape. I think it looks more like this.

[Tess (Tassie D)]

:up2: Thanks phischer.