Fix this Photo

DavidTO

OK, OK, OK. Now that you've stopped laughing....


Any idea on how to fix this photo? Or maybe a way to scan it so that the pattern doesn't show up in the first place?

Andy

DavidTO wrote:

OK, OK, OK. Now that you've stopped laughing....


Any idea on how to fix this photo? Or maybe a way to scan it so that the pattern doesn't show up in the first place?

Cracked Skin?

DavidTO

Andy wrote:

Cracked Skin?

Not exactly what I had in mind...

Andy

Following this tutorial on dgrin.smugmug.com



and then another version, with a 7px "surface blur" (PS CS2 only I think?)

Khaos

With a real quick run. Two minutes, tops.
Filters: Noise Ninja, dust & Scratches
Some Curve work

After this you would need to probably spend an hour or so with the healing tool. You can always blur it, but it wouldn't look as good.

gus

DavidTO wrote:

OK, OK, OK. Now that you've stopped laughing....

n...n....n.....:lol4 n...no i havnt :lol4 :lol :lol :lol

DavidTO

Humungus wrote:

n...n....n.....:lol4 n...no i havnt :lol4 :lol :lol :lol

Maybe I can make you explode:



(Nice shirt, eh?)

edgework

I noticed that in LAB, the grain areas all were lighter than the surrounding image. So I started with a mask that darkened everything else and left the bright spots white. I used this as a mask on a blurred layer to sort of smear the tone over the brighter flecks. I also used a filter called Neat Image which I usually hate, but, in this case, since it's stated purpose is to remove film grain, seemed to help some. Did some edge sharpening to try to bring back detail, then smoothed out some of the obivous artifacts with the healing brush, a curve for contrast and then the revised layer at 75% over the original, still muting the bright flecks but taking advantage of some of the underlying face detail that got kind of smashed by the filters.

wxwax

Hard to clean up without losing detail. There has to be software somewhere that solves your problem, because to my unpracticed eye it doesn't look like the normal noise. What it really looks like is the light from the scanner being reflected at odd angles due to the surface crumpling a bit. I tried to use the lassoo tool, but I wasn't able to make effective selections.

I followed khaos' path of Noise Ninja, then Noise and Dust on each color channel, then a bit of color balancing, sharpening.

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

What it really looks like is the light from the scanner being reflected at odd angles due to the surface crumpling a bit.

That's exactly it. A heavily textured surface.

Dee

Scanning suggestions
I remember that "texture" well... :

OK, this will sound odd -- turn the photo 45 degrees and scan it, try turning it all sorts of ways and scan it. One of the ways should minimize the texture. (I remember hearing this from our service bureau years ago.)

If that doesn't work, try PHOTOGRAPHING the photo, you'll have more control over the light.

If that doesn't work, then what I'd suggest would be to mask the background and blur it.

Then you can painstakingly use either the clone tool, or the patch tool to get rid of the pattern, piece by piece, but by bit.

It will be a true labor of love...

Some Photoshop genius should be able to come up with some method I'm not familiar with -- and the fact that it's a "consistent" texture should help, but that's way beyond my knowledge.

You might be able to do some sort of color burn on some parts of the image, especially the hair and uniform. Select the blue of the uniform, make a new layer, fill the selection with a dark version of the blue and select "color" see if that helps. I know it works for red eye.

Then if that works to your satisfaction, try some of the other areas...

DavidTO

Dee wrote:

OK, this will sound odd -- turn the photo 45 degrees and scan it, try turning it all sorts of ways and scan it. One of the ways should minimize the texture. (I remember hearing this from our service bureau years ago.)

If that doesn't work, try PHOTOGRAPHING the photo, you'll have more control over the light.

Great ideas!

Andy

Khaos, Edgework, Waxy:

DavidTO

Andy wrote:

Khaos, Edgework, Waxy:

Yeah, huh?

Pret-ty darn impressive.

Thanks for the ideas!

wxwax

Dee wrote:

I remember that "texture" well... :

OK, this will sound odd -- turn the photo 45 degrees and scan it, try turning it all sorts of ways and scan it. One of the ways should minimize the texture. (I remember hearing this from our service bureau years ago.)

If that doesn't work, try PHOTOGRAPHING the photo, you'll have more control over the light.

I love both of those suggestions.

Make multiple scans at different light angles. Then layer all of them. Mask 'em. And paint in the good bits. Might work.

I thought about shooting it instead of scanning it, I reckon you're right, much more control of the light reflections. Again, changing the lights and making multiple shots/layer masking might help.

warszawski

Median Filter(?)
I have used a Median filter (2 pixels), the result isn't perfect but maybe(?) a good start. at least it works well for a 66% of reduction of initial image.

DavidTO

OK, here's mine:



How'd I do?

I used a technique for dealing with blemishes. Duplicate the layer, and add Gaussian Blur -- enough that it removes what you don't want. Your whole image will be really blurry now, but don't worry.


After you get that set, go to the History Palette, and select the layer just above the Bur state, then the box to the left of the Blur. This sets the history brush.



Select the history brush



And set the mode to Darken




Paint away, and the marks disapear.



I then went back and changed the mode to lighten and was much more careful, because the two together equal a complete blur, but the background especially needed it because there were dark marks there.

Mike Lane

I did a little touch up...
I made a few improvements. What do you think?

Andy

Mike Lane wrote:

I made a few improvements. What do you think?

Yeah, bahy-beee!

Shagalicious.

DavidTO

Mike Lane wrote:

I made a few improvements. What do you think?

I love it!

cletus

great work guys!

wxwax

DavidTO wrote:

I then went back and changed the mode to lighten and was much more careful, because the two together equal a complete blur, but the background especially needed it because there were dark marks there.

Outstanding! Thanks for the technique. Must try to remember that. Hmmmmm.... How To? All illustrated and everything.

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

Outstanding! Thanks for the technique. Must try to remember that. Hmmmmm.... How To? All illustrated and everything.

I honestly had no idea how to fix that photo when I posted. As I read through all that you all were doing, I remembered this technique that I had tried before on pores, and thought I'd give it a go.

Andy

David's tutorials are now on our Dgrin Tute page (linkage at top in your navbar)

Also here:

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1078429

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1078946

Awesome, David - thank you!