Think this photo restore went ok? Any suggestions?

[aphex]

Restored an old photo for my brother in law. Baby pictures from his old home back in Cuba.

Link to Side-by-Side

Any suggestions? Tips?

I thought it went ok, but I know it could have been done better.

 

[Fardringle]

Very nice job! Mind sharing how you did it? I've done some minor repairs on old photos but nothing that extensive and I'd love to know how to do it.

You did miss one spot. There's still a large scratch/crack across the black pile of cloth (maybe a jacket or a bag) just below the radio on the left edge of the photo. Otherwise, I think it looks very natural and even "pixel peeping" a bit I can't see anything that would make me think the picture was edited if I didn't know it already.

 

[aphex]

Thanks!! Didn't even notice that scratch, i'll take care of it now.

Most of the scratch removal was done with a combo of the Clone Stamp & Spot Healing Brush. I tried to use the Spot Healing where possible as its quicker, but the clone stamp really helps in those difficult areas. After the removal, I did a levels and contrast adjustment, converted the image to B&W, then ran an Alien Skin Exposure filter to bring out the original film quality to the image. Followed that up by a little USM, and thats it.

I appreciate the well wishes!

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: aphex
Restored an old photo for my brother in law. Baby pictures from his old home back in Cuba.

Link to Side-by-Side

Any suggestions? Tips?

I thought it went ok, but I know it could have been done better.

For the casual observer, it's great.

Since you're asking for critique, I'll mention the following:

? I think you over-contrasted the image; the slight separation between head & headboard is getting lost, and I think the whites are glaring. The flip side to this is that the added contrast makes the pattern on the bedspread look much better. Perhaps selective contrast would be in order.

? There's pattern on the wall (top right of the clock) that sticks out to me - it could be far better blended. Same with the bedspread in the foreground, directly below his hand.

 

[Aharami]

at first look, i was like "wow nice! that's a really good job". But after a while i found myself appreciating the previous version better. I think it's because IMO the softness works better with older photographs. It's an old photograph, fix up the errors, but preserve its age.

 

[Jawo]

I agree with the above....the revised one is too contrasty or over sharpened...I don't like the over pronounced shadows under the eyes.

 

[IGBT]

..gawd that looks great. amazing what can be done now a days.