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I have had to try different things to try to restore this picture. Most of it hit and miss. It is sure a learning experience but fun, when something worked.
This is not finished by a long shot but I just wanted to show how it was coming.
You sure have to use a lot of different techniques and experiment!!
 
I have done it a half dozen times and every time a different way. I changed it to greyscale to work with it and will put the tint back after I am finished......I hope <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
 
You're like a photographic archaeologist, sort of an Indiana Jones in a kayak. Actually you're motivating me to go dig out some old family photos and try my hand at this. I'm not as brave as you are though. I think I'll tackle something much smaller at first and work my way up. Good work though Royal. You may have found a way to suppliment those retirement checks. <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
 
the toughest part is the faces. It is hard to doctor them up but I am finding things that work. It especially helps with the old pictures because they are all dead and nobody knows most of them anyway. You can take a few liberties here and there. Take a nose from one guy and an ear from another, etc. It is fun to experiment to see what works
 
I am just trying some different things and will decide what I like best by experimentation.
This is another attempt
 
I may be off base on this so consider the source, just dumb old me. I have never attempted something like this so I may also be talking out my arse as well. But since you asked ... <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)"> I think you're trying to do too much with the photo. Some of the faces look blocky, too much smudging in the background and a lot of halos around the mens heads. The original photo appeared to naturally possess some uneven exposures and a somewhat inconsistent focus that I thought gave it a very authentic look. Overall the original appeared to look more "real" and "1930ish" than your current version. If it were me, I would leave all that in and just concentrate on repairing the tears, cracks and other damage to the photo, at least at first. I think it would be an awesome project to restore the photo to its original condition maintaining the focus and exposure issues. After that I might, and I emphasize MIGHT, go ahead and see if I could improve upon the original photograph. Fixing all the faces, correcting exposures and making the background consistent would be an enormous task that in my opinion would detract from the authentic look and feel of the original. In any case, even though it is a lot of work it sure looks like fun trying to save a piece of history for future generations. You got me motivated to give it a try. Then you can get even and critique my work. <img src="/metal/html/wink.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=";)">
 
there is so much you can do with photoshop and so much to learn. I have the original scan and when I get the techniques down better, I will go back to that and use what I have learned.
I had to steal heads from different people to replace some that were dead center in the cracks. I had to copy ears and chins and flip them to use on the other sides of their faces. I am having fun with it.
I agree with you that the original is more to my liking and I am gonna try for that eventually but like you said, it is a big job, especially when you don't know what the heck you are doing.
Thanks for the frank comments. Stroking is not gonna help me get better <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
 
All I know is what I like <img src="/metal/html/shrug.gif" border=0 width=37 height=15 alt=":shrug"> but I'd say go back to the original and see about just repairing the tears and folds first. Taking your time and just seeing and working toward one aspect of the photo as a goal rather than the whole thing at once.
Did that make any sense? If not, just ignore me! <img src="/metal/html/indifferent.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":|">
I still think it's a great project but I don't see it happening in just a few days.
 
there is so much to learn and this is a big picture.
The toughest thing I have had to overcome is the contrast. The cracks are a mechanical thing that just takes time but that dang light spot on the left side is tough to overcome. I know there is a heck of a lot easier way than I have been using but I have not figured it out yet. There is just to much in the picture.
One thing that helped <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)"> is that in working on one of the cracks, I noticed a guy setting next to the one with the cracked face that was an identical twin. Now I just used part of his face.
It is fun trying to figure out how to overcome some of the problems. I have a lot to learn but what the heck, it is winter <img src="/metal/html/oh.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":O">)
I appreciate the imput.
 
...instead of using the airbrush or paintbrush, practice with the cloning tool to fill in cracks, etc. By picking up detail from surrounding area with this tool, you can reproduce not only the matching tone, but the texture of adjacent areas. The airbrush or paintbrush will leave your corrections looking flat.
The neat thing with the cloning tool is you can "option click" to the side of the area you want to correct to target a matching area.
 
I never thought you would be able to get all of those heavy folds out of that photo! Nice job!
 
I use it quite abit actually. There were some places Ijust could not match up. The darned cracks were do big.
I did use the clone tool to even replace heads, in places that the damage was too bad.
I am starting over again, as I get the time. This is sure helping me learn Photoshop <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=":)">
 
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