Image copyright remains with original copyright holder as noted in "Photoshop Restoration & Retouching" 1, 2, & 3 editions. Image used by permission of Katrin Eismann www.digitalretouch.org

Bier Garden

Chapter one is about Photoshop tools and some tips and tricks about scanning and so on. So there isn't actually any assignment and that's why I'm jumping straight to chapter two. Of-course I did read everything carefully. So this chapter two presents several ways how to correct image's tonality.

I choose this image, because it's having many faults and with it I can train blending modes of the levels and curves layers, what was a new thing to me. Sure I have used these adjustment layers, but never happened to think I can change the blending mode of them too and even adjust separate channels.
So I took this faded photograph as for an example to this first assignment.
I'm not looking the dust and scratches now I'm focusing just to the tonality.

1. First I opened the image using the embedded profile. Grayscale-Gamma 2.2. Did set also my monitor gamma to 2.2 as Windows users do.
2. Then made a threshold adjustment layer to find its black and white points and this time leave the layer, but click it's eye away.
3. Did add Curves adjustment layer and click the points with pipets.
4. Add Levels adjustment layer and set it to Multiply mode without touching any sliders, reduce opacity to 74%.
5. Then I duplicate this levels layer and fill mask with black.
6. I use Janee's shading brush with white color and paint over lighter areas on the top and left.
7. Did duplicate it again and reduce opacity to 20% and paint more over bushes in left side.
8. Did duplicate it again and fill mask with black and using same brush paint with over bushes lower left side.
8. I add a second Curves layer to modify also the contrast. Dark side to 59/44 and white side 204/220.
9. Merged

Now it looks quite good to start dust and scratches correction or tell me what do you think of it?
The skin of the man in the left is still bit lighter than others. Maybe painting the mask with gradient should used in here instead of the bush. Or both, first gradient and then small areas with brush.

Mother & Child Grayscale

This photograph is taken around 1900. Unfortunately I don't know who they are, but I found them from my grandmother's old leather skinned album. Nearly all were rather good condition, but this one was so badly faded that I loved to try if I could get any details out from it.

This image in the leftone is having nearly similar workflow than what I did to bier garden photograph. I worked in grayscale mode.

Mother and Child RGB

1. This second one in the right is in Adobe RGB mode and I first look it's channels. All the channels did have those blemish marks, but blue channel did have best contrast so I copied it and pasted on a new layer.
2. Then I made slightly Noise>Dust and scratches adjusting 1.
3. I set my pipet's sample point area to 5x5. Then find the black and white points with threshold adjustment layer. Curves layer.
4. Levels1 is in multiply mode 43%. No adjusting for the sliders.
5. Copy of level's 1 layer. Set it multiply 50%. This time I add the black (hide all) mask and paint with Janee's shading brush(white) to open more details for these lighter parts like both's faces, childs clothes and some parts of the floor.
6. Time to add some contrast with curves adjustment layer.
7. Merged layer to where I add Unsharp Mask just a little 50/1 and use burn tool for some details in faces.

I know I should copy merged layer after sharpening and use burn tool for new layer.

The original image did have a wee bit sepia, but the scanner made it darker. Anyhow I was surprised how much details it still have even it looked so badly faded.

Main Topics:

© K. Hillerström 2007

Bier Garden

Mother & Child Grayscale