While browsing through a box of photos handed down to youfrom a relative, you come across a studio portrait of your greatgrandfather and his family. The picture is in sepia tone, the edgesare tattered and there are deep scratches across the picture. Tomake matters worse, someone folded the picture to fit into a smallbox producing a crease across the center of the picture.
In spite of it?s faults, you would like to enlarge the picture and frame it for your family gallery. With a photo editor, you and yourcomputer can make the photo like new. First scan the photo at 400 dpi resolution. Save the file as a .tif and scan again saving asa .jpg file. Using the JPEG file to work with, choose the clonetool to extend the corners and to remove any marks in the photo.The clone size should be about twice as large as the blemish and set to fifty per cent strength. Save your work after ten or so fixes,more depending on your RAM memory.
There are three basic methods of fixing missing or damaged areasin the photo. The source area of the clone tool is centered over anarea similar to the missing patch but undamaged. A fifty per centstrength (eighty five per cent for skin) clone brush used in a tapping motion will replace the damaged area. A second method drags the clone brush and source through the damaged area for replacement. Finally, a third method involves masking out an undamaged area thatis identical to the damaged area, making it into an object and draggingthe object to the new location for a perfect fit. Some edge blending may be necessary. Work at the highest magnification possible for aninvisible fix.
Most difficult are problems with the nose and eyes. If one eye isundamaged, it may be possible to make an object of the eye area, flip it left for right and replace the damaged eye. Blend the edges and usethe smoothing brushes for a natural look. Do not sharpen the eyestoo much or they will look unnatural.
When satisfied with the retouching, open the histogram to stretch thecontrast to a proper level. I recommend desaturating the image and using the color balance to simulate the original sepia tone. Some editorshave a special sepia tool for this purpose. For enlarging more than two hundred per cent, I recommend using PureImage or equivalentsoftware to reduce artifacts, smooth out the one tone areas and sharpenthe edges. Your efforts will be well appreciated, for after all, if it weren?tfor your ancestors, you wouldn?t be here.
A retired portrait photographer, not quite as old as some pictures.
Tags: Skin