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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 08:22 BST (UK)

Title: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 08:22 BST (UK)
Another "only one I have" this time the only one I have of my late mother and father together.  It is still in reasonably good condition, but has a few creases and has started to fade in places, I would love to be able to have a good enough copy to put in a frame.

Have tried to tamper with it myself.........but......still trying!

Thank you
Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: deadants on Monday 25 September 06 08:53 BST (UK)
Hi Kaz, I hope this isn't too dark.
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: PrueM on Monday 25 September 06 09:07 BST (UK)
Nice job deadants  :)

Hi Kaz, here is my attempt
Prue
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 09:43 BST (UK)
Thank you so much deadants & prue - wonderful, oh gosh how do you do it!
 ;D ;D ;D

You guys make everything seem such a doddle!  Gonna take me years to get this good!

Thank you again
Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: saddles on Monday 25 September 06 10:05 BST (UK)
Heres a sepia version, a colour version follows from Mrs Saddles.

Print size is as you see it

Mike.
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: Lones on Monday 25 September 06 10:10 BST (UK)
My attempt

Do you have any preference for colours, as in hair, suit, flowers etc?

Lones
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 10:21 BST (UK)
Oh that is lovely too Mike, thank you

Can see i'm gonna need lots of photo paper and lots of frames for this one!  How can I possibly chose between them all!

 :) :) :)

Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 10:24 BST (UK)
Lones,  I have no idea on what the colours would have been, my father was always a dark suit man, so would assume his suit would have been a black pinstripe, both their hair was dark brown, flowers.....what ever you feel looks best, would be lovely to see with a bit of colour.   The picture was taken in 1946 if this helps.

Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: saddles on Monday 25 September 06 10:25 BST (UK)
Heres my colour rendition, I hope you like !


Carolyn  :)
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 10:37 BST (UK)
Thats wonderful Carolyn, thank you - am never going to be able to chose which one to frame now you know!

Lol, will have to buy one of those 'multi-picture' frames! ;D

Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: Lady Di on Monday 25 September 06 11:02 BST (UK)
The others are so beautiful and well done that I thought I'd have a change  :D

Di
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 11:16 BST (UK)
Oh Di thats beautiful, how did you do that?

Was looking in photoshop elements for some sort of framing, but couldn't find anything............although I have only been doing it less than a week!!!  so am still a bit blond !!!

Also have Roxio Photosuite - can frame things from in there.....maybe i would have to use one program for one thing then the other for framing  ???  Oh gosh, so much to learn!  Lol

Thank you so much

Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: Lady Di on Monday 25 September 06 11:47 BST (UK)
Hi Kaz,

I'm pleased that you like it  ;)

I have only been doing (my version of) photo restoration for a few months and it's a case of "learn on the job" for me. I have a try at most photos on RC, and only post the ones I think are sortof OK (some are total failures  >:()

I have five different "restoration" programs which were on my second hand computer when I bought it. Of course - I have no instructions for any of them so it's all trial and error  ;D

Just practice, practice, practice and you'll be helping others on here very soon.

Good Luck
Di
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 12:12 BST (UK)
Thanks Di  I guess it really is a matter of mix and match then!  I find Roxio much easier to use, but think Photoshop has more to offer, just struggling to understand Photoshop at the moment, but guess time and practice and it will come eventually.

Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Monday 25 September 06 12:30 BST (UK)
Kaz

Here's one from Elements..one with a frame and one without.  The frames in Elements are very basic (and um, boring) but if you google you can find more elaborate ones.

I'm afraid the flowers had to be the same colour as Carolyn's cos they are definitely pink carnations  ;D ;D ;D

Cheers
Cazza
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Monday 25 September 06 12:37 BST (UK)
With frame...

I decided he was wearing an orchid  ;D

PS Di..that is stunning, very creative  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 13:42 BST (UK)
Thanks Cazza, you have, along with everyone else excelled again   :D   And looking at what you have all done for me has made me even more determind to master the art!  Yeh right  ;D

As for the frames...mmm, will have to look in elements again, couldn't find them when I looked, but guess they must be hiding there somewhere amongst the array of buttons and tools!  :D :D :D
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Monday 25 September 06 13:48 BST (UK)
They are hidden in "Styles and Effects"  then "Effects"...Frames...

Cazza
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Monday 25 September 06 13:53 BST (UK)
Thank you Cazza.............should have realised i would have to go through one thing then another to find them!  ;D   the glory of modern technology, where would we be without it

Will look tonight when I get home
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Wednesday 04 October 06 11:50 BST (UK)
Hi

Would just like to thank you all - again - for the wonderful work you have done for me on this picture. 

I have been a bit quiet as I have been away for a long weekend staying with my sister, just thought you would like to know that I framed one of the pictures and took it with me as a gift for her and she was absolutely thrilled to bits with it, she now has mum and dad proudly hanging on her lounge wall.

Thank you all so much

Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Wednesday 04 October 06 13:27 BST (UK)
Hi Kaz

I've finally found a curves plug in for Elements 4...just had a quick muck around with your photo so you can compare with the one I did above, and the difference this tool makes.  Take note of the difference in the dress.

Now all I have to do is find the link and post it, pretty sure I put it in my favourites on my work pc but having a couple of days off so it will be Monday before I can check  ::)

Cazza


Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Wednesday 04 October 06 13:31 BST (UK)
You can really see where I've used curves and where I haven't..makes a big difference.  Forgot to mention this plug is also free!  ;D
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Wednesday 04 October 06 13:53 BST (UK)
Certainly does make a difference Cazza, can't wait to try it myself - lol, when i get round to it!

Can I ask another quickie........?

Been having a play around with some colour on another old pic, just for fun to see what i can do. 

Have only managed to do it using lasso tool/magic marker etc., apart from taking an age to do, it is so frustrating when the tool pics out similar shades of an area but not the whole area, am I using the wrong tool or method here?

Don't mind things taking ages if i'm doing it correctly, but sure there must be something I'm not doing right !

Thanks
Kaz
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: cazza59 on Wednesday 04 October 06 14:52 BST (UK)
Kaz, personally I would use the magnetic lasso to make selections for colouring.  It takes a little getting used to but at least you get the whole area you want to colour.  All you need to do is pick a point on the object you want to colour, click to make the first anchor point and then trace around the edges of the object.  If there are  contrasting colours, the magnetic lasso will automatically attach itself to the object.  If it goes where you don't want it to, hit the backspace key and then click to make your own  anchor point and continue going around the object.

There is a way to extend the selections made by the magic wand so it includes the whole area but can't think of it at the moment....

Cazza
Title: Re: Can this be made good enought to frame please
Post by: kaz8 on Wednesday 04 October 06 20:30 BST (UK)
Wow, Cazza thank you so much, have just tried it, so much easier to use!!!  ;D ;D ;D

Gonna have a hay day now!!!

Cheers

Kaz