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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Spitfire on Wednesday 21 May 08 23:11 BST (UK)

Title: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Wednesday 21 May 08 23:11 BST (UK)
Hi all,

Having seen the amazing results with photography programs, I am wondering if someone can help me with the attached pic.  This was taken about 1943 in Tobruk and needs some work to bring clarity to it.  Can anyone help?

Emma

**Moderator comment:  photo resized for easier viewing...please try to keep photos no more than 800 pixels wide  :) **
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Niksmum on Wednesday 21 May 08 23:21 BST (UK)
hi there

First you will get a better response if this is posted on a seperate thread.
Second this has been scanned with a very low resolution 144 dpi and to get the best results it needs to be between 300-600dpi.
Having said all that here is my attempt.

Irene
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Thursday 22 May 08 00:48 BST (UK)
Hi All,

This photo was taken at Tobruk in 1944.  My partner's father is in the picture but it loses clarity when enlarged.  Can anyone do anything with it?

Emma

**Moderator comment:  topic merged and photo removed, please see post #1 for photo  :)  **
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: charles w on Thursday 22 May 08 01:10 BST (UK)
My attempt..
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Suttonrog on Thursday 22 May 08 08:19 BST (UK)
Quote
**Moderator comment:  photo resized for easier viewing...please try to keep photos no more than 800 pixels wide   **

Why are you concerned about easy viewing.

We are concerned about restoration which needs as many pixels as can be posted.

If you want easy viewing why not set up a separate section for those who only want to look?

Rog
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: PrueM on Thursday 22 May 08 09:58 BST (UK)
Quote
**Moderator comment:  photo resized for easier viewing...please try to keep photos no more than 800 pixels wide   **

Why are you concerned about easy viewing.

We are concerned about restoration which needs as many pixels as can be posted.

If you want easy viewing why not set up a separate section for those who only want to look?

Rog

Hi Rog,
Point taken, but in this case the picture was very wide, causing the whole screen to stretch out.

I quote from Berlin Bob's 2004 thread "Adding images to Posting & Profiles /#1"
Quote
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,128057.0.html
The RootsChat board, excluding profile info and sidebars, is about 800 pixels wide (on a laptop), so try and stay within this limit, otherwise the screen will be "stretched" and we have to scroll left and right to read the postings.

I've got a pretty big widescreen monitor, but still it was difficult to view not only the top image but all those below as well, which were of differing widths.   800px wide seems to be a 'standard' width for monitors so that is what I am basing my resizing on.

When I reposted the picture at the smaller physical size, I also increased the resolution from 72 to 300dpi.

Cheers
Prue
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Suttonrog on Thursday 22 May 08 10:21 BST (UK)
For a portrait photo 800 wide by say 1200 tall will just about fill the 500k limit and the 800 guide is very sensible. At 300 dpi this roughly equates to about 3 inches by 4 which should print out quite nicely.

This one after resizing would be less than an inch high (I did not see the original) . Not very good.

Once scanned it does not matter whether it is at 72 or 300 if you limit to 800 pixels. It is the same number of pixels and therefore the same ammount of detail. By making it smaller detail is lost and resaving a jpg after resizing loses even more detail.

My point is does it matter what it looks like on the screen as the object is to give the best restores we can. When I post a restore I aim to get as close to the 500kb limit as i can so that the recipient can print at the best quality, not get the best view on their screen.

Rog
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: PrueM on Thursday 22 May 08 10:40 BST (UK)
Hi Rog,

Again, I take your point, and if the original had been only slightly over 800 wide (say, 1000 or so) then I would have let it slide.  As it was, though, from memory the original was over 2000 wide - great for restoration, but way too wide for a standard screen and it means that anyone who wants to look down the thread at the restorations (which lots of people like to do) would be constantly scrolling back and forth.

Restorers wanting a larger image may contact the poster and request a copy of the original file to work on; any restorations on that can be posted here in small form, and emailed to the poster in full size.

Cheers
Prue
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Thursday 22 May 08 15:43 BST (UK)
Oops, I started something here! ;D  I am happy to send this file to anyone that wants it to play with.
The problem I have is that I want to be able to identify people more clearly and as a smaller image this is proving quite a trial.  Moreover, the gentleman who is helping me served with these men, and is now 90 years old with failing eyesight.  I need to get this as clear as possible at a decent size!  Unfortunately I am not very literate with the process - hence the bad size of the original posted on here.
Sorry chaps!
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: PrueM on Thursday 22 May 08 21:57 BST (UK)
Don't worry about it, Emma!  ;) :)

There isn't a hard and fast rule about sizes, but if something is huge I'll be resizing for the sake of convenience...and as you say, you can provide a big scan to anyone who wants one, via email. 

Incidentally, the original image you posted (the huge one  ;D  ) was quite badly pixellated because it was at a low resolution, so to make it clearer it had to be shrunk anyway.   It's a juggling act to get images the right resolution, the right physical size, and the right file size to fit on Rootschat!  ;D  Takes a bit of practise, but it's worth the effort  :)

Cheers
Prue
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: scrimnet on Thursday 22 May 08 23:44 BST (UK)
Well it is a marvelous mixture of headgear!!

A Wolseley helmet, most in tin lids and what looks like someone (the chap in the middle whose head is just popping up) in a captured German M43 Field Cap, or more possibly the M40 Tropical Cap...

I think the gun might be German as well...Deffo not in British use anyway...Well not in my reference books!!
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Friday 23 May 08 00:05 BST (UK)
I haven't been able to post all the picture.  It has copyright on it........long story, but it featured in Picture Post in 1957, after a German found the camera during the war, had the pics developed and wanted them to be returned to their owners!!!  My partner's late father is sitting on the barrell far right and we have identified a couple of others.
The gun could be Italian apparently?  I can send you the whole picture if you wish Scrimnet but I cannot post on here!

Emma
http://www.geocities.com/hunnies28@btopenworld.com/85thMt.html
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: scrimnet on Friday 23 May 08 00:25 BST (UK)
Hi Em

I'll PM you with my email addy... ;D ;D

The reason why I suggested it was a Jerry gun is because of the ?German hat...Might have been found with the gun...

I would be surprised if Picture Post owned the copyright...It should be owned by the person who originally took the pics! Picture Post wouldn't have paid  for the pics, even ex gratia!...

Have you the original? And were the pics re united with the owner??
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Friday 23 May 08 01:03 BST (UK)
The pictures were never reunited with their owners - to the best of my knowledge.  It appears that Getty Images now own the copyright and they want an extortionate amount to use it anywhere!
One of the chaps (whose head you can see) is wearing a German Great Coat!
I have some incredible photos - they were quite an unusual artillery unit.

Thanks for the interest,
Em
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Woodentop50 on Friday 23 May 08 14:18 BST (UK)
Spitfire / Scrimnet,

Would these chaps be Long Range Desert Group or something similar , early SAS maybe ?

                                                                                                                   Jim
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: scrimnet on Friday 23 May 08 14:53 BST (UK)
Spitfire / Scrimnet,

Would these chaps be Long Range Desert Group or something similar , early SAS maybe ?

                                                                                                                   Jim

Following Ems link, they are a Territorial Arty unit...Although reading through they did support some Special Forces in Italy (No1 Demolition Squadron for example).

The Desert and Middle East forces were renowned for their contempt for dress regulations...These were personified by the cartoonist Jon in his famous "Two Types"
Title: Re: Help please making picture clearer
Post by: Spitfire on Friday 23 May 08 18:44 BST (UK)
At the time, they were 85th Field Regiment, R.A