Is it worth it?

[Aladdin]

I have restored and colourised some photo's for posters on this site. They do take a long time to do and I must say I agree with Carol. There are some who barely acknowledge the work that has been done for them, let alone say thanks. Which has put me off doing any more really. That being said there are others who say thank you in the most sincere and pleasant way, which makes it worth the time and effort. So its not all bad. However I have to say I am spending less time on here now and much less inclined to do restores for people. Surely if someone has an old photo they treasure enough to get restored they can get a decent scan done so at least there is a fighting chance of a good result. As has been said by others in this thread, I will be very selective about which pictures I restore for free, and for who.
Perhaps there should be some do's and don't for posters given at the top of the page? Certainly those who wave a mobile phone somewhere in the vicinity of a pic of granny in its frame, at an oblique angle on the sideboard and then post that, and say Restore please. Thats really not going to work is it.
So, yes Carol I agree with you completely.
I should add that there are some restorers on here doing great work. The minimum they deserve is a Thank you.
nuff said

[HOUSE2000]

I always appreciate the amazing work which all the restorers do. You all do a fantastic job of restoring often poor and damaged originals. I can spend ages looking at the work you do and I hope you will continue your time consuming restorations which me and lots of others appreciate very much. Thank you.

[chelle 5]

I haven`t posted any photographs for a while but I must say I appreciate all the work you people put in and that I have always been impressed with the skills you have,please continue with your excellent work. For those that have no breeding or manners I will say a little thank you goes a long way.
forever a fan of your work
Michelle

[PhotoFX]

Oh dear, what a shame that so many share this opinion, but I can understand where you are coming from.

Due to ill health earlier this year I needed to find a relaxing and not too strenuous pastime so I dug out my Photoshop notes and started to practice again.

Since then I have done a handful of restores on RootsChat and joined a couple of Facebook groups that also offer free restorations to members. I also joined Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) to watch their progress and have looked around the internet (Flickr etc) for other places where my limited skills may be appreciated. I do not, and never will, want to make money from this hobby, like all restorers I just like a “thank you” at the end of my efforts.
For what it’s worth I think RootsChat is one the best.

Carol, there are half a dozen or so active restorers, you are one of them, that I love to compare my work with, that I aspire to equal, one day. You must remember that it is not only the requesters but also the other restorers that will be appreciating what you do.

Maybe that’s what wanted, more interaction between restorers. Maybe we should post when we start a restore so that we all know how many are spending time on any one image in particular. Maybe we should not be so quick with posting back the restores, waiting a bit longer will help requesters appreciate the time we spend. What about restorers putting the length of time spent when they post back?

Admins. How about a specific sticky thread that only RESTORERS add to in order to introduce themselves and another sticky thread that restorers can compare notes with and share hints and tips.

Enough rambling, just a few ideas which I think may allow restorers to feel a little bit more of a team/community. I’m sure some of you have other ideas?

Carol, please don’t give up just yet, 2015 promises to be a good year !!

Richard (PhotoFX)

[Wiggy]

Quote from Aladdin

Perhaps there should be some do's and don't for posters given at the top of the page?

There are! -   people just don't read them!   

[Gadget]

Quote from Aladdin

Perhaps there should be some do's and don't for posters given at the top of the page?

There are! -   people just don't read them!   

As Wiggy says, we've been trying to get people to post good quality scans, etc. for years  - Cazza did a tutorial in the olden days (still stickied at the top of the board)  - I remember Polldoll and I receiving drafts from Caz for us to comment on. Those were the days   

I even got Wiggy to learn to scan properly when she was a newby  - it took a whole thread 

I used to do lots of restores but only do the odd one nowadays - for all the reasons that people have said on this thread.  I now mainly restore for myself, friends, etc. and for  pleasure/fun.

Recently, I've started to do a few more again on here  but have been very saddened by the quality of many the scans.

Gadget

PS - I've also wondered about the 'Free', given that all our look ups, etc. are also free 

[silvery]

You are all brilliant.     

Just don't do the bad scans, low pixels etc etc.   Put a message saying the scan is bad, pixels too low  -  can't do it.   I know you've said it time and time again, but there's always someone who will have a go on a really small, bad photo.  Sometimes I can't believe it.   

I love looking at this board and seeing what miracles you work.   I often want to tell someone off for the quality of their posted pictures.    But you are all wonderful, and very appreciated.

[Jomot]

I've not had any restores done but like many others I do love to look at them - some bring tears to my eyes they are so beautifully done - so thank you for that alone. 

As others have said, if the rude and ungrateful have taken away the pleasure for you then please stop as no-one wants you to lose the enjoyment, but boy would some of us 'peepers' miss it if you did.  x

[cazza59]

You are all brilliant.     

Just don't do the bad scans, low pixels etc etc.   Put a message saying the scan is bad, pixels too low  -  can't do it.   I know you've said it time and time again, but there's always someone who will have a go on a really small, bad photo.  Sometimes I can't believe it.   

I love looking at this board and seeing what miracles you work.   I often want to tell someone off for the quality of their posted pictures.    But you are all wonderful, and very appreciated.

This frustrates me the most, but I have been guilty of not even bothering to look at size of the photo myself  simply because seven years of asking for better scans has taken it's toll and people simply do not read instructions or understand the importance of a good scan.  I realise it's new posters all the time, but it would help if people took the time to read the instructions on scanning and posting beforehand, or simply ask for help.

As you say, it would also help if restorers didn't wade in on these poor scans because it sends the wrong message and people accept what they are given, when they could end up with a much better result with a decent scan, and the restorers wouldn't have to work so hard.

What would also help (and I have noticed a lot more people doing this lately), is if people state up front that this is the best copy they can provide for us, so then we know not to ask for a better scan and make do with what has been posted.

On the other side of the coin, if you have the original photo and are having issues trying to get a good scan, if my scanning tut doesn't help, then please feel free to PM a restorer for assistance.  You will be amazed at the difference in the quality of the restores based on the quality of the scan (and obviously the skill level of the restorer, but we all have to start somewhere).

Must say it's really nice to see the outpouring of appreciation for the work done on this board, it's nice to know how much pleasure the restores provide all around. 

Caz