Photo Restoration Please of Mary Wilson

[Glosterboy]

I really am overwhelmed by all the brilliant/excellent responses I have received. Thank you so much.

[Treetotal]

Deleted as not required.
Carol

[Treetotal]

I hope I haven't wasted my time as you have been online twice since I posted, without response 
Carol

[Wayne N]

Wayneort~ Are you using Remini?

Apologies for the late reply Gadget .. I'm on Australia time 

Used Remini to bring out detail in the facial features; eyes, nose, and mouth. Other facial touchups done in Photoshop (mainly with the clone type tools and PS camera raw filter) like the hair, removing unwanted shadows/marks, and sharpening... And lots of ps overlay masking. 

Found Remini's strength is bringing out detail that is already there in the facial area with its AI feature.. but these areas need to be cleaned/built up before the filter is applied. 

It's amazing how much detail is hidden in photo's. The std PS shadow/highlight filter with layer masking can help reveal the original hidden photo detail.

Also found if other 3rd party filters / ps noise removal filters are used before the Remini filter, then it's difficult (usually impossible) to get Remini to enhance/sharpen the original photo detail.

Remini works well with selected parts of the hair, such as the hairline, but other PS type methods are needed to build up most of the hair.

Gave up on Remini's colour option. I get better results using Photoshop layering and hand colouring.

Still haven't come up with a solid technique for the clothing...  May experiment with the brush tools and sampled patterns, but not sure how to go about it yet. 

[whitechapel]

RESTORERS:PLEASE DO NOT USE MY RESTORES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION - THANK YOU

[Handypandy]

Remini, used in moderation, is a very useful app that can improve the appearance of certain pics in a way that would be almost impossible to do any other way. However lets be clear..... it does not improve the actual details.....it actually replaces them. It does this by searching through the millions of faces (faces only) in photos that are already online and finds suitable donor features.

The danger lies in the fact that ........

The first times that I experimented with it, I used a photo taken in the 1950s. Its a group photo that includes my brother and me, along with our parents and grandparents. At a normal viewing  distance, after running it through the app, the results were very impressive. However, zooming in, these were faces that looked exactly like my relatives to the casual viewer...... but to me looked like doppelganger imposters! Their 'soul' had been robbed.

If I use it now, I make sure that as many imperfections and improvements as possible are dealt with before I use it and even then, I try to only include it at a reduced opacity with the 'true' version showing through in the layer beneath.

So...... I'm not knocking it at all, it works brilliantly, but the danger can lie in believing that its the be all and end all, it isn't, because without the skill and patience of ALL contributors to these pages, who turn out such fine work, it would just be another "instagram type" gimmick. 

[Gadget]

That's interesting about the faces 'data bank', Andy. It explains why only faces are changed and   looking sharp and unnatural, leaving the rest of the image, unrestored.

[Wayne N]

Remini, used in moderation, is a very useful app that can improve the appearance of certain pics in a way that would be almost impossible to do any other way. However lets be clear..... it does not improve the actual details.....it actually replaces them. It does this by searching through the millions of faces (faces only) in photos that are already online and finds suitable donor features.

The danger lies in the fact that ........

The first times that I experimented with it, I used a photo taken in the 1950s. Its a group photo that includes my brother and me, along with our parents and grandparents. At a normal viewing  distance, after running it through the app, the results were very impressive. However, zooming in, these were faces that looked exactly like my relatives to the casual viewer...... but to me looked like doppelganger imposters! Their 'soul' had been robbed.

If I use it now, I make sure that as many imperfections and improvements as possible are dealt with before I use it and even then, I try to only include it at a reduced opacity with the 'true' version showing through in the layer beneath.

So...... I'm not knocking it at all, it works brilliantly, but the danger can lie in believing that its the be all and end all, it isn't, because without the skill and patience of ALL contributors to these pages, who turn out such fine work, it would just be another "instagram type" gimmick.

Exactly - if you leave Remini to guess what the detail should be, then it'll make generic and even unpleasant results. That's why damaged photo areas need to be retouched beforehand and as high resolution as possible - so you're controlling what you want Remini to do, instead of having AI going off and doing its own thing. 

And, yes learned skills and training is the key.  Software packages, whether is Photoshop, Remini, etc (also InDesign & Premier in my case) are simply modern tools for artists to help create their artwork.

[Gadget]

I was writing this before your post, Wayne:

Adobe's introduction of neural filters into PS CC and Elements has routines that smooth faces,  which helps to even out the pixelation/jpg artifacts. As Wayne has said, the Camera Raw options allow far greater control. The Nik (Google ->DxO) and Topaz filters also have useful routines but none of these replace the experience and skills of the user. Remini, in it's crude form, does.

I first started using PS in the 1990s when there were no layer/mask options. Tools and improved filters have been added over the years. (spot heal, patch and magic wand, for e.g). Other packages have developed similar tools and filters.

I'm left handed so, unless I'm working on a laptop, I use a Wacom tablet in my left hand and a mouse in my right 



Gadget

Add - I meant to include this screen shot but CNN got in the way!