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50 year old Photo - please help me restore it.


Mephisto

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This photo is almost 50 years old.. circa 1963-64. it's our oldest family picture.. I'm not even born yet and it's the only saved picture of my grandmother (in black).. I found this photo framed but already glued / stuck to the glass frame.. so the quality is blurry when scanned. Can someone PLEASE help me restore this photo? I did a little edit but im not happy with the result :confused: maybe because I don't know what to do with it.
1963.png
^ ^^Original Photo
1963Edit.png
^^^My Edit :neutral:


Please help... Thanks!!!
 
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It is a shame about the little girls face maybe you'll be able to use the eye that's visible for the other side I don't know how accurate it would be though, I can only assume close enough
 
This isn't really a casual, talk me through fixing it kind of photo restoration. There's just no getting around that fact that this is an extremely damaged photo that is going to require an extensive amount of work, time and skill to repaint the missing and extremely blurred parts, and even then there's no guarantee.
Your really going to have to hire a professional to work on this.
 
Sure you can talk them through it. Although it would take longer to talk somebody through it than it would be for a professional just do it crap in crap out.....96 res not going to be print worthy without some serious time put into it
 
For starters any attempt to restore an image needs to start with a better scan.
This image size is 800X807 the resolution is 96ppi.

Start by re-scanning it at the highest resolution available on your scanner.
If you need to, bring it someplace and have it scanned.
Also scan it as B&W or Grey scale.

You're not going to be able to do anything with an image this small.
 
I agree with iDad and Steve. It's a waste of time to work on this size and resolution. But I'm afraid that someone in this forum is willing to do it.
 
A few comments:

1. The areas on that print that are missing were probably ripped off by someone trying to separate the print from the glass. Do not add to the problem. Unless you are working with a museum-level conservator who knows how to chemically separate the two (without destroying the materials), you are better leaving well enough alone and just scan or photograph through the glass.

2. Everyone who mentioned the importance of scanning at higher resolution was absolutely correct.

3. However, scan at exactly the native optical resolution of the scanner (look this up). Don't scan below this value (which most people wouldn't do), but, just as importantly, don't be tempted to scan above this value. The ultra-high resolutions often quoted by the manufacturers is just the result of the scanner up-rez'ing the data for you -- essentially a sales trick. You are better doing this operation yourself in PS, should it be needed (which is very unlikely). Even for my scanner, a V750, a relatively high end flatbed, the native optical resolution is only around 2500 ppi. Most others will likely be less.

4. Higher resolution in the digitization step will be utterly useless unless you get the image in focus. A few pro flatbeds allow software adjustment of the focus plane. Most don't. Either take your image to someone who has such a scanner, or take it to someone who will digitize your original by rephotographing it instead of scanning it. They will be able to get it in focus. Re-photographing a print behind glass is an art unto itself. Don't think about doing this yourself unless you are an expert and have suitable equipment (eg, at least 3 or 4 polarized light sources, a crossed polarizer on your camera, stands for careful positioning of your lights and camera, a flat field lens, etc.).

5. You are going to want to extract every bit of local contrast possible from this print. Scan (or re-photograph) at a bit depth of 16 bits per channel. You don't want the output of the scanning software to be an 8 bpc JPG. If someone offers to scan it for you but can only produce 8 bpc output, go somewhere else.

6. Most pro retouchers will disagree with the suggestion to scan in B&W. The reason is that when a print is discolored in areas or has some areas that are adhered to glass and other areas un-adhered, often there are small color differences that can help enormously in distinguishing these areas for separate post processing. (see the section in the book mentioned below for a full discussion of this).

6. Gather together any other prints or slides of family members from that era. You may be able to use bits and pieces of individuals in those to reconstruct the missing pieces of this print.

7. Buy, read, memorize and practice everything in this book before you work in earnest on your own important print:
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Restoration-Start-Finish-photographs/dp/0240812085
...almost everything I said above is in that book. I own several books on this topic. Newer books are available (eg, the ones by Katrin Eisemann), but IMHO, C'Tien's is by far the best nuts-and-bolts, real-world guide.

8. I have to agree with Fatboy's suggestion to consider hiring an expert to do the work for you. IMHO, even if you are already an expert in normal photographic uses of Photoshop and constructing images "from nothing", etc., it still probably takes most people weeks of practice on dozens of mangled prints before they become really good at restoration of prints like this.

HTH,

Tom M
 
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Thank you very for all your responses! I really appreciate it! I never thought the importance of this photo to us until now..

Here's another problem: the original framed picture is nowhere to be found. My sister called me days ago if i still have the copy of the scanned pictures, because she misplaced the original pic when they transferred to another house. I looked it up in my email files, and the picture above is the one I got.

if you can trace the details of the original picture, you'll notice that it is scanned about 4-5 years ago, and yes, I'm the culprit. I totally overlooked the resolution, and i remember scanning this along with other pictures! hence the resolution of this picture alone becomes smaller..

I guess I have to deal with this one and I know if I ever find that framed picture again, I know it is STILL as blurred as the one you see above.. and Tom Mann is right, someone tried to separate it from the glass to try to transfer it to another nice frame and that is the result.

Anyways, I'll try to edit it myself little by little and will post the results.. hiring a professional will get me nothing if I don't have the high detailed scan of the original... and If you guys in this forum have spare time even patching one gap or 1 missing part, it will be highly appreciated! Again, thank you very much!
 
I agree with iDad and Steve. It's a waste of time to work on this size and resolution. But I'm afraid that someone in this forum is willing to do it.

Why be 'afraid' if a member wishes to try so be it, this sort of comment just turns people off.
 
You know,Paul's right, many people have done low resolution repairs on here, even the show offs do the low res manipulation, How is it that some how, just because its a portrait that it can not look good. If OP is willing to except the low res, then there is a good practice image right there....... Some one will pick it up. (second thought)
 
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thank you. all are appreciated! even it's in low resolution.. because picture quality of the original photograph itself is low and in a 4" by 6" photo paper.. taken from the 60's ordinary camera technology.
 
You did say please! So here is some of my free time, I hope next time I need some help I/we can ask you to answer the call... it could be hell of a lot better but that's not bad for a freebie.. and not sure if someone feels like it they could probably take that and do some improvements for you, if you can't do it yourself.
Working with nothing produces not much, when there is no incentive, but a willingness to help out a fellow chopper, today was in your favor..... keep working at it, in time we all get better at what we strive for.
betterthannothing.jpg

Now before the freelancers jump on my case, say to yourself wouldn't it be nice to have that for family gatherings?
It could be better but as the title says it is better than nothing
 
Thank you iDad for the edit.. of course, if somebody in this site needs help.. i can share my little knowledge in it too... i registered here not just for this picture, but i want to learn more on photoshop too.

I began my edit and I guess you are all right, this is almost impossible to restore because of bad picture quality! Here's my first edit:
1stEdit.png
 


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