Digital Photo Retouching and Restoration

What you need Photoshop CS3 on computer Tutorial images on hard disk Better to use a mouse than the trackball

No Photoshop experience required

First Off

Use WORKSPACE / DEFAULT

The Big Picture

Toolbox

Has mouseovers Letter shows keyboard shortcut

Are additional tools not visible Triangle indicates more tools

Hidden ToolsNo Hidden Tools Hidden Tools Revealed !!

Toolbox (con’t)Tools grouped by function

Tool Options Menu Specific setting for selected tool

Has mouseovers

Palettes

Let’s clean up this a bit

Palettes In Control

Keep it simple

Setup

Settings Palettes In Palette Well

Layers History Channels

EDIT / COLOR SETTINGS RGB : use Adobe RGB (1998)

EDIT / PREFERENCES GENERAL Redo Key: Ctrl+Z History states: 25

Foolin’ With Brushes

FILE / NEW Preset sizes : 4 x 6 inch Contents : White

Select Brush from Toolbox

Foolin’ With Brushes (con’t)

Important Point – you will use this a lot later on !! Foreground /

Background Color Selector Set to pure Black and

White by little mini control Swap Foreground and

Background by curvy arrow gizmo

Foolin’ With Brushes (con’t)

Let’s do some tic-tac-toeLAYER / NEW / LAYER Layer for grid Layer for game

FILE / SAVE Note – Photoshop extension is PSD

Save in this format Can save in JPG, GIF, etc. later

Layers are KEY !!Always leave yourself a way out Don’t touch original photo (layer)

Always Duplicate original photo (layer) and start work on duplicate Layers

Work incrementally Name your Layers in a meaningful way

Layer1, Layer2 is not real useful Can have dozens of Layers on a complex job

Build up effects and restoration as series of LayersLayers have Blending Options and Opacity

The Most Basic Tool - Crop

Can resize with handlesDark area shows what you will loseHit RETURN to commit the Crop or use Check

Commit CropBail

Global Changes: Levels What is the main

problem ? Is this a B&W or RGB

image showing as B&W ?

Examine histogram IMAGE / HISTOGRAM

Add Levels Layer Work with Sliders

Soccer_1894.jpg

Two_Girls_1907.jpg

Global Changes: Multiply

Change Layer properties to build density Multiply

No_Density_St_Petersburg_1907.jp

g

Overexposure

Severe Go forth and Multiply

New Layer to Multiply again Reduce opacity of last Layer if

necessary

Very_Bright_Girl.jpg

Underexposure

Bring out detail in shadowsNew layer Blending Mode = Screen Repeat if necessary by

duplicating Layer Adjust opacity if necessary

Can also use New Layer of Brightness / Contrast Not the best

Same effect applied equally to entire picture

No smart math behind it

Too_Dark.jpg

Semi-Global Changes: Curves

Curves “With great power

comes great responsibility”

Make change only to small tonal regions Ctl-click will place point

on curve Can place 14 points on

curve Can easily overdo it

Woman_In_Dress.jpg

Extreme Color Cast

Bad film processingNeed to try and place a color Several Layer types have cool

little droppers for placing colors !

What color to try and place ?

What can we do with Levels for color problems ? Hint – need to do it three

times

Extreme_Green.jpg

Selection - Constrains The Tool or Effect

IMPORTANT POINT !!Selecting an area (marching ants) means that the Tool will only work in the selected area

Green Brush does not work outside of

selection !

Selection – Many Selection Tools

Squares, circles, polygons, irregular shapes, color-based, contrast-based Most Selection Tool

modified by SHIFT, CTL and ALT keys

Look at menu too !

Just One Selection Tool - Elliptical

Need to pay attention to all this stuff Feather – smoothes the transition

0 pix

5 pix Style

Normal – can select ovals Fixed Aspect Ratio – constrain to circle Fixed Size – can specify exact size

Body Shop – Handle Reduction

Liquify, liquify and liquify some more Most useful tools are at the rightReduce handles warp Pucker

Revert button undos all changesEasily make sullen teenagers smile Bring up corners of

mouth

Handles.jpg

Warp

Bloat

Pucker

Reconstruct (local undo)

Thaw

Freeze

Body Shop - Major SurgeryUnflattering angleReduce backside pucker warp

DanceParty.jpg

Send In The Clones

Clone Tool Makes exact copy of selected area Make empty layer and work on this Especially useful for filling in large areas

that have no detail

Generally Settings = Use All Layers, Aligned Sample frequently Click once

Multiple clicks on same spot loses definition

Use Selection to avoid Cloning out of picture SHIFT (and hold) will Clone in straight line

Cracks.jpg

Heal Tool - Not Your Father’s Clone Tool

Examines texture, color, and luminosity of source. Merges texture from sample area into the color and luminosity of destination area.Only works on a single layerSpreads out effect 10-12 pixels therefore, use hard-edged brush

Avoid alot of resampling, as is typically done with Clone Stamp Sample once, paint often

High contrast areas difficult with HealMay need to change Blending Mode to Lighten or Darken

Heal Away Duplicate background layerReduce opacity to reduce effect of Healing on entire Layer BETTER – can control each

Heal EDIT / FADE (Shift Ctl F)

High contrast areas are trouble Clone instead

Healing_Eyes.jpg

Healing_High_Contrast.jpg

Patch ToolRepair a selected area with pixels from another area or a pattern Matches the texture, luminosity, and color of

the sampled pixels to the source pixels Patch source

Select damaged area and move to good area Patch destination

Select good area and move to damaged Patch from pattern

Create or sample a pattern to use

Patching & Healing

Heal parts of the facePatch from source Select damaged section in

the background, move to undamaged section

Patch from destination Select good section of

sweater and move down Can use Free Transform to

distort area Can also use just plain old

Move

Patch_Tool_Sweater.jpg

The DeBlemishinator

Can use Clone

Can destroy texture Heal

Blending Mode of Lighten (often) Use Hard-Edged Brush

Patch Quick and efficient (another way

of saying lazy)

Continue with eyes Low opacity white brush

Overexpose.jpg

Color CastMany ways to fix color casts

Image / Adjustments / Variations Useful for prints with less extreme color

shifts Color Balance Layer Levels Layer

Individual R, G and B Curves

Find a white point, use dropper Keep going !!

Add Levels Layer, Blending = Multiply Copy background so this layer is just above

original background Zoom 200% so can see speckling. Fix by:

Filter / Noise / Despeckle Filter / Noise / Dust and Scratches

Needs sharpening Duplicate layer with despeckled image Use Unsharp Mask to sharpen !!

Unsharp Mask is the best, use it often

Adriana_1977.jpg

Local Changes: Masking, Gradient

Masking Hide effects of global changes in

certain regions Add Brightness/Contrast layer

Concentrate on lightening houses, do not be concerned about sky

Using the Mask Can add a Mask to Layers that don’t

have a Mask Black blocks layer effects, white

allows layer effect Paint Gradient

SHIFT restrains to 0, 45 and 90 degrees

SkyLine_Wrong_Exposure.jpg

Search and Rescue: Channel Mixer & Individual RGB Levels

Look at channels Often one channel has very poor info

Blue has least info in this print

Two techniques 1 ) Channel Mixer

Add Channel Mixer Layer, Monochrome Increase R & G, Decrease B

Keep going !! Add Levels layer, then save as Version1

What we are about to do will cause us to lose our beloved starting layer. Therefore, we save the image.

Flatten Image (Layer / Flatten Image) Convert to Grayscale (Image / Mode /

Grayscale) Dust and Scratches (Filter / Noise / Dust &

Scratches), save as version 2 2) Levels with each R, G and B channel

Tintype_AnyoneHome.jpg

Look at RGB ChannelsLook at Channels for B&W prints scanned as RGB

Often one Channel is better

Activate the best channel Image / Mode / Grayscale

Select black area above woman Filter / Noise / Dust and Scratches

Clone out womanBorrow nose from left girl

1 px lasso, Ctl J to put on own layer, move, transform

Borrow left side of mouth from right girl Transform, flip horizontal

Scribble.jpg

Fungus and Mold

Fix unimportant areas using Float and move

Select upper sky, 2-5 px feather, avoid straight lines

Copy to new layer, Blending = Lighten, move a few pixels

Try same thing on sidewalk (Blending = Lighten)

Note that lose texture Use Dust & Scratches instead

Maintain texture

Mold.jpg

Hands of Time - Wrinkles

Dodge Tool 5-15% exposure, Midtones

Soft Light Neutral Layer New Layer

Soft White, Fill with neutral color (50%) gray Foreground color to white, Paintbrush

with 5-15% opacity

Don’t rush either of the above, this is a very subtle process

Hands of Time – Wrinkles (con’t)

Patch & Heal Both can make image look

obviously retouched Tip

Neither Patch or Heal Tools have Opacity adjustment

EDIT / FADE to reduce Opacity of last fix

Patch useful for quickly fixing large areas quickly

Wrinkle_Reduction.jpg

Glamor Skin Softening

Duplicate LayerGaussian Blur (Filter / Blur / Gaussian Blur) 3 – 6 pixel blur Reduce opacity

Note – very different effect obtained by doing Gaussian Blur at lower pixel setting and not reducing opacity

Erase sections that should be sharper Eyes & eyebrows Lips ?

Skin_Softening.jpg

Body Shop: Low-Cost Rhinoplasty

Copy nose to layer 10-20 px feather

Free Transform Ctl click allows working

on single corner

Clone out imperfections Nosejob.jpg

The Eyes Have It

WINDOWS / NEW DOC 100% Size – will be working at high

Zoom, see effects here also

Zoom 300% on left eyeRemove discolorization in whites Brush 10% opacity, Normal, sample

3x3 pix for good color (Ctl – click) Brush 70% opacity, Color, sample

for good color

Blood vessels Clone, 20% opacity, Lighten

Eyes.jpg

The Eyes Have It (con’t)

Emphasis iris Burn, 10% opacity, Shadows, and

trace iris rim

More sparkle Dodge to create half-moon opposite

main catchlight

More color to iris Sponge, 20% flow, Saturate

Sorry, Ansel

Need a outdoor, Ansel Adams-type sceneNew Layer – Channel Mixer as shown AnselAdamsHack.jpg

Time Machine and General Fixin’

Work on Hands Area below chin on left

woman White line in center Local repair of a few

wrinkles Color Woman on left too dark

Your choice !!

Two_Grandparents.jpg

Overexposure

Moderate Determine best RGB channel New Channel Mixer Layer,

Monochrome 0% Red, 0% Blue, 100% Green

Change blending to LuminosityOverexpose.jpg

Backlighting

Camera meter fooled Select luminosity

Channels, Control (Command) Click on Channels / RGB

Ctl Alt ~ or Cmd Option ~

Select / Inverse (we are selecting non-luminosity or shadow detail)Copy to new layerScreen modeNew Color Balance Layer, work on flesh tones

Backlighting_Underexposed.jpg

Wrong Temperature “Film”

Fluorescent lighting New Empty Layer Use Eyedropper to select

mid- to highlight with cast Paint Bucket Tool

Fill with offending color Change Blending Mode to

Color Invert color (Image /

Adjustments / Invert) Reduce opacity

Fluorescent_Lighting.jpg

All Torn Up Large and upper-right piece on own

layer Background eraser

Erase pixels to transparency while maintaining edges

Settings control sharpness of edges and deleted pixels

Samples at center (+) and deletes that color inside the circle

Low tolerance limits erase to areas that are very similar to the sampled color. A high tolerance erases a broader range of colors.

Use big piece, hide all other layers, Erase top

Limits = Find Edges Sampling = Contiguous Protect Foreground Color = Not checked

TornUp.jpg

All Torn Up (con’t) Magic Eraser

Erases everything it can find, at once, that is within tolerance Tolerance is as with Background Eraser If Contiguous is not checked, it can erase pixels in the middle of

the print Use upper right piece, other layers not visible

Tolerance = 50%, Contiguous, 100% Opacity Up to here has been saved as TornUp_02.psd Move upper piece. EDIT / TRANSFORM / ROTATE Add Layer Mask to upper piece.

Paint with black, paint lower edge of upper piece, move Using a Layer Mask does not discard any information

Up to here has been saved as TornUp_03.psd

All Torn Up (con’t)

Try to fix seam with Clone Use All Layers, Aligned = Checked This is not working right !!

OK, then try Healing Brush Ugh, this is not working either !!

Why ?? Best to Flatten Image at this point Up to here saved as TornUp_04.psd Finish with Cloning and Healing

Books and Mags Books Photoshop Restoration and Retouching

Katrin Eismann BUY THIS BOOK !!!

Real Work Photoshop David Blatner and Bruce Fraser Quite good

Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers Scott Kelby (has a lot of books) Some useful tips

National Association of Photoshop Professionals http://www.photoshopuser.com/ Put out good magazine, Photoshop User

Links & Plug-ins RetouchPro http://www.retouchpro.com/index.html Great set of images to practice on

Digital Dog http://digitaldog.imagingrevue.com/ See tips section

Planet Photoshop http://www.planetphotoshop.com/ A lot of small tutorials

Applied Science Fiction http://www.asf.com/ Excellent plugins (purchase): ROC, GEM and

SHO

Digital Image Restoration and Retouching

Restoration Levels layers Curves layers RGB Channels for B&W Gradients Scratches RGB channel mixing Color casts Mold and fungus Torn photos

Digital Image Restoration and Retouching

Typical Problems Overexposure Underexposure Hotspots Fluorescent lighting color cast

Retouching Eyes Wrinkles Softening skin Digital diet and body part

“improvement”

Digital Visine

Desaturate with Brush Very quick, but not too

elegant Sponge Tool,

desaturateRedEye.jpg

Digital Visine (con’t) Select and Desaturate

Method Use Magic Wand Copy to New Layer Add Hue / Saturation Layer

Important – check boxes applies effects to previous layer only

Change Blending Mode to Multiply

Reduce Opacity

Local Changes : Gradient for Flash Fade

Flash fade very common New Levels layer Screen Blending Mode

Will lighten entire photo Mask totally

Mask should be all black Hide effects of Screen Blend

Mode Gradient

White foreground Angle in from upper right

corner

Flash_Fade.jpg