Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685 
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Mar 18, 2017 23:22:09 GMT
Hi folks I'm hoping there is a way to improve an image so, if anyone will have the expertise, it will be one of you here  Problem: A very old map, held in some archives in town, has various pieces of sellotape preventing tearing on creases of the where the map has been folded. This map is quite large when opened up and is laid out on a large table when being viewed. I believe the lighting is not natural light or, at least, only in part so artificial lighting is also present. Due to the size of the map and the size of the particular area to be photographed, the (casual) photographer (not myself) is not able to take a photo from directly above (would need to be hanging from the ceiling to achieve that ) so, the best imaged achieved has been at a slight angle. However, I doubt the angle of taking the photo is the (sole) cause but, due to the sellotape being shiny, it is very noticable in the photo, especially as the map doesn't lie flat on these folds. SO, question: Is there any way the shiny effect parts of the uneven map can be minimised, in order to improve the quality of the image? As I said earlier, I have my doubts but I felt I would like to check with you guys first  Many thanks for any help with this Julie |
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Post by Sydney on Mar 18, 2017 23:40:52 GMT
Perhaps you could duplicate the layer and then experiment with the burn tool (adjusting exposure as necessary) to see if you could make the areas which are shiny due to the tape less so. If you mess up you could delete the layer and make a duplicate from the original and try again. Just a thought.
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Post by Sepiana on Mar 18, 2017 23:50:15 GMT
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Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Mar 18, 2017 23:51:40 GMT
Perhaps you could duplicate the layer and then experiment with the burn tool (adjusting exposure as necessary) to see if you could make the areas which are shiny due to the tape less so. If you mess up you could delete the layer and make a duplicate from the original and try again. Just a thought. Thanks, Sydney I hadn't thought of the Burn Tool. However, being a map, there is text, road names etc etc under the sellotape so, although I originally considered using the Stamp Tool to clone, I don't think the text and bits would look right. I will look at this, though, to see if the Burn tool could help. I don't have much, if any, experience with Burn Tool so I could be underestimating it's abilities |
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Post by BuckSkin on Mar 18, 2017 23:58:27 GMT
I have a very good book on restoring and repairing old photos and, as many old photos have old nasty tape on them, there is quite a bit of coverage on doing just what you describe; the book is somewhere on this seven acres and I will eventually lay eyes on it; when I do, I will see what he says. In the mean time, were it me, I would make a copy of the image file and then work with layers. I would select the shiny tape areas and use various levels and curves and such until I found the combination that blended the tape into the rest of the image. You may (and probably will) have to resort to trying various blend modes and opacities. The guy that wrote the book shows many before/after examples and it is absolutely amazing what he can do with a photo that for all practical purposes appears to be a lost cause. Here is the book : www.amazon.com/dp/0240812085/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=LT6GP0TAO7OA&coliid=I1JEVIDIPZD7G8Thanks for reading. |
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Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Mar 19, 2017 0:01:20 GMT
Sepiana, many thanks I've just had a quick look at your 'Alternative Way' and certainly it looks worth a try. Working on this will take a bit of time (juggling between other urgent stuff that needs doing) but I will post back here once these techniques have ben tried. Again, many thanks J |
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Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
|
Post by Squirrel2014 on Mar 19, 2017 0:37:04 GMT
I have a very good book on restoring and repairing old photos and, as many old photos have old nasty tape on them, there is quite a bit of coverage on doing just what you describe; the book is somewhere on this seven acres and I will eventually lay eyes on it; when I do, I will see what he says. In the mean time, were it me, I would make a copy of the image file and then work with layers. I would select the shiny tape areas and use various levels and curves and such until I found the combination that blended the tape into the rest of the image. You may (and probably will) have to resort to trying various blend modes and opacities. The guy that wrote the book shows many before/after examples and it is absolutely amazing what he can do with a photo that for all practical purposes appears to be a lost cause. Here is the book : www.amazon.com/dp/0240812085/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=LT6GP0TAO7OA&coliid=I1JEVIDIPZD7G8Thanks for reading. This book sounds great and I've managed to find it on UK Amazon AND the 2016 edition So, that is cetainly a consideration. I wonder if it might be worth getting anyway, as it will surely be very useful for other techniques. Restoring some of my parents' old photos would be a great achievement and would surely extend my capabilities Many thanks for the link. Also, thanks very much for your explanation re various levels and curves. This will certainly be a challenge!!! ... and I'm definitely challenged at the moment |
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Post by Sepiana on Mar 19, 2017 0:44:47 GMT
Sepiana, many thanks I've just had a quick look at your 'Alternative Way' and certainly it looks worth a try. Working on this will take a bit of time (juggling between other urgent stuff that needs doing) but I will post back here once these techniques have ben tried. Again, many thanks ![:)]() J
Julie, you are most welcome! Post back if you have any questions.
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Squirrel2014
Established Forum Member
Where's that cup of tea ... ???
Posts: 685
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Squirrel2014 on Mar 19, 2017 0:50:09 GMT
Yes, I will, Sepiana. You can be sure of that I'll let you all know how it goes but it will probably take some time. Thanks to you all Julie |
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Post by BuckSkin on Mar 19, 2017 2:00:28 GMT
I bought my copy of the book "used" from one of the many second-hand book dealers for about half-price of new; I can't recall if it was from Amazon or EBay.
The cover of my book is like that pictured in the Amazon link, so it is whatever edition that one is.
One other thing I will mention: the author refers quite a bit to scanned images, but also talks about using many-pixeled cameras to photograph large or fragile photos and documents as a means of digitizing them.
I have read that a good high resolution photograph of a restoration project is often better than a scan of the same subject.
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