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Post by Paul Whiting on Mar 25, 2019 13:05:38 GMT
I have a slightly underexposed b/w print of a girl taken under a tree. I simply lightened it a bit but now the dark areas contain a scattering of a large number of white dots, especially in dark areas. At first I thought these were dust specks, they look just like dust. Am posting a small version of the print, to meet the guidelines, but they're not as visible in this size. At any rate are there other means that lighten prints without creating these dots?
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Post by hmca on Mar 25, 2019 15:01:18 GMT
What a sweet picture, Paul If it was mine I think I would try making a selection of just the girl and using a levels adjustment to brighten her up.
You could also make a duplicate copy and brighten the image to your liking concentrating on the girl. Then add a mask to that layer and fill it with black.
Using a white brush at a reduced opacity paint on the girl to make her stand out from the background. These are just two quick suggestions, others might offer
some additional options.
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Post by Sepiana on Mar 25, 2019 15:06:17 GMT
At any rate are there other means that lighten prints without creating these dots?
Paul, you may want to try this.
- Duplicate the background layer.
- Change the blending mode to Screen. Adjust the Opacity if needed.
- Apply a layer mask to restrict the effect of the Screen blending mode if needed.
You mentioned in another thread you have Barbara Brundage’s The Missing Manual. This technique is also recommended by her.
Source: The Missing Manual, Chapter 7: Basic Image Retouching And here is a tip from the late Wendy Williams on the now-closed EV forum. - Keep duplicating the "Screen" layer until you are happy with the results. - Merge these duplicate layers. - Apply a layer mask to restrict the effect of the Screen blending mode. |
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pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,357
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by pontiac1940 on Mar 25, 2019 15:39:32 GMT
Paul
Just another idea....if not done so already.
Is the original raw or jpeg? Was it scanned from a print?
Even if the original is a jpeg, open in in ACR (camera raw) in PSE. This allows a wide range of options for adjusting levels in clusters of light levels: whites, highlights, shadows. Might help.
Clive
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Post by Major Major on Mar 25, 2019 15:54:04 GMT
Also, just FYI, you can post fairly large photos here. The user will just have to click on them to enlarge them.
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Post by Bailey on Mar 26, 2019 0:25:27 GMT
Also, just FYI, you can post fairly large photos here. The user will just have to click on them to enlarge them. Another FYI. You can post whatever size you like, but every browser will resize the image to whatever size has been set for it in the Web page's html and css styling. If you want users to actually see every pixel in your image they will have to download it. |
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Post by Bailey on Mar 26, 2019 1:50:33 GMT
Hi Paul,
How did you lighten your image?
I usually dodge and burn to adjust sections of an image. My preferred method is add a 50% grey filled layer with overlay blend mode. Then paint on the layer with a soft brush using various shades of grey to lighten or darken the image.
This gives me total control over the lightening and darkening of the image.
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Post by Bailey on Mar 26, 2019 6:48:17 GMT
Paul,
Have a look at the print using a magnifying glass to see if the white dots are actually on the print.
If they are not, then have a look at your scanned image at 100% (so you can see every pixel on the screen) and pan around the image to see if the dots were introduced by your scanning process/equipment.
I doubt very much lightening methods introduce white spots unless you are doing something extreme.
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Post by Bailey on Mar 26, 2019 6:55:41 GMT
Another option I use when restoring old photos, which in my experience works really well, is one or both of "Dust & Scratches" and "Despeckle" under Filter -> Noise (PSE 14).
They usually do a really good job in removing dust spots and small scatches in scanned images. Perhaps try those first before editing the image further if you can't find the source of the white dots.
hth 
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Post by Paul Whiting on Mar 26, 2019 18:52:42 GMT
Thanks all!
Sorry I didn't thank you all earlier, something in my Notification setup didn't let me know about any of these messages. Sepiana tells me something is amiss with this feature and they're working on it. Glad to hear that, I thought I was doing something wrong!
Best,
Paul
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Post by Sepiana on Mar 26, 2019 23:14:51 GMT
Paul, you are most welcome! Post back if you have any further questions.
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Post by Bailey on Mar 27, 2019 0:54:40 GMT
No problem Paul. Hope you sort it out.
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Post by Paul Whiting on Mar 27, 2019 19:21:36 GMT
I've been studying the comments from all of you, and here's what I found to be useful. I couldn't try all the suggestions, some were beyond my skill level. So if I don't mention yours it's my fault!
The screen layer mode worked well for me.
I didn't try opening the file in ACR, but I'll add that to my tips to try next time this problem happens.
I was asked how I lightened the image... I used the Shadows/Highlights command.
Someone suggested the Dust & Scratches and Despeckle features, and those helped, but I had better luck with Screen in a new layer's blend mode. Every situation is different, I need to remember that.
Thanks again, everyone. You've expanded my repertoire.
Paul
PS: I should've mentioned this all along, but the file was a scan of a small color print. The scan was 354 x 480 pixels at 300 ppi. Not much to work with.
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Post by Paul Whiting on Mar 28, 2019 12:16:19 GMT
Clive,
It was a jpg, scanned from a color print, then converted to b/w using Channel Mixer.
p
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Post by Sepiana on Mar 28, 2019 14:12:06 GMT
The screen layer mode worked well for me. Every situation is different, I need to remember that.
Pleased to hear this worked for you. I have used this quick-and-easy technique many times with great results. (As a side note, it is also recommended by Matt Kloskowski.)
You got it right. There is no "one-recipe" when it comes to this kind of work. You just have to experiment.
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