[Kacie]

I know there have been classes in the past that explained how to restore photos, but I am in need of help soon...I am trying to put together an album of layouts using old photos of my grandmother for Christmas gifts this year. I was sent scanned copies of many photos, but they are all in need of repair. The worst problem is the scan lines caused by my cousin's scanner when she scanned them in. I don't have access to the original photos, so I am hoping to restore the photos enough to make them work in the state they are currently in.

Here is the problem: I have no idea where to start. Is there tutorials/tips available for restoration somewhere? (I use CS4). Is there anyway I can get information from the classes that were taught in the past? Anyone have any idea where I should start...I feel lost.

I included a few photos] so you can see what I am working with.

Thanks!

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[princessrunningfingers]

Your links didn't work for me, so I couldn't look at the photos. I really don't know a lot about restoration. I just start adjusting things until I think they look better.

[Kacie]

Hmmm...let me see if I can get them to work.

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[MargotW]

The little girl doesn't look too bad. There is a program I used called Noiseware - you should be able to Google it to find link. It may help with the lines, I don't know but it does a good job reducing regular noise. If worse comes to worse, you could add a canvass texture to the picture. I tried that and it worked pretty good.

Hopefully someone will come along with other ideas that will work better.

Sometimes, if I can't fix the photo I operate under the assumption that a not great pic is better than nothing - especially with old photographs.

[Sarah in VA]

I agree with Margot, sometimes if you can't correct a photo the way you want to, it's just better to work with what you have. And a lot of the old photos look nice with a texture such as the one Margot suggested. I have had problems with those scanner lines on some old photos, and not at all on others. So, I know it is the photo itself, not the scanner

When I begin to restore an old photo, I usually try to take care of any color cast problem with the color balance feature. Look for a "remove color cast." A photo may need to be warmed up, if too blue, or cooled down, if too red. And don't forget, if you're working with scanned photos from old color film, converting to sepia or black and white is always a good option. It might help out with those lines too.

Then I'll try to work with the levels, curves and contrast. It's mostly a matter of using the sliders until you get what you are looking for.

Next, I'll remove any bad scratches or tears with either the clone or healing brush, then remove the noise. If this smooths things out too much, go back to the contrast, and/or clarify. Always sharpen, if you need to do any at all, last.

Be sure to make a copy of your image before you begin any restoration, then close your original scan. This way you can try several different effects without damaging your orignal. You can always go back and get it and start all over.

I think your photo of the little girl is charming, and I wouldn't do much more than work with the levels and contrast a bit.

Good luck and have fun! Your project sounds very rewarding!

[RosemaryS]

Oh I think that little girl at the desk photo is just charming. I love the way it looks lines and all. I'd probably try what was already suggested with the color corrections and you might also try burning it a little bit. Not sure what program you have? (I burn in photoshop)

[BarbaraC1977]

I did a restoration project, with the before pictures shown here, http://scrapgirls.co...mages&img=81712, and the results adjacent to it in the gallery. I used "Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo" by Robert Correll, and purchased at Barnes & Noble. I found his attitudes and ideas very helpful, and was able to translate the directions easily to my application. I also like that he shows "what ifs" for various techniques to determine the best under the circumstances of the photo.

Good luck--mine was a lot of work, but VERY rewarding. Hope this helps.

[Crabcakes]

I also found that book BarbaraC spoke of and found it pretty useful. Most of what the book discusses, I already did anyway, and probably most of us already now. Still, one can always glean tips from that book! Keep in mind that some old photos are just that, old photos, and you will never make them super sharp like today's digital photos. I had to accept that myself.

I've never seen such scan lines, and they probably are from the material the photos are made of. I wonder if placing a book ont he photo to flatten them more ont he scanner bed would have helped.

Good luck! Your photos are precious!

[KatherineW]

Hi there,
You can purchase the photo restoration class materials even though the class isn't currently running. If you're interested in this, just email Angie at angie@scrapgirls.com and she can get you squared away.

[Kacie]

Thanks everyone for your tips! I got one of the hundred or so photos improved to a decent level. I basically just messed around until I thought it was better. I might get those class materials though, just to get some more specific guidelines. Please feel free to offer suggestions/criticisms, etc.

By the way, this photo is of my grandma and grandpa (far right) and my grandma's two sisters with their husbands. Not sure on the year though. Would have to be at least 1950 if not later.

[Sarah in VA]

Good job with that photo, Kacie! And I'd definitely say 1950s, maybe mid 50s even - looking at the dresses!

[PBarnes]

There is a basic tutorial in the University here that may be of some help. Fix Scratches and Creases

I have a book on restoration by Matt Kloskowski written for use with PSE 5 but I'll bet that he has a full Photoshop book out there too.

[clarkkent93]

BarbaraC1977, on 20 October 2009 - 10:40 PM, said:

I did a restoration project, with the before pictures shown here, http://scrapgirls.co...mages&img=81712, and the results adjacent to it in the gallery. I used "Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo" by Robert Correll, and purchased at Barnes & Noble. I found his attitudes and ideas very helpful, and was able to translate the directions easily to my application. I also like that he shows "what ifs" for various techniques to determine the best under the circumstances of the photo.

Good luck--mine was a lot of work, but VERY rewarding. Hope this helps.

Beautiful work! Hopefully I can find something like this for PSE. Very exciting.

[SandiC.]

great job! That is very usable. I have lots of old photos to work on too, but never seem to get around to it. Good luck on your project!

[starofhope]

Hi I'm new to scrapbooking but hp has a free online class on photo. here is the link hp.com/golearningcenter

[tcl]

I did a quick play around on the image of the girl using PS. But I'm not sure how to insert the image other than an attatchment. First I did a levels adjustment, then converted to B&W manually using an adjustment layer. Once in Black and white I cleaned up the bends and marks. If you want you can then apply a sepia tone to the image.

The original image has a bit of texture from the bumps in the actual paper the image was printed on. When you scan images on textured paper try using the descreen function (if your scanner has it) to minimize the texture, or take a digital photo of the image. Use a tripod, and no flash (outside on an overcast day will give you nice light)to get a sharp image, Otherwise you could blur out some of the less important areas.

Hope this gives you some ideas. Again all explained in the Book Photoshop Restoration and Retouching by Katrin Eismann. So if you are looking at touching upor restoring alot of images I think it is a great book. Mine has post it notes hanging out of it and is used regulary.

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[BarbaraC1977]

ClarkKent93--glad you found the reference to this book--it's superb! Even though it's written for PSP, the techniques pretty much have the same names. Most of the book is not how to click and turn features on/off, but on how to try different techniques on a photo, and figure out what works best (and the best sequence.) So if you run across it, or can borrow from a library, it may still be very helpful.

[ArizonaAngel]

So many great tips here! I wanted to add that I usually spend LOTS of time with the healing brush tool getting rid of scratches, spots, etc. Sometimes I have to use the clone tool for the same thing. It does take me a lot of time but the end result is so worth it! I have lots of old photos to work with and many of them are in really bad shape. You have some great photos to work with here and just remember that getting them to look perfect is not as important as preserving the memories! I think it's interesting that there are so many styles and actions in the boutique to make photos look aged and yet we are trying to make our naturally aged photos look new! I know that with the photos I have that are just too bad to fix, I'll use them as it or maybe with some additional aging or texture via SG styles and actions. Good luck with your project!

[Crabcakes]

Thank you for the book reference. I'll check into it, as I really want to master photo restoration. I've learned what I know from practicing and playing!

I messed up the vignette, and plan on fixing it, but I like this one of my great great grandmother!
My link

My parents
My link


Me, as a kid (in kilt) in Spain
My link

Me on the bike, unretouched
My link


The best I can do so far
My link


My daughter's graduation, with unwanted background
My link


Cleaned up (This is one of my first attempts. Could be much better
My link