Old School Images & restoration by dgf

downgoesfrazier

I have recieved numerous emails for print orders as well as questions regarding how I "restore" and "clean" images without compromising the images integrity. I really appreciate all of the great emails and just wanted to answer the most common question. How do you get those old images so pristine? The short answer is a lot of tedious and meticulous application and patience. There is a longer answer. I wanted to share a before/after to show the possabilities.

This is an example of what is possible even with primitive tools. The first image is of a baby from 1963. It was stored in a basement for 40 years in a slide carousel or the like. The second image is the same slide after digital editing and paint enhancements. The color and image is not touched whatsoever. The debris cleaned and the surfaces are cloned or repainted to match. The fleshtones are generated by sampling small sections of color and applying them to each pixel section one at a time at a very magnified (10x) level.





As you can see, the image that results can be startling.
I can be reached at oldschool.images@yahoo.com if there are any more questions/comments. If there is a player you like or subject matter feel free to drop me a line and perhaps I have it or will very soon.

dgf

downgoesfrazier

Those were QUICK responses. No, I am not restoring images as a service right now. If there is a specific image of your own you would like done, email me a scan or some info and I'll get back to you when I get a minute. I'll do jobs on an odd-basis. Thanks for the nice notes guys.

dgf

softparade

It is amazing to see the objects behind and to the left of the baby jump out of the darkness after your work Phil. I guess youi have a new hobby/business!

downgoesfrazier

Dan,
Trust me, you would love doing this. The way you study the "art" of your cards is the main reason. This was the next logical progression for me. I am so enthralled with perfection in image and color and registry and interesting poses on cards that photography just comes naturally. I'd bet you would be great at it as well. The extraordinary perspective the eyes can create from everyday objects is awesome.
dgf

pandrews

how does something that is SOLID BLACK suddenly appear on the new image?

downgoesfrazier

That's what restoration is all about. The image is THERE the whole time. It is just decayed or tinted to the point where it is no longer visible. In this case, I cropped that area and used an adaptive light tool and gently brought those images forward. I also had to greatly increase basic controls like contrast. Of course, additional contrast made that area appear "super-imposed" and the newfound separation made the area quite "grainy". So, I had to use a blurr tool (texture smoother) to make it look more uniform. I was fortunate that this image had an area that was divided by the photo contents itself. Couple that with the poisonous liquid that I clean the slide with and Voila!...from out of the darkness...
Glad you dig it!

julen23

TGIF

Julen

downgoesfrazier

Here's another one that was recently restored. Bob Gibson and Ted Simmons. This thing was practically all black! Only their little red hats and some dirt was visible. I was pumped when I found out it was Gibson when it was lightened.

CON40

Thanks for sharing Phil! Your ability to create detailed elements and realism in the backgrounds, highlights, and especially the hair is astonishing. It's one thing to pull details out of a shadow area, but to completely create the elements you have takes a true artist.

With the extreme popularity of "scrapbooking", the restoration of old photos has become quite popular, and in demand. Lots of people are now doing this kind of artisan work at home for their own family archives. Just a few years ago, you couldn't do this work at home, one had to go to a professional restoration service. They are still out there, but now they are relegated to restoring not just images, but physically damaged photos that require complete reconsruction and image rebuilding that result in a brand new digitally based 'antique' image.

Here's a link to a company that a family friend used that is doing this work quite well...

Digiflux

And this web site has been named by Adobe as one of the best sources out there for Photoshop restoration tutorials for home use... of course, you stil have to have an eye for it!

Retouch Pro

Caricon

I was just at a photography convention and saw a new piece of computer software that does this too. Was
very impressive. But I can't remember the name of it. They would take a picture and pull out objects that
were in the background and almost totally black.

WinPitcher

Maybe now we can find out if badgeman does in fact exist.

On to the grassy knoll I say!


Steve

Virtualizard

Steve,

I actually watched a show on Discovery channel a few weeks ago that did that experiment. They concluded that Badgeman would have to have been about 12 feet tall to pull off that shot from the location. Maybe Phil can pull out more detail?





JEB.

downgoesfrazier

JEB,
I'm working on it! Keith, thanks for noticing the hair. It's the part I'm most proud of. I used a lighting tool to broaden the overhead and to create "fullness" and separation. The hard part was to keep the natural light that was in the room dominant so the boys face and objects in the photo were lit evenly with consistent shadows.

dgf

JrMacdaddy

<< <i>They concluded that Badgeman would have to have been about 12 feet tall to pull off that shot from the location. >>



I thought they concluded he was standing on something, a car or crate or Woody Harrelson's dad.

Virtualizard

Nope, you're wrong. I found the answer - check it out!


JEB.

downgoesfrazier

This year's HOF class...circa 1978 at Wrigley Field...