Need Help Removing Transparent Artifact!

[gkumar]

Need Help Removing Transparent Artifact!

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I scanned a batch of paper photos and one of the photos has a film developing error. There is a transparent artifact of some monument on top of another person. Is there a way to remove this artifact? I have saved this scanned file as a psd file. I'm not that great with Photoshop as I know how to do straight, crop, levels, curves, blur correction and sharpen, but I'm not that familiar with layers, wand, heal and other tools.

I've posted my problem at this link (about 5 MB) (copy and paste please since I had trouble posting hyperlink using the edit button)
www.gkumar.org/files/Untitled-17%20copy%202.psd

Also, I created a JPEG (using the save for web menu feature) from the PSD. (49 KB) (copy and paste in browser please)
http://www.gkumar.org/files/Untitled-17-copy-2.jpg

As a newbie, can anyone help fix my issue in removing this transparency or the part that's overlapping the person? I can also be reached at email via gkumar (* a t *) g m a i l (* d o t *) com

Thanks in advance.

 

[docilebob]

Only way I know is some rather extensive use of the Clone Stamp and Paint brushes.
Tough one to get right.

 

[gkumar]

Sigh yeah, it is a very tough one. The background I can blacken out or burn it out because it is almost black. But I don't know how to deal with the face and right shoulder. Can anyone try to help me? I've tried unsuccessfully many times with poor results. :-(

 

[docilebob]

Ok, this is just a quickie. There`s gonna be some hand work involved.
I started with a feathered selection of the overlaid part and a Levels correction to get the colors close. Curves may suit, as well. Then I Clone Stamped the edges left by the selection, and got this :

 

[gkumar]

Wow, that looks a lot much better. Can you send me that PSD file which you worked with? If possible, can you do that for the right shoulder too? I will try to follow your directions but I've no idea what feathered selection and what the other tools are so I'll see if Google helps. I'd like to fix this photo so that I can at least print the person at the very least.

 

[docilebob]

Just to finish this thread off, we continued with more detailed instructions via PM.
Let us know how it comes out, OK, gkumar ?

 

[Gaussian]

Just to finish this thread off, we continued with more detailed instructions via PM.

It's better to use the forum instead for instructions like this, because now it will only benefit one person, when it could benefit lots of people that visit the forum and who are dealing with the same problem.

 

[docilebob]

Good point. Didn`t think about that when he/she pm'ed me.
It went like this :

Quote from: docilebob on January 18, 2007, 09:11:20 PM
Sorry, I didn`t save the PSD I used.
To be more specific, make a selection around the discolored part. You may have to repeat this process, as the intensity varies from place to place. Go Select>>Feather and enter about 5 pixels or so.
Then type CTRL+L for the levels dialog (or Image>>Adjustments>>Levels) and play with the sliders until the colors are close.
After you have your selection adjusted, deselect (CTRL+D) and select the brush tool. In the brushes Palette, set the brush to about 5 or 6 pixels and reduce the hardness. Then select the Clone Stamp from the tool box on the lefft side of the working area. In PS 7, it`s between the healing tool and the eraser. Hold the ALT key and click on a point next to the edge the selection left. This is where the tool will pull information from. You may also want to reduce the opacity of the brush to 50 % or so. Drag the Stamp along the edge until it disappears. You`ll have to play with this step a bit, adjusting as necessary because how much is needed depends entirely on what happened in the steps before.
Repeat as needed. This would be the hand work I spoke of before.
Good luck.

Then he/she asked me to do it for him, and I refused, stating that practice is how to learn, and to ask any other questions as they arose.

 

[Gaussian]

Thanks docilebob. I was just giving you a suggestion, there was no need to repeat what you told Gkumar, but nevertheless I really appreciate your contribution.

 

[docilebob]

Oh, no prob, Gaussian. It is all about sharing info, yes ?
I was (as often is the case these days) not thinking. Even though it is a rare problem, maybe the technique can be used by someone else somewhere else for something else.

 

[Gaussian]

The problem with this picture is not so much the reflection, but the fact that the photograph is:

- small (few pixels to work with)
- blurry
- lots of compression artifacts
- poor dynamic range
- poor lighting

That makes it really difficult to come up with a convincing fix with all these limitations.

Personally I never spend my time on images like this, unless there are emotional reasons involved. For example not long ago I made someone really happy who thought one of his most important marriage pictures was for ever destroyed. It took me two hours, but the result and the response of the owner was really worth it.

My advice with this image: if you retouch it, make sure you have two windows open (menu: windows/arrange/new window). Use one window that shows the complete picture, use the other image to work in detail, this to avoid surprises (and there are more than you would expect) after you zoom out again...

 

[docilebob]

My feelings exactly, Gaussian. I enjoyed the challenge in this one, even though I didn`t follow it through well. Just wanted to see if I could find a technique that would get it going the right direction. This one would require lots of time and hand work. It would have to be important.
And , yea, the smile on a friends face when you save a piece of their past is very cool.