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Putting the colour back ...


S

Shaun

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Here's a different problem. usually I deal with old black and white photos that have been damaged, but here's one that's not damaged, but has lost colour. The red has been leached out by the sun.
I had a look in Deke's Photoshop Bible, and he has some tips using Colour Mixer. Which I tried, but have, as yet, not produced a satisfactory result.
So here's the picture of our John when he was small (he's over 30 now).
Questions: can we get the colour back and the balance right, and if so, how?
 
Well, im sorry to say but theres not much color in this picture to restore. You could try colorizing it http://www.photoshopgurus.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3195 using the tips and links in this forum, or you can just turn it to b&w and give it more contrast using curves. Or you could colorize it via a hue/saturation adjustment layer...no matter what you do, I think theres no way to get any color out of this photo that wont look mono or duotone...I would love for someone in the mod squad or anyone else to prove me wrong...;)
 
Hi Shaun, I had a quick go at this. It should allow you to take it into the colorizing stage.
Image below shows stages, sample points and final image.

1. Duplicate the layer and set blending mode to multiply.
2. Create a Curves Adjustment layer. Use the eyedroppers to set the shadow, mid and high points. I used the eye, jumper and side of forehead, but you could experiment with other points.

Take merged snapshot, done.

You could adjust the contrast with levels for finer control, I just did it as above for speed.
If you want to colorize it further, the lips are a bit yellow, I'd suggest a couple of Hue & Saturation layers, set to colorize and then paint in through the masks.
It shouldn't take too much to make this reasonable.

Hope this helps, Al.
 
Nice go at it Rantin. Good levels. :righton:

I had a quick go at it too... basic leveling of general tones, a few colour layers added, some cloning repairs, etc...

Skin tone is a bit off though, i know. Didn't have the time to really zero in on it. And there's visible Jpg compression anomolies in this example too.

I have the PSD if ya wanna scan through it.
 
Al very good! :)
Mark That is great. :righton:

There was a tutorial about coloring,wich I didn`t try:
1. Copy the original and set the mode to Multiply 50%
2.create a new layer above B&W , on this layer create some flat colors
3. When finised coloring change bland mode to Color
4. duplicate the color layer put it on the top of all layers and change the blandig mode to Multiply 50%

This one is simply way,but may be you can use it too. :)
 
Ain't it amazing what can be salvaged from 'apparently' next to nothing.

Need to try out your way Ljiljana.

I love this program. :D

Al
 
Here's something I came up with. I threw in a curves and a levels adjustment layer. Painted on another layer but kept the layer on Hue rather than Color. Used color dodge on the parts of the eyes. Otherwise the same technique as posted above. :)
 
Here`s another shot at it.
Duplicated the original, desaturated, convert to CMYK, select each color area and add a clipped curves layer, play with eack channel one at a time.
(skin color is not quite right, but you get the idea)
 
Great tips and 'efforts' everyone! :} :righton:
 
I basically took R.A.'s approach to gain contrast & detail, then desaturated the picture and colorized it. I enjoyed the challenge for 'practice' purposes as it's a technique that I've been working on lately. :)
 
Cool! :} :} :}

The color may be a little too saturated but that's a minor quibble. Excellent work, wbiss!

*sits down and waits to see what Shaun does*
 
Moth said:
*sits down and waits to see what Shaun does*
Click to expand...

Sit back in amazement to start with - you've all certainly given me plenty to think about! I haven't done anything this week - busy at work - but I shall now have a quiet think and see what I can do with all your suggestions!
And, Wendy, I shall print out your version to show John - he's here this week (visits every now and again, filling the washing machine and emptying the fridge, as do all sons!)

Thank you all.
S
 
If someone can make something like this out of nothing (see attachment), then I can only say WOW!
You removed the noise without losing details, the image has exactly the right contrast, well balanced natural colours, beautiful skin tone with the necessary reds, eyes that speak, nice work on the eyebrows, all scratches/dust have been removed, etc.

Without any doubt one of the best colourizations I've seen in a long time.

Very well done Wendy! :righton:
 
Gaussian said:
Without any doubt one of the best colourizations I've seen in a long time.
Very well done Wendy! :righton:
Click to expand...
Fascinating work! And plenty to make me think! I set about adjusting my original ideas and then I thought - hey, I can't do that well, but - how about combining the ideas that keeper, moth and wendy have produced???
And here's what I got:
 
Shaun,

That's an excellent job. I particularly like the fact that it doesn't look colorized but rather as if it were the original photo and that is what you were after, I believe. Wendy's treatment is exemplary for the dramatization of a colorization but more boldly obvious.
 
Welles said:
Shaun,

That's an excellent job. I particularly like the fact that it doesn't look colorized but rather as if it were the original photo and that is what you were after, I believe. Wendy's treatment is exemplary for the dramatization of a colorization but more boldly obvious.
Click to expand...

Yes, I thought we could "retrieve" the original colours, but the picture had faded too much and lost too much for that.

Wendy's version has improved on the original in giving more structure to the face. I like the approach she used (not one I've tried yet).

I've made one last adjustment, and that is to the cardigan, which was a light yellow.

Perfect it isn't, but John likes it, and I'll find out what my wife thinks when she gets back later (she's gone off to a Church Sale; but I don't think they'll get much for the building ...)
S
 
Beautiful work Shaun and it's great to see how we can encourage each other to improve this much! Well done! :righton:
 
The boss is back. She and her sister made ?100 for church funds, so she was quite happy with the day - but even happier when she saw the print-out of the final result - very, very pleased and asked me to thank you all very much for all your help.
She says the back wall in the original was a shade of blue, but that's not important because the rest is just as she remembers it!
I've made a note of the other methods detailed by rantinAl and liljana - thank you two also!
S
 
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