My Restored Collection

[loopsta]

First off, i would highly recomend imagenomic noiseware pro http://www.imagenomic.com/products.aspx i'm sure with a bit of alternative searching if you know what i mean, you will find it. But its not the total answer, when you use median and gausian try it on channels ...ie have a look at the r,g and b channels and decide where the majority of the noise is coming from(often blue) by attacking the noise on each channel you wont soften the overall image as much.

i think the single most helpful tip i could give you is use the blur brush but set the mode to luminosity to work on the skin tones, that way you wont blur up the detail but it will nicely blend the luminosity levels.careful near high contrast areas like somebody standing in front of a white background. most jpeg overcomression can be blended with this method. what version of photoshop you using blahman? PS CS2 ver9 ...filter ..noise....reduce noise is a nice addition.

use .sharpen.. unsharp mask to pull back some edge detail don't set the radius to high tho else it will look like you traced around it with a HB pencil, 1.2 being a starter value increas with image size rarely will you go over 4 with a large image even. the rest is combo's of color balance (ctrl+b) levels (ctrl+L) selective color . image... adjust ..selective color.

to summarize the noiseware plugin is great for initial removal of bulk noise the harder work with the blur brush set to luminosity, and color correction which i belive you have a handle on already juudging from your previous restores

[blahman318]

I appriciate the advice loopsta and puting it to good use, unfortunatly I use ver. 6 which I gotten 5years ago so I was unable to use that application. Well here's todays contribution.

[loopsta]

Thought i'd have another go at this pic for fritzy ...blahman sorry if i sorta hijacked your thread, but it just seemed the most logical place to post it. i hope some of the PS tips were usefull to you, one other i didnt mention that i think will help you is to try working in LAB colorspace instead of just RGB. LAB has lightness(luminosity) and A+B instead of red green blue channels, the advantage is when you get a lot of luminance noise(such as jpg artifact) you can do some blurring on the luminance without blurring the overall image too much or blotchy colours found in a lot of overcompressed images, you can do a median on the A+B which wont effect your sharpness at all ...anyhoo here 'tis

[coosman]

Hey that picture looks like it was taken yesterday great work

[Fritzyy]

Originally Posted by loopsta

Thought i'd have another go at this pic for fritzy ...blahman sorry if i sorta hijacked your thread, but it just seemed the most logical place to post it. i hope some of the PS tips were usefull to you, one other i didnt mention that i think will help you is to try working in LAB colorspace instead of just RGB. LAB has lightness(luminosity) and A+B instead of red green blue channels, the advantage is when you get a lot of luminance noise(such as jpg artifact) you can do some blurring on the luminance without blurring the overall image too much or blotchy colours found in a lot of overcompressed images, you can do a median on the A+B which wont effect your sharpness at all ...anyhoo here 'tis

Loop that is stunning. I never thought that one could be restored so well.

[loopsta]

tnx for the compliments fritzy :0)

[Fritzyy]

Originally Posted by loopsta

tnx for the compliments fritzy :0)

Loopsta, you do fine work. I tried contacting you through the instant message here. Probably you don't use the service?

[Bozo35]

With all due respect to your skill, I'd say this is half-restoration and half-airbrushing at best. You've taken freckles and moles off girls!

[loopsta]

bozo35, some truth in what you say but i see no rules laid down i just do what i think makes the image look better. Would you rather see jesica simpson on the cover of vogue without the tooth whitening pore blending soft focus and the 1001 other things done to make her look better ? a bad restore with the artifacts left in maybe so its truly amateur? my point being ...who decides what is enough and what is too much? and id guess to answer my own question...when whoever is doing the restore thinks so. you dont have to like it ! I know its difficult to convey any kind of emotions in text, so let me point out to you im really not peeved or anything by your comments as they are quite true(except maybe the "at best") but feel free to agree or disagree, i dont have any kind of agenda just enjoy doing this kind of thing

[blahman318]

Thanks loopsta again for your feeback advice. It took at least a quarter off the time it usually takes me, and I really dig your insights of restoration I agree with alot of what you said on your previous comment, it's what you think of your work that counts and use constructive Criticism as advice instead of getting insulted. I personally admire people like you, I guess I'm trying to be the same way. Any way here is todays post I used every bit of your advice as well as my own..