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How to enhance an old photo
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Author:  satimis [ Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:08 am ]
Post subject:  How to enhance an old photo

GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Linux
GIMP Experience: Basic Level



Attachment:
fort_bragg02_me.jpg
fort_bragg02_me.jpg [ 291.19 KiB | Viewed 998 times ]
The old photo is quite clear but the person is in complete darkness. Please see attached photo.

Please advise how to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

Attachments:
fort_bragg02_me.jpg
fort_bragg02_me.jpg [ 291.19 KiB | Viewed 998 times ]
fort_bragg02_me.jpg
fort_bragg02_me.jpg [ 291.19 KiB | Viewed 998 times ]

Author:  rich2005 [ Sun Jan 28, 2024 9:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Are you really using Gimp 2.8 ? You should update your version of linux.

However, my thoughts on what you might do and I did use Gimp 2.8.22 in linux

Caveat, never going to be great, too much colour info gone from the figure and without spending too much time on it.

First I would straighten up the whole image with the perspective tool.

Select the area of the figure, copy it and paste it as a new image.
Scale that image say, 400% it makes editing easier and might blur those hot pixels down.
Use the levels tool to select white point and black point. That at least gets you something you can see and you can (carefully) remove the background with the eraser tool.

Now scale that back down to almost original size, keep it a little larger, nobody will notice and it will cover the orginal with an overlap.

Copy and paste into the main image. It now becomes a bit artistic to try and clean up parts such as hands as best you can.

Attachment:
fort_bragg02_me-1.jpg
fort_bragg02_me-1.jpg [ 152.05 KiB | Viewed 973 times ]

Author:  satimis [ Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

rich2005 wrote:
Are you really using Gimp 2.8 ? You should update your version of linux.

However, my thoughts on what you might do and I did use Gimp 2.8.22 in linux

Caveat, never going to be great, too much colour info gone from the figure and without spending too much time on it.

First I would straighten up the whole image with the perspective tool.

Select the area of the figure, copy it and paste it as a new image.
Scale that image say, 400% it makes editing easier and might blur those hot pixels down.
Use the levels tool to select white point and black point. That at least gets you something you can see and you can (carefully) remove the background with the eraser tool.

Now scale that back down to almost original size, keep it a little larger, nobody will notice and it will cover the orginal with an overlap.

Copy and paste into the main image. It now becomes a bit artistic to try and clean up parts such as hands as best you can.

Attachment:
fort_bragg02_me-1.jpg


Hi@rich2005,

Thanks for your advice.

I'm running;
GIMP 2.10.30 installed on Ubuntu 22.04 linux

The photo was download on my website;

North California-2
http://phgallery1.reynoldstocks.com/north-california-2/

Under; Fort Bragg
The other photos are quite clear. I wonder whether it was caused by insufficient light while capturing ?

Regards

Author:  sallyanne [ Fri Mar 08, 2024 4:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

More than likely it is insufficient lighting. You can see he is in the shadow. Cameras will not catch everything our eyes can see.

Author:  satimis [ Fri Mar 08, 2024 5:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

sallyanne wrote:
More than likely it is insufficient lighting. You can see he is in the shadow. Cameras will not catch everything our eyes can see.

Thanks

I do agree with your comment, face not having sufficient light.

Regards

Author:  Krikor [ Fri Mar 08, 2024 2:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

I selected the human figure using the free select tool - Clearly the selection was very poorly done; (but here the intention was to test an idea).
With Curves, I lightened the selection and tried to apply a slight contrast.
I duplicated the layer with the selected figure, applied a mask of the selection and applied the mask.

With Colors - Exposure I tried to improve the lighting of the figure.
I used the Addition and soft light modes (from bottom to top) on the added layers.

Remembering that the selection part must be done well and not lazily like I did.
Attachment:
Untitled700del.png
Untitled700del.png [ 583.63 KiB | Viewed 742 times ]

Author:  Wallace [ Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

This is the best result that I could do using a layer mask on the shadow.
Also playing with curves and finally trying color auto-normalize.

Attachment:
Screenshot (1290).png
Screenshot (1290).png [ 1020.67 KiB | Viewed 723 times ]


My final results.
Attachment:
fort_bragg02_me_wallace.jpg
fort_bragg02_me_wallace.jpg [ 493.77 KiB | Viewed 723 times ]

Author:  satimis [ Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Hi@Wallace

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Author:  Krikor [ Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Wallace wrote:
This is the best result that I could do using a layer mask on the shadow.
Also playing with curves and finally trying color auto-normalize.

Attachment:
Screenshot (1290).png


My final results.
Attachment:
fort_bragg02_me_wallace.jpg


Hello Wallace!

I liked your result. I think the OP got the solution he wanted through the technique you used.

BTW, I didn't find this "color auto-normalize" plugin/script, or anything like it, even looking on G'MIC.
Could this be something added in more recent versions of Gimp? I still use version 2.10.28.

Would it be possible for you to share this plugin (auto-normalize) here on the forum? I would like to test it :-)

Wallace, thank you. :tyspin

Author:  Wallace [ Tue Mar 12, 2024 6:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Krikor wrote:

Hello Wallace!

I liked your result. I think the OP got the solution he wanted through the technique you used.

BTW, I didn't find this "color auto-normalize" plugin/script, or anything like it, even looking on G'MIC.
Could this be something added in more recent versions of Gimp? I still use version 2.10.28.

Would it be possible for you to share this plugin (auto-normalize) here on the forum? I would like to test it :-)

Wallace, thank you. :tyspin


Cheers!
I used 2.8 and this falls under Color > Auto > Normalize.
Unfortunately Normalize is on longer available in 2.10.
This auto color filter is suppose to stretch the brightness values to cover the full range.
I believe the filter was use as the last step.
I'm also not sure if there is an equivalent in 2.10.
Here is a screenshot of 2.8. showing the filter.

Attachment:
File comment: Preview of Color > Auto > Normalize
vlcsnap-2024-03-12-16h33m48s127.png
vlcsnap-2024-03-12-16h33m48s127.png [ 1022.04 KiB | Viewed 635 times ]





Edit:

I check 2.10 and found this bit of info

Attachment:
File comment: Procedure Browser Preview
Normalize_procedure_browser.png
Normalize_procedure_browser.png [ 44.07 KiB | Viewed 635 times ]

Author:  satimis [ Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Hi@Wallace,

I'm running GIMP 2.10.30 on Ubuntu 22.04 (Linux) here. Please advise how to add plug-in-normalize? Thanks

Regards

Author:  Wallace [ Tue Mar 12, 2024 11:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

satimis wrote:
Hi@Wallace,

I'm running GIMP 2.10.30 on Ubuntu 22.04 (Linux) here. Please advise how to add plug-in-normalize? Thanks

Regards

The filter didn't actually do much that I could detect for my final image.
Sorry, but I don't have a plugin file for this filter.
The effect of Normalization seems similar to Colors > Levels > Auto Input Levels.


Attachment:
vlcsnap-2024-03-12-21h14m52s037.png
vlcsnap-2024-03-12-21h14m52s037.png [ 822.02 KiB | Viewed 625 times ]

Author:  satimis [ Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Hi@Wallace,

Sorry, I couldn't make it here. When the face is clear the background (building) is not clear. Please see attached screenshot

Regards

Attachments:
screenshot_face_testing.png
screenshot_face_testing.png [ 803.51 KiB | Viewed 602 times ]

Author:  sallyanne [ Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

@satimis, if you want the person to come out of the shadow and still have the building clear you have to select just the person first, then only they will be lightened.

Author:  sallyanne [ Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

This is just a quicky so it is not done cleanly
Image

Author:  satimis [ Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Hi@sallyanne,

It is not easy to make sharp selection of the person. Is there any other solutions ?

Author:  Wallace [ Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Here is a layer mask I made that can be used with this image.
Not a single selection was use to create this layer mask image.

Attachment:
File comment: Layer Mask
Layer_mask_fort_bragg02_me_wallace.png
Layer_mask_fort_bragg02_me_wallace.png [ 14.04 KiB | Viewed 574 times ]


Paint out the surrounding bits of dark and paint in the few light areas to create the mask.
White is full opacity,
so the layer mask color should be inverted as a final step.

Attachment:
File comment: Color Curves applied to desaturated copy.
Screenshot (1298).png
Screenshot (1298).png [ 258.89 KiB | Viewed 574 times ]

Author:  satimis [ Fri Mar 15, 2024 3:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: How to enhance an old photo

Wallace wrote:
[align=center][font=Georgia]Here is a layer mask I made that can be used with this image.
Not a single selection was use to create this layer mask image. ....

Hi@Wallace,

Thanks for your help. It is NOT easy creating a smooth mask on a subject. It is time consuming.

Please advise what will be next steps followed. Thanks

Regards

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