How to enhance an old photo

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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

Attachment:

fort_bragg02_me.jpg [ 291.19 KiB | Viewed 3129 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

rich2005 · **Joined:** Mar 04, 2011 **Posts:** 2610

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 [ 152.05 KiB | Viewed 3104 times ]

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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

sallyanne · **Posted:** Fri Mar 08, 2024 4:15 am **(#4)**

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

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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

Krikor · **Joined:** Dec 19, 2018 **Posts:** 164

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 [ 583.63 KiB | Viewed 2873 times ]

Wallace · **Posted:** Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:16 pm **(#7)**

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 [ 1020.67 KiB | Viewed 2854 times ]

My final results.

Attachment:

fort_bragg02_me_wallace.jpg [ 493.77 KiB | Viewed 2854 times ]

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

Hi@Wallace

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Krikor · **Joined:** Dec 19, 2018 **Posts:** 164

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

Wallace · **Posted:** Tue Mar 12, 2024 6:43 pm **(#10)**

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 [ 1022.04 KiB | Viewed 2766 times ]

Edit:

I check 2.10 and found this bit of info

Attachment:

File comment: Procedure Browser Preview

Normalize_procedure_browser.png [ 44.07 KiB | Viewed 2766 times ]

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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

Wallace · **Posted:** Tue Mar 12, 2024 11:26 pm **(#12)**

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 [ 822.02 KiB | Viewed 2756 times ]

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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

sallyanne · **Posted:** Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:33 am **(#14)**

@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.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:02 am **(#15)**

This is just a quicky so it is not done cleanly

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

Hi@sallyanne,

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

Wallace · **Posted:** Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:11 am **(#17)**

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 [ 14.04 KiB | Viewed 2705 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 [ 258.89 KiB | Viewed 2705 times ]

satimis · **Joined:** Sep 29, 2023 **Posts:** 40

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