The new Pixel By Pixel site has been live for two months now so I thought it was about time the Pixel By Pixel Blog came online too. Here I would like to share with you a selection of the images I am fortunate enough to restore and retouch, as well as the occasional tutorial for those who would like to learn restoration themselves.
It was a difficult task choosing images for the web site. I receive so many gorgeous images to enhance and accompanying some of them, the story of their origin.
These images were presented to me a few months ago by the Dorrigo RSL Sub Branch in NSW. A member of the branch purchased the photos at a clearance sale about ten years ago for $2.00 each. What an amazing find!
The photographs document a recruiting/enlistment event at the Dorrigo Showgrounds in 1915. The procession was making its way across the bridge over the Bielsdown River (current bridge is in the same location) to the showgrounds. The prominent building on the right hand side of the road is the Dorrigo Hotel (Top Pub) and the one behind the shed on the left is the Commercial Hotel (Bottom Pub). They are still both in existence today.
The horse women were known as the Dorrigo Grenadiers and they performed at shows and events…no military connection. The procession image shows the 15 men who had enlisted followed by Lady Britannia on the wagon then the town band followed by the Grenadiers and the local citizenry.
Of those 15 men, we know of 6 who were killed during World War 1…their names are on the Dorrigo Monument that was erected by the town in 1921 at the intersection near the Top Pub.
Thank you to Bob Denner and the Dorrigo RSL Sub Branch for trusting me to restore your images and allowing me to share them.
Recruiting/enlistment event at Dorrigo, NSW in 1915. Original image
Recruiting/enlistment event at Dorrigo, NSW in 1915. Image restored by Carol Heath, Pixel By Pixel
Recruiting/enlistment event at Dorrigo, NSW in 1915. Original Image
Recruiting/enlistment event at Dorrigo, NSW in 1915. Image restored by Carol Heath, Pixel By Pixel
the Dorrigo Grenadiers, 1915. Original image
the Dorrigo Grenadiers, 1915. Image restored by Pixel By Pixel
The Dorrigo Grenadiers, 1915. Original image
The Dorrigo Grenadiers, 1915. Image restored by Pixel By Pixel
To look at this photograph you would not think it would rate as one of the most challenging images I have ever had to restore. It doesn’t have large sections missing and it isn’t so faded it it barely visible. It is however covered in tiny spots and stains. In fact, when I fist saw it and even when I scanned it I thought it would only take a few hours to restore. It did take a few hours, then a few hours more and then a few hours more. In hindsight, I would have been best to rephotograph this image rather than scanning.
I am often able to repair damage by manipulating channels and creating elaborate masks and whilst my methods did prove successful in some areas of this image it wasn’t enough. I found dodge and burn on a 50% grey layer to be the most effective method for removing many of the dark spots and stains. The results obtained from this method are much better than those I was able to achieve with cloning and healing…they also however took much longer than a quick clone and heal. I am not complaining though. I acquired a few new skills during this restoration (by reading and watching tutorials from other Photoshop technicians) and I am quite happy with the end result. I know it could be better given more time. This I could say about most every image I restore but there comes a time (usually after spending at least twice as long as you first planned) when you simply need to sit back and ask if all the defects you see in a photo will be visible to everyone else, especially when printed as a small print. I completed the restoration and sent it off for printing and just as I suspected, those hundreds of tiny spots that were bugging me on my 24″ screen were barely visible in the 6″ x 4″ print.
You will notice that the woman on our right has her eyes closed in the original but open in the restored version. This was my artistic interpretation. There were two versions of the image produced; One with eyes open and one with eyes closed. I wouldn’t advise such changes with all images. Sometimes ’subjective’ alterations to an historical image can compromise it’s integrity. In this case I don’t feel that it did. She just happened to blink during the exposure. The eyes used were ‘borrowed’ from her sibling and slightly altered. Thanks to Jenny for allowing me to share her image of Charles Phibbs and family. Those faces which were fading away will now be visible for many years to come.
I had a request for a quick tutorial today so here it is (unedited, warts and all) My quick tutorial for creating a gif animation using Photoshop Elements.
“First impressions Count”; A saying that website owners should remind themselves of when promoting their brand and something they should remind themselves of regularly as their businesses evolve. Are your website visitors getting the right impression of your product or service? If not, perhaps it is time for a makeover.
I had a new website professionally built for Pixel by Pixel almost two years ago. The old site was easy to navigate and my images looked ok, but I was actually emabarrassed to share it, especially with my peers. I thought it looked “daggy”. It screamed “home-made” and I really didn’t think it was an honest portrayal of my business or of my skills as a photo restorer / retoucher. Almost two years down the track there are further changes I would like to make. My business has evolved and it is perhaps time for my website to evolve too. Something for me to consider over the coming months.
I have assisted with quite a few website makeovers, retouching and optimising images to ensure they look and perform the best they can. Often I am am working with images shot by professional photographers, other times I am working with images shot by small business owners in their makeshift studios. With clever editing, it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference.
I recently had the pleasure of working with Keren from The Brown Trading Co., retouching, re-sizing and optimising her product photographs. There were quite a few images in need of retouching (over 150) and Keren, who is known for her refreshingly vibrant designs needed her images and her site to look fresh and vibrant to match her style.
Continuity was also important to the success of this site, especially with such a large variety of similar products so images needed to be re-sized and optimised accordingly.
The front page and banner images which had been professionally styled and photographed simply ‘popped’ once edited. These stylish interiors look so inviting and help the web site visitor to imagine these products in their own home.
It is simply a stunning site; easy to navigate, clean, crisp, fresh and stylish. If you like all things lovely then pay a visit to The Brown Tading Co. website. I am sure your first impression will be a good one.
It’s amazing how much information can be found in images, faded by time. This photograph was presented to me recently; the owner fully aware of how faded it had become and appreciative of any attempt to restore it. My comments to her when I first scanned it were something along the lines of, “great news! I think I can fully restore this image. The bad news however that beneath the fading lies lots of tiny spots and scratches that will take time to repair.”
When scanned, it was obvious that this image required a little more than just color and exposure correction. There were mould stains, blue biro markings and even a thumb print from the original printing process. Worst of all however were those scratches covering almost all of the image. This was a challenging image, but one I truly enjoyed restoring.
Thank You Margaret for allowing me to share this lovely image on my blog. It certainly is a treasure.
A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a few items from the adorable range of little girls dresses at Oh! Veronica, ‘a sassy new label offering handmade boutique keepsake dresses and girls tops’. The session was spread out over a couple of evenings because our lovely model has just started school and was a little tired by the time the lighting was at it’s best but you would never know from these images. She is such a trooper.
It was great to have a camera in my hand again. I spend so much time in front of my monitor editing photos for other photographers it is easy to forget where I started all those years ago…..photographing children. Would I want to go back there? No, not really, but I do enjoy a play occasionally.
It wasn’t easy picking just a few images to share so I picked a few and then just a few more.
I prefer to scan my images for restoration where possible but with this one, it simply wasn’t an option…..for two reasons;
The image was presented to me while on holidays. I didn’t have access to my scanner or computer and even if I did it would have involved removing the image from the deeply matted frame it has been housed in for approximately 80 Years. Here within lies my second dilemma. On close inspection, I noticed that there was barely a section of the image which did not have emulsion peeling away from the fibre base of the image. Some of the emulsion appeared bubbled. The original image was so fragile. If I did attempt to remove it from the frame it may very well have resulted in further damage. Removing an image such as this from a frame is the type of job best reserved for a conservator or specialist framer.
Making the most of available resources, I re-photographed the image using available light, black fabric to reduce reflections from the large frame and a borrowed tripod, I then set upon the task of restoring. This involved a great deal of cloning, healing, burning and dodging. Like most things, the best results are achieved with time and patience…certainly the case here.
original photograph of Albert Green, Walcha
photograph of Albert Green, restored by Carol Heath, Pixel By Pixel
Thank you to the Green Family for trusting me with this image. It was a challenge but absolute pleasure to restore.
Polaroid photos have never been noted for their superior quality and the one taken of my son today at the MCG by organisers of the cricket clinic he attended with the Victorian Bushrangers is no exception. In fact, it’s pretty horrible. The composition and lighting are fine and it’s a great memento of my son enjoying his time on the “hallowed turf’ but it is reminiscent of Polaroid photos I have restored, taken 30 years ago that have aged and suffered over the years. Perhaps old film stock, stored incorrectly is to blame? Perhaps this particular camera / film combination is not capable of anything better? I can only say that we were a little disappointed as I waited eagerly for his image to appear after reassuring him that “Polaroid photos just take a little time”.
It’s times like this I am grateful for my photo editing skills; a quick levels and curves adjustment, a bit of scratch removal, some colour burn and dodge, a new border and volia!…. a somewhat improved photograph for him to add to his collection.
Of course I did take my own camera along and took more than just a few snaps to add to the family photo album…..but there are no ‘before and afters’ to show you with those.
There are numerous methods for sharpening an image in Photoshop. The High Pass filter is one of my favourites. This short video tutorial demonstrates just how easy it is. I’m using Photoshop CS5 in this tutorial, but the same method applies to Photoshop Elements or other versions of Photoshop.
This is my first video tutorial. I know the quality is not fantastic and I know that it runs for more than five minutes. Oops!
I’d love your feedback regardless. Would you like to see more quick Photoshop tutorials? (When I figure out a better way of recording and displaying them that is).
PS. If you’re a whizz at video recording and broadcasting via web, I’d love your thoughts on the best software for recording and method for embedding video into my blog posts.
I use this image in my Photo Restoration courses. It is badly stained and on first glance, looks like it would take hours to restore. And had I scanned it as a greyscale image it probably would.
But I never scan photographic images in greyscale. I’m a big fan of RGB (red, green blue). Let me show you why;
This is the original image scanned and saved as an RGB file. Looks pretty bad. That horrible reddish/yellow stain covers most of the image.
But take the time to inspect each of the individual colour channels and you might be pleasantly surprised.
This is the blue channel…no pleasant surprises here;
The green channel isn’t much better. At least I can see more of the image but there is nothing to get excited about here either;
But look at the Red Channel! This is where you can get excited. It’s hard to believe this is the same (unedited) image. The image I originally thought would take quite a few hours to restore will now only take about an hour! There are obviously still areas of damage which require my attention and I will need to do some clever editing to replace the blue and green channels but it is easily done…without losing any hair.And here it is restored (with a sepia tone applied).
Now, had I scanned this image as a greyscale file, this is what I would have had to work with. No hidden surprises lying within colour channels. What you see is what you get: Hmmm, no thanks.
So the moral to this story, which lacks technical info but instead just uses pictures to demonstrate is……….Scan your images for restoration as RGB, even if they are black and white images. Whilst miraculous results like these cannot be achieved with all images, that extra colour data increases your chances and may just save a few hairs.
The answer is yes but sadly I don’t need to ask to know that one of these babies would be beyond my budget.
Among the many tasks I perform at Pixel By Pixel is flat lay product photography. You know? those images of clothing you see in catalogues and in online stores? Designers, manufacturers and online retailers send me their collections and I photograph, edit and optimise their images for web, removing backgrounds and ensuring the images are an accurate depiction of the real item. I also edit images that many of my clients take themselves.
Flat lay photography is not at all difficult, but it can be tricky maintaining even lighting, minimising wrinkles, achieving accurate colour reproduction and emphasising textural qualities of the fabric. I also find it hard on the back, styling each item, photographing it then replacing it with the next. Despite the term, “flat lay”, I often photograph items on a board placed at a 45 degree angle, held in place with a slip resistant fabric and if necessary, pins (size of garment permitting). My studio lighting and tripod are set at an angle to compliment this set-up.
Garment Photographed for The Enchanted Child.
Yesterday I discovered StyleShoots, an innovation by the Dutch company iShopShape. All I can say is you will need to see this for yourself. Watch the video. Even if you are not a photographer or image editer, I’m sure you’ll be impressed. If you have ever spent hours bending over, styling and photographing flat lay images, then hours in front of your computer, stylus in hand creating clipping paths and masking backgrounds from garments with lace, tulle, feathers and such, you will dream of owning one of these, just like I do.
Hmmm, I wonder how long I would have to save up for one of these?
