Make me prettier, please.....Photo Restoration Hints Thirteen

Make me prettier, please.

OK...now I said it.  Unless you are requested to remove a tattoo or tiny mole, don't do it.  BUT....there are a lot of things you can do to enhance a picture...male or female.  Since I am a 60 year old female, I will spend more time on "make up" so you will be a successful as a photo restorer.

I like to think of myself as a sort of make up artist as well as photo restorer. I'm not really but as I get older, I think I have learned a few tricks in Photoshop and on my own face with actual makeup.  I never worry too much though, since I can always fix my own pictures...although I don't as often as I should.  ***Smile***

Sometimes it is as easy as darkening the eyelashes with the burn tool right in the basic tools on the left.  Many times, darkening the pupils and irises of "older" eyes will bring youth back a bit.  Whitening the whites of the eyes with the dodge tool can really help.  Keep checking your history tool to make sure that you aren't getting carried away during every step of the photo restoration process or you get what my husband calls the "scary" effect.  It doesn't look like them or anyone else you know but the wrinkles are gone.  This is NOT where we want to go....but I digress.

Remember, just about each tool has a "hard/soft" option which deals with pressure or density.  Take a look at the top of the screen right next to the tool you are using to decide those things.   I like the soft round brush and I start with low hardness and low exposure...don't be afraid to experiment with these adjustments...remember you can always go a step back....

Also, remember that there are "many" colors on a given face whether it is a black and white or color picture.  Try to match the tones with the eyedropper tool depending upon which part of the face or body you are working on.  You don't want to just lighten under the eyes with the lightening tool.  Maybe there is a "tone" or "color" on the other top of the cheekbone that you can pick up to lighten those dark spots under the eyes....maybe you can leave some wrinkles but just cover them a bit or soften them a bit with the air brush.  They are still there, but the makeup covers some of the darkness in between.

As for teeth...you will need to refrain from whitening the teeth to the point that they are the first thing and only thing people see on your beautiful restoration.  Go easy...you can start with the dodge tool always...but I like to take an eye dropper to the teeth and determine the color that they are in the picture.  It is amazing what colors you will see...  You are always safe if you just go towards the white light....on the color selector, that is...and see if a little air brushing works better or the dodge tool.  Remember, the back up or history tool should be checked so that you don't make a scary restoration. 

All in all, go easy airbrushing the overall face.  Use light paint on your airbrush/paint brush, low density and hardness and just brush on the make up as you go.  Age spots, zits, pits and cuts are great removal targets.  Bring the size of the picture up to where it almost pixelates so you can see what you are doing.  The closer and softer you work, the better and more flattering your results will be.  As for beauty overall, it is in the eye of the beholder.  Try not to get in the way...your subject is already loved or you would not be doing a restoration.

Thanks for reading my blog..please subscribe to it if you need an easier way to find me.  Thank you...Renee

YouTube to the Rescue again...Photo Restoration Hints Twelve

Hi,

I hope you had time to take a look at last week's suggested YouTube video about layers...http://youtu.be/eIcYWEQH4z4

I liked it because he gets right to the point of layers.  Text is an excellent way to understand how layers work and I think he does a terrific job.  His second instruction video is important in that it shows putting one picture on top of another and the concept of putting two images together--including how to use a split screen to drag and drop and how to use cut and paste. 

However, Do NOT worry about all the detail about erasing on different layers.  It's too early for that part right now but it is interesting to see it as a concept.  Also, pay attention to the "history" button on the right hand side of the work space.  This is such an important button to get you back to where you were before you got carried away....Again, just watch it for the "concept" of layers only. 

Or, if you are more familiar with the concept, stay with me as we head toward "masks" and cool stuff like that.....

http://youtu.be/Ao2CRjk9uEI

YouTube to the Rescue...Photo Restoration Hints Eleven

Hi,

YouTube to the rescue.  I have a friend who told me recently that it was too hard to use YouTube to learn something new in Photoshop....That is entirely possible if you get onto YouTube without a specific photo restoration learning goal in mind.  Many times I sign on and then continue to the next video until I am researching water on Mars.

YouTube is a fantastic learning device for learning how to restore photos.  Remember, teaching Photoshop and Learning Photoshop is an industry in itself.  I truly believe that one person could never learn all there is to know on Photoshop.  There are tons of seminars and classes to choose from and you could spend a great deal of time becoming an "expert" in that world.

However, you don't have time to become the end all, know all expert in Photoshop because you want to correct errors in pictures and impress your friends and customers.  Come on....we all know you want those "tears" of happiness like I do.

So you go into YouTube with a specific mission...Let's say you want to learn about layers and you have absolutely no clue what a layer is.  Photoshop tries to make it easier by calling and adjustment a layer such as brightening up the contrast or enhancing the color.  However, when it came to understanding layers beyond that point, I was lost.

I am going to point you to a YouTube video that really jump starts the whole idea by explaining layers by using text and background layers.  If you like this one, there is a part two... 
http://youtu.be/eIcYWEQH4z4    I like this one because he shows you how to use the selection tool to move the layers around and how to work with the layers in the layers area of the workspace.  Just watch this one a couple of times just to get the idea...they use Photoshop 5.  Don't worry about the buttons so much as to understand the concept.

Next week we will talk more about layers ... subscribe to my blog and I'll be easier to find.  Thank you for watching....Renee :-)

Photo Restoration Hints Hint Ten..Making slide shows for DVD players.

Wow, you are still with me?

So now you are trying your own restorations and you are getting really good at it compared to when you started.  You are watching YouTube videos and the wonderful Understanding Photoshop Podcast available on iTunes and you're feeling pretty good.

Now what?  How about those DVD slide shows?  Hmmm?

Guess what, a lot of the new DVD players will allow you to put in a picture CD or DVD and it will automatically do a slide show for you.  Pretty cool.

If you want something fancier, you can buy a program called Roxio that allows you to easily pick out pictures and music to make a slide show.

Use DVD-R...for some reason it works better than DVD+R in the war to find the best DVD format that was carried out in the great competition for the winning format that was carried out by folks that make these things.  I don't know why one works better than the other, but it does.  This is tried and true information over a bunch of years doing slideshows for customers.

They don't have to be very long...in fact people will not sit down and watch anything longer than 5-10 minutes.  100 or less slides works great.  3 seconds is about all anyone can stand.  The music needs to fit the length of the show and the transitions should be smooth.  You can do lots of wipes and crazy stuff, but it won't make any difference to the people watching the show.

For those of you who are old enough to remember slide shows with a projector and a long winded person talking about their wonderful vacation while the bulb burned out at least once during the presentation.  Waiting for the bulb to be replaced was just about the time I lost complete interest in any slide show.  It's kind of like an Amway presentation.  Feed me dinner first, though.

Roxio is easy to use and I like the express DVD portion where the slide show automatically starts when you put it into the DVD player and loops and loops and loops....great for putting it into the TV on holidays when the family comes over for dinner.  There are lots of other programs...windows has a wonderful one too.  Don't be intimidated by these programs.  You just need to know that you have to convert the slideshow into DVD format at some point or else you cannot see them in all DVD players.  Just follow along and you will get it.  There are always user guides that you can buy from amazon.com or booksamillion.com.  You will get some seat time while you learn these but you can do it.  Then, people will want to see your pictures because they know that they are not painful.

Next time...YouTube to the rescue.