A work in progress

One of the goals of the media restoration project is to help coach more people who want to learn restorations. There are more valuable photographs that deserve restoration than I could ever do alone and it's just common sense to share skills and develop best practices. We've got other people who work with sounds, etchings, and video.

So today's post is an excerpt from a session with one of the editors who's getting started. He's restoring a much higher resolution version of the file at right: the Turkish surrender of Jerusalem to the British in 1917. Tonight we were troubleshooting. The most challenging issue to restoration on this photograph is addressing a band of discoloration that runs across the flag. Now this isn't the only issue that needs to be addressed but it's a critical one: after all, this is the white flag in a surrender photograph.

So we were both in Skype. He was using voice and I was replying in text. At one point I sent him a detail image to convey some ideas. It would have been nearly impossible or at least drastically less efficient to have conducted the conversation entirely on wiki. He's consented to posting my end of the conversation here. It's a typical example of media content collaboration.

[10:03:53 PM] Durova says: remind me the filename?
[10:04:10 PM] Durova says: nm
[10:04:11 PM] Durova says: got it
[10:04:20 PM] Durova says: library of congress
[10:04:28 PM] Durova says: Jerusalem surrender.tif
[10:05:07 PM] Durova says: do you mean the band that intersects with the flag?
[10:05:32 PM] Durova says: right
[10:05:49 PM] Durova says: but doing stuff that crosses color boundaries isn't easy.
[10:05:57 PM] Durova says: and it's two different tones.
[10:06:13 PM] Durova says: not likely
[10:06:21 PM] Durova says: I think it's a type of decomposition
[10:06:25 PM] Durova says: sec while I look in
[10:06:36 PM] Durova says: previewing at low resolution now
[10:06:43 PM] Durova says: my guess is that the bottom tone is correct
[10:06:46 PM] Durova says: let me look closer though
[10:07:12 PM] Durova says: right
[10:07:19 PM] Durova says: oh, definitely the bottom half is correct.
[10:07:22 PM] Durova says: I have a guess here.
[10:07:30 PM] Durova says: this was scanned from a paper print
[10:07:35 PM] Durova says: I'll bet that's a crease
[10:07:48 PM] Durova says: and the difference in tone was that this section didn't lie flat on the scanner bed
[10:08:13 PM] Durova says: so the light wasn't hitting it quite straight on
[10:08:22 PM] Durova says: and one side reflected more onto the machine
[10:08:37 PM] Durova says: Well
[10:08:46 PM] Durova says: other than the section right on the flag itself
[10:08:56 PM] Durova says: most of that is fairly compatible with the natural cloud patterns
[10:09:08 PM] Durova says: the big challenge is to get the flag straightened out
[10:09:09 PM] Durova says: chance
[10:09:30 PM] Durova says: now there are actually two sections you need to think about
[10:09:36 PM] Durova says: two creases on that flag
[10:09:43 PM] Durova says: one is up near the upper left
[10:09:46 PM] Durova says: see that smaller one?
[10:09:57 PM] Durova says: hm?
[10:10:02 PM] Durova says: but do you see what I'm talking about?
[10:10:22 PM] Durova says: ok
[10:10:44 PM] Durova says: If you don't see it, I could cut out a detail and circle it for you
[10:10:47 PM] Durova says: then send you the file
[10:10:53 PM] Durova says: ok you got it
[10:11:28 PM] Durova says: now here's the solution
[10:11:29 PM] Durova says: yes
[10:11:38 PM] Durova says: thye bottom half of that flag is correct
[10:11:45 PM] Durova says: it's the top half that has issues
[10:11:52 PM] Durova says: and it basically has issues in two sections
[10:12:00 PM] Durova says: a short band above the big crease
[10:12:08 PM] Durova says: and a smaller area near the small crease
[10:12:16 PM] Durova says: so let's start with the easy stuff
[10:12:22 PM] Durova says: try the healing brush on the small crease
[10:12:34 PM] Durova says: sampling from the large stable area at the bottom 20% of the flag.
[10:12:56 PM] Durova says: A basic approach that works with a lot of these things is to take on the small problems first
[10:13:07 PM] Durova says: then once the simple stuff is solved, the bigger problems are easier.
[10:13:29 PM] Durova says: Let me know when you've got that area fixed
[10:13:39 PM] Durova says: now the second step is the right border of that flag
[10:13:46 PM] Durova says: you'll want to go in at high resolution
[10:13:52 PM] Durova says: I'd use the clone stamp
[10:14:05 PM] Durova says: not at full hardness though
[10:14:07 PM] Durova says: about 70%
[10:14:26 PM] Durova says: and I'd sample that area just beneath the crease
[10:14:30 PM] Durova says: that's a healthy area
[10:14:37 PM] Durova says: and carefully stamp it
[10:14:51 PM] Durova says: want me to draw it up for you
[10:14:57 PM] Durova says: you see that sharpish white line?
[10:15:02 PM] Durova says: that's the crease itself
[10:15:11 PM] Durova says: okay, yes
[10:15:15 PM] Durova says: ah you're still on the first one
[10:15:21 PM] Durova says: right
[10:15:23 PM] Durova says: okay
[10:15:29 PM] Durova says: well you see how at the bottom of that band
[10:15:34 PM] Durova says: there's a sharp white line?
[10:15:40 PM] Durova says: that's the crease
[10:15:47 PM] Durova says: it isn't straight
[10:15:54 PM] Durova says: but that's the point where the light hits it differently
[10:16:07 PM] Durova says: so everything beneath that is basically healthy
[10:16:26 PM] Durova says: okay so I'd fix that border with either the clone stamp or a mask.
[10:16:33 PM] Durova says: Your choice. I'm partial to clone stamping.
[10:16:50 PM] Durova says: Healing brush doesn't work very well for the border though.
[10:17:02 PM] Durova says: yes it's a fuzzy border
[10:17:23 PM] Durova says: but you'd likely lose even more detail by attempting to healing brush there
[10:17:39 PM] Durova says: basically there are three sections that need either clone stamping or masks
[10:17:47 PM] Durova says: the easiest one is at far right
[10:17:55 PM] Durova says: yes
[10:18:01 PM] Durova says: I'll tell you the others once you get there.
[10:18:09 PM] Durova says: or I could draw this up and send you a detail image.
[10:18:15 PM] Durova says: know what?
[10:18:17 PM] Durova says: I'll do that
[10:18:18 PM] Durova says: ok
[10:18:34 PM] Durova says: a picture's worth a thousand words.
[10:18:40 PM] Durova says: I'll just be a moment.
[10:26:51 PM] Durova says: sorry, need to send you the other version
[10:27:13 PM] Durova says: there; much smaller

[10:30:11 PM] Durova says: So, you have that file open?
[10:30:20 PM] Durova says: yes
[10:30:24 PM] Durova says: see what I mean?
[10:30:39 PM] Durova says: once you get those three areas the rest is easy
[10:30:50 PM] Durova says: the rest is just healing brush work, really
[10:31:05 PM] Durova says: sure thing :)
[10:31:07 PM] Durova says: ack
[10:31:10 PM] Durova says: sure
[10:31:11 PM] Durova says: of course
[10:31:15 PM] Durova says: well, I'll be here.
[10:31:26 PM] Durova says: I knew this flag would be a problem
[10:31:33 PM] Durova says: not surprised you wanted advice
[10:31:39 PM] Durova says: actually, may I mention something?
[10:31:46 PM] Durova says: I'm proud you're taking this on yourself
[10:31:57 PM] Durova says: I was kinda thinking you'd shoot this problem back to me to fix
[10:32:06 PM] Durova says: this will teach you a lot :)
[10:32:17 PM] Durova says: aw shucks