Lesson 1 - Content Aware/Photo Retouching
Going through my great grandmother's photographs, I became intrigued with the age and simplicity of her elementary school pictures. I knew it was going to be difficult to restore the damaged photograph, but wanted to see how I could improve the quality and memory demonstrated in this image. My grandmother, now 87 years old, is pictured: top, middle with her arms folded.
Photoshop Skills Used:
Design Thoughts:
Resources:
Image Source: Alice Roundy, Great Grandmother
Photoshop Skills Used:
- Lasso tool to select corner and fix
- Clone stamp to match foreground, edit border, and match colors
- Brush tool to make various layers appear darker/lighter
- Healing Brush tool to remove the black object above the border
- Patch tool to restore the texture on border and children's clothing
- Content aware brush tools to refine texture and shape
Design Thoughts:
- I used the Lasso tool to select the right corner, flip horizontally, and align with the edges to complete the border of the image.
- I used the clone stamp tool, healing brush tool, and patch tool to then work on the border. I purposely left some of the discoloration and texture because I did not want it to lose its age or character.
- I then defeated the task of trying to recreate the boys feet (middle, center) and align the chair legs using the clone stamp and patch tool.
- The top left corner was selected and straightened, aligning it to the edge of the image and allowing retouching to be more cohesive.
- Some of the children's faces were too damaged to repair due to the image quality; however, the proportions and alignment of the image is highly improved.
Resources:
Image Source: Alice Roundy, Great Grandmother