Salvage job

[Granddad]

I had some spare time yesterday evening while SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED was out teaching and set myself a challenge to salvage one of the worst photos I ever took of her. It made her look 20 years older, drunk and suffering from swollen glands.

When I showed her the results this morning she told me that she didn't mind if I posted the "before" picture on the forum because no-one knows her - but if I put it on Facebook I would be dead meat. Bless her!

I aimed at a vintage style image that could be taken for her grandmother, partly because we've been invited to a Steampunk/Re-enactment weekend and thought a sample might be a good thing to have.

How do you think I did? (The before image is the one on the left. )

 

[sm4him]

I don't know her, and I have no idea how closely she actually resembles that first picture, but I'm gonna venture a guess and say...yeah, I'd kill you too, if you posted a picture of ME that looked like that first shot.

The second one? Looks like Julie Andrews in some film role, portraying an 1880s high-society lady, perhaps. So yeah, I'd say it's an improvement!

 

[ronlane]

I like the sepia look.

 

[Granddad]

I don't know her, and I have no idea how closely she actually resembles that first picture, but I'm gonna venture a guess and say...yeah, I'd kill you too, if you posted a picture of ME that looked like that first shot.

The second one? Looks like Julie Andrews in some film role, portraying an 1880s high-society lady, perhaps. So yeah, I'd say it's an improvement!

Julie Andrews?? LOL!! When we met (35 years ago) she was teaching at a Chinese school in Hong Kong and her students used to say she looked just like Julie Andrews - so I guess I didn't do too badly.

 

[Derrel]

Ya done good!

 

[tirediron]

Is it just the guy in me? I don't see the first one as being all that terribly awful...

 

[Mully]

Nicely done.

 

[HL45]

I can see the Julie Andrews likeness! Nice edit for sure.

 

[TenaciousTins]

I say again, she looks like Julie Andrews...LOL yep...she does. Great edit!

 

[Granddad]

I like the sepia look.

Me too, we have a couple of old family photos in the house with that look and I like it better than B&W for the faux vintage look.

Ya done good!

Thanks Derrel.

Is it just the guy in me? I don't see the first one as being all that terribly awful...

She says "He's a sweetie!" ... I say, NO, you can't have her phone number.
It was my photography that was terribly awful, harsh light and bad capture.

Nicely done.

Thanks Mully.

I can see the Julie Andrews likeness! Nice edit for sure.

Thanks HL45

I say again, she looks like Julie Andrews...LOL yep...she does. Great edit!

Pity she can't sing, she could have had a career as a Julie Andrews impersonator.

 

[SquarePeg]

Wow. I'm envious of your PS skills.

 

[Granddad]

Wow. I'm envious of your PS skills.

Thanks, there are many, many here who are far and away better than me but I have more experience with photo manipulation than I do with photography. I started out using Paint Shop Pro in about 1999 working on other peoples photos for fun when I was in ill health.
This one was done in a combination of software; started in LR 3.4, then to Portrait Professional 11 and then into PSE8. It's time consuming but I enjoy it.

 

[nycphotography]

You did a great job making something good from a loser...

to me... the vignette to brown is off somehow. maybe try for a more natural sepia tone, and a lighter shade of it, and a more gradual gradient?

Other than that... you have something you can frame and display... (small frame, like an inset or a cameo almost, maybe in a vintage folding desk frame, keeping w/ the vintage look)

 

[Granddad]

You did a great job making something good from a loser...

to me... the vignette to brown is off somehow. maybe try for a more natural sepia tone, and a lighter shade of it, and a more gradual gradient?

Other than that... you have something you can frame and display... (small frame, like an inset or a cameo almost, maybe in a vintage folding desk frame, keeping w/ the vintage look)

Thanks and yes, you spotted a fudge. In the first version I didn't add the vignette, when I tried to add it later it came out white so I did another basic edit in LR, added the vignette to that and cut that out in PSE and pasted it on top of the first version. It's not as good as it could be so I may have another go.

I like your idea of an antique desk frame, we have the largest antique centre in Europe across the street (10 minutes stroll) so I may go and see what they have tomorrow.

 

[DiskoJoe]

I like the redo.