photo shop software....need advice...

[cleofus1]

How much does it cost to get the full suite...does it do well in repairing old photos?

help...and advice would be appreciated...

[cleofus1]

1. for instance this one

very badly faded...

[aePrime]

11. Here's a 5-minute job on the first one

[cleofus1]

2. or this with the creases

[emulatorloo]

7. Here, check out these tutorials to get an idea what you can do with it

These are various photo retouching tutorials:

http://www.digitalretouch.org/samples.html

http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=29446&rl=1

http://www.eyesondesign.net/pshop/healing/brush.htm

A portfolio of somebody who does this professionally

http://www.redpro.com/photorestoration/

[cleofus1]

8. thanks that is going to help

that first link is just what i needed for the photo of mom and dad on the stairs!

[emulatorloo]

10. be sure to scroll down on that first one and download the PDF of Chapter 6

That chapter is called Chapter 6: Damage Control and Repair -- has good things about creases, removing stains, etc.

There is a link way down on that page http://www.digitalretouch.org/samples.html to download a PDF of the chapter

Here is the direct link to download in case you don't see the link on the webpage:

http://www.digitalretouch.org/download/retouch_book.PDF

[liberal N proud]

12. Here is a page for tips and tutorials for Photoshop

http://www.queenslibrary.org/techhelp/photoshop.asp

[electricmonk]

14. A couple minutes with the clone and healing tools

Could have gotten way more detailed but just to give you an idea of what even a quick job can accomplish with those tools.

Also I'm running an older computer with a 950mhz processor and 384MB of RAM the only time it shows it's age with Photoshop is when I'm working on a huge file and applying certain filters or plug-ins. Some of my plug-ins like Focus Fixer really tax my system but most of the time I don't have any problems. Stll plan on upgrading in a few months though.

[cleofus1]

17. wow!

how much is it?
damn that works real good...

[Deja Q]

3. Photoshop is the best, but you'll still need to learn how to manually fix

some problems.

There are el-cheapo software products that will do the basic functionality, as well as higher-end scanners, but it's all automatic and comptuerized and therefore bound to overlook items that don't meet its criteria. The more automatic it is, the less likely you'll be vigilant to find other problems. Besides, regardless of the solution, you'll want 80MB PER PICTURE of HD space and a LOT of RAM to work with for restoring, if you want to maintain a high printout quality (e.g. 8x10" at 300DPI) - the bundled software may have stack limitations preventing you from working with larger sizes too.

I will give a hint: The CLONE tool can help fix scratches and tears, but the bigger the tear poses the bigger the problem.

[cleofus1]

4. how well can it "repair"

this is a rip thru the face...taped together...



I've seen photo shop do funny stuff is it a worthwhile repair software?

[Wickerman]

5. Its simply the best

but, as HT said above, you have to learn to use it, it won't do much useful by magie. Depending on your skill level you could restore that photo pretty well.

[cleofus1]

6. how much ram is required?

I have 512 MB of ddram right now...on windows xp with a 3 gig processor...120 gig harddrive...how much more do i need?

[Webster Green]

13. That's plenty of ram...

Thats what I've got, and PhotoShop works great.

[DS1]

16. pfft, your rig is fine

in fact, possibly twice as fast as mine. You're fine there.

[Midlodemocrat]

26. Question.

I have Photoshop Starter that came with my computer. How much more can the complete system do?

I am only looking to repair some old photos like the OP.

TIA.

[DS1]

27. Photoshop Starter/Elements is a toothbrush. Photoshop Full is the entire

Dentist's office. To put it in some quantifiable analogy.

[cleofus1]

28. i want the whole tamale....

but 700 smackers is hard to come by...

lots o magic beans eh?

[DS1]

29. I'd say there's less than a thousand people in the world that use

every one of Pshop's tools on a regular basis.

[Midlodemocrat]

30. About how much would the upgrade be?

Thanks for the info.

[gmoney]

9. Wait until May 1... new Photoshop CS2 version coming out.

I think you can download a 30-day demo of CS1 from Adobe.com in the meantime.

You can also check around about getting it at Academic pricing, which is dramatically cheaper. If you have kids in school, or a friend who's a teacher, it's worth looking into.

www.Academicsuperstore.com

Is your family ALWAYS so rough with photographs? ;)

[cleofus1]

18. yes they are

we have very few old photos...and they are cut up and crinkled etc...i just got a epson 4600 and i'm scanning like a madman...but obviously there is more to preservation than scanning...

here is a example of a nice photo...


but most have some damage...stains fading etc...but photoshop looks like it can handle most problems..

[DS1]

15. It's around 699, your mileage may vary, and then you'll be able

to find a photo restoration book at any typical decent bookstore.

So far you haven't posted anything that can't be fixed fully or to a great degree.

[electricmonk]

19. Book to look for is

Photoshop Restoration and Retouching by Katrin Eismann. The best on the subject that I've seen.

[DS1]

20. It's a way to make a living in itself

Ahh, Photoshop, so versatile :D

[electricmonk]

21. yep

One of the ways I make some spending cash is fixing up old photos for friends and co-workers. Have to keep my factory job for the health insurance but I would like to be able to do this full time.

[DS1]

22. Do you charge by hourly rate, or photo damage?

/curious

[electricmonk]

23. Damage and size

Plus what size print they want. There's always the person that will bring me a 2 inch print and ask, "Can you make this an 8x10?" :banghead:

[Medium Baby Jesus]

24. You can probably do what you need to do

with Photoshop Elements. It's a scaled down version for digital photography and costs about $100.00

[cleofus1]

25. lots of photo shop people here eh?

cool...i think i may pick up photoshop elements in the short run and then upgrade at the end of the year...is that possible?

damn...i can see whyit costs so much...if you become the master people will pay to restore old photos....

here's one more for the road...


an interesting image...the house seems to curve...my sister and I in el monte california 1959...a simpler time...although we both seem to be concerned about something...
;-)