In order to view any picture page properly, you need to be able to see all of the gradations in the picture above. If you can't, you need to adjust the brightness and contrast settings of your monitor until you can.
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Here are the before and after images to show what this editing process can achive. Thought you might enjoy seeing the process of a picture being "fixed". These are the steps I followed to bring out the best image possible. Don't be intimidated by the apparent complexity. Each step is discrete and atainable with a bit of practice.
Step 01: This is the original image. Note that it is smaller than the "finished" size and surrounded by a white frame. Zoom in and see how much around the edge must be deleted.
Step 02: This is a zoomed image of the upper left corner of the picture. Note that the frame is shadowed and consumes 12 pixels. Select the unaffected portion of the image and resize to working dimensions.
Step 03: This is the cropped and resized image. Evaluate the image to determine how to start. This image has the following problems: It is too dark. It is severly lacking in contrast. It sufferes from detail and color loss. Zoom in on Willie's face to determine the extent of the problem.
Step04: This is the zoomed image of Willie's face. Note that there is a complete lack of fleshtones and, worse, the skin is tinted both purple and green. Image demonstrates massive detail and color loss. Repair options are limited. First thing to do is increase overall contrast and brightness so I can see how to proceed.
Step 05: Here is the image with both the brightness and the contrast increased 30%. Now, at least I can see what I'm doing. Next thing to do is to zoom in on Carolyn's hands to determine if smoothing is needed.
Step 06: This is the zoomed image of Carolyn's hands and the SciFi logo. Note the checkerboard appearance of areas that should be smooth in appearance. Next run an edge preserving smoothing function.
Step 07: This is the image after smoothing. Note the slightly blurry appearance. Zoom in again on Carolyn's hands to determine if smooth enough.
Step 08: This is the zoomed image of Carolyn's hands and the SciFi logo after smoothing. Notice that the checkerboard appearance has been eliminated and areas which should appear smooth now do. Next, while zoomed, paint over the SciFi logo using colors from adjacent areas. While there, select Carolyn's slacks and tint them slightly to set them off from her coat. Notice line on door between Carolyn and Willie is missing near bottom. While zoomed, paint the line down to the bottom of the image. Also paint the door line to the right of Carolyn out to the edge.
Step 09: Reflects above changes. Next background adjustments: Note unfortunate placement of the left edge of the door. Move it slightly to the right and clean up area between Willie and Barnabas at bottom. Fix edge of Willie's slacks while there. Straighten up the door jamb just to the right of Barnabas' head where the shadow gives illusion of odd angle. Bring the yellow color from the upper left of the image to the lower left patch just to the left of Barnabas.
Step 10: This image has the background adjustments completed. Carefully draw around Barnabas with selection tool to create a mask for him.
Step 11: This is the image with Barnabas masked. Now paste poor Barnabas into his own frame to concentrate on just him.
Step 12: Here is Barnabas composited against a plain background. Now consider him and make adjustments: Sharpen his image using Unsharp Mask tool with a radius of two pixels. Now increase his brightness 9% and his contrast 7%.
Step 13: Here is the image of barnabas with sharpness, brightness and contrast adjustments. Notice that his coat is ever so slightly grey so that his sleeves can be highlighted by darkening the area between them and the body of the coat. Add a bit of dark highlights to coat and darken the line for the collar. Darken the right edge of the coat, sleeve and collar because the light is coming from in front and to left of him.
Step 14: This image shows black highlights, now work them in a bit with the coat color so they don't look drawn. Clean up the lower left edge of his coat and sleeve, then pick up the yellow from the light and paint his edges to show the light reflecting there like on the left side of his collar and head. Darken and add some detail to his hair. Select out his ears and hand then increase red 12% and decrease green and blue by -10%. This will give those fleshtones a more natural cast. Finally increase the contrast by another 3%.
Step 15: This is the finished Barnabas. Put him aside for now and return to the original image to carefully draw around Willie to create a mask for him.
Step 16: Here is the original image with Barnabas and Willie masked. Now paste Willie into his own frame so he can be repaired.
Step 17: Here is Willie composited against a plain background. Now consider him and make adjustments. LOL I wish I could adjust his pose! He looks exactly like a little girl's Ken doll standing next to the car waiting for Barbie! Well, since this is a demonstration, lets do it!
Step 18: Here is Willie with his arms cut off and ready for repositioning. LOL Lots of arms. First paint coat back over areas where arms were cut out, then rotate arms to more natural position and carefull past into place so they appear correctly attached to body. Then paint around them to smoothly blend to body.
Step 19: Here is Willie with his arms repositioned. Now proceed with image correction. Sharpen his image using Unsharp Mask tool with a radius of 3 pixels then increase contrast 3%. Select out face and and hands then increase red 3%, increase green by 2% and blue by -7%. This will give those fleshtones a more natural cast.
Step 20: Here is Willie with the above adjustments. Now look him over at magnification and see what else is needed... Add a slight indication of the line between the lips and slightly lighten what should be the whites of the eyes. This is all iffy because there is simply no detail in the original. Work a bit more at blending the hands and extend left hand fingers. Darken the right part of the coat then blend with background color. Adjust the hair color to set it off from the skintone. Finally, run the unsharp mask again with a radius of 1 and reduced strength. Blend, work on that left hand some more. Pick up the yellow from the light and paint highlights on the coat, slacks, shirt face and hair.
Step 21: This is the finished Willie. Put him aside for now and return to the original image to carefully draw around Carolyn to create a mask for her.
Step 22: Here is the original image with Barnabas, Willie and Carolyn masked. Now paste Carolyn into her own frame so she can be repaired.
Step 23: Evaluate Carolyn to determine how to adjust image parameters. Start with the unsharp mask with a radius of 3 at 100%. Adjust Hue toward the red by 6%, increase the saturation 11% and decrease the lightness 3%.
Step 24: Here is Carolyn with those adjustments. Now... what else does she need. Lighten and adjust her hair on top. Locate and redraw the line between her chin and her hair. Remove the line from her forhead clarify the line between hair and neck. Adjust the skin tones on face and hands again and increase the brightness slightly. Pick up a few highlights from the yellow light source. Then adjust brightness and contrast a last time. Finally try to hint at the whites of the eyes, and adjust her complexion a bit.
Step 25: Here is Carolyn finished. Put it aside and create a reverse mask to make final adjustments to the background.
Step 26: Here is the image with the forground figures masked out. It's easy to see that there are multiple light sources probably from overhead lights. The most troubling of these is the light area directly behind Willie's neck. Darken this area to better blend into the surrounding shade. Then increase the contrast by 3% and decrease the brightness by 5% to better show up the foreground figures.
Step 27: Here is the background with the above changes. Now past back in the forground figures.
Step 28: Here Barnabas, Willie and Carolyn are returned to the picture with the selection highlight still in place. Now all that remains to be done is to remove the selection and blend the edges into the background.
Step 29: Inevitably something else comes to one's attention as you approach calling it "done" a relative term if ever there was one. Well, in this case: The side of Willie's face closest to Barnabas got lost in his hair and needed to be shadowed. This done, I returned to his left hand which has been bugging me. This done, I worked a bit more on his eyes, reducing the contrast between iris and white. At some point you just have to leave it and say "I'm done" because the image will never be perfect. Things that will remain undone in my "final" image are: The background to the right of Carolyn is too dark and her coat and slacks would look better if it were lightened. The right side of Willie's face could use the same treatment as the left side. Carolyn's coat could use extending just a bit on the side closest to Willie. Willie's left pant leg could use lightning directly in front. His left hand could still use more work. His shirt lapel interface just above the left hand needs attention. LOL See, I could go on finding faults, but there's no need. I'm done with this demonstration.
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