Hacker News Reader

Comment by beautifulfreak | Hacker News Reader

Learning Photoshop. My photo restorations:

http://imgur.com/a/uzUzP http://imgur.com/a/BuwKp http://imgur.com/a/q61eH http://imgur.com/a/1lp9O http://imgur.com/a/OyMWI http://imgur.com/a/iVhUq http://imgur.com/a/4zv43

View on HN

That is impressive, how long does it take to restore a typical photo?

Most took 5-10 hours, but the photo of the couple covered in black spots took about 15 hours. That one was a woman's only surviving photo of her parents, so she was extremely happy with the results. I did them all for Reddit users for free, and it was very gratifying. I'd recommend fielding Reddit requests as a good way to practice. Here's one I worked on for two days before giving up, early in my stint doing restorations. https://imgur.com/a/56pSsS7 I really should start over, but don't have the drive anymore. I'd say that was my most ambitious attempt. The guy I did it for still had it framed, despite its flaws. Thanks for liking my work!

Wow that's amazing! Good job :)

Thanks!

Which one was hardest and easiest?

The photo of a couple covered in black tar spots was the hardest. It took about 15 hours, without a break. It was the only surviving photo a Redditor had of her birth parents, so I put my all into it. This one was probably easiest (https://imgur.com/a/1lp9O) because there were fewer repair areas.

What are some good resources for learning photoshop?

Online tutorials and Youtube videos were some help, but really it just takes practice. Muscle memory is key. I used two tools repeatedly, the clone tool and healing brush, then magnified the work area to zoom in on details. I think the patience I learned has transferred to other non-Photoshop tasks. Others here have commented on similar results.

It's basically close to painting :) good job!

Thanks! Sometimes they end up looking too much like paintings, so part of the challenge is to keep them looking photographic.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com