Digital cleanup and restoration of images


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Con l'aiuto del vecchio e fedele Photoshop Elements 4.0, di quando in quando cerco di migliorare le fotografie storiche in bianco e nero. Anche le immagini che creo al microscopio con la tecnica del focus stacking necessitano di ripulitura e regolazione dei livelli. Cerco di usare il meno possibile gli effetti software che coprono l'intera immagine, e intervengo punto per punto come ritengo necessario. Ciò può richiedere molto tempo e molta pazienza. Qui sotto, alcuni esempi a bassa risoluzione e in piccola dimensione dei risultati migliori che ho ottenuto. Altre immagini restaurate di argomento aeronautico possono essere trovate qui: http://www.cesarebrizio.it/AAFC/AAFC_SELECTION.htm.

With the help of the old and faithful Photoshop Elements 4.0, from time to time I try to improve historical photos in black and white. Also the images that I create at the microscope with the focus stacking technique need cleaning and levels adjustment. I try to use as little as possible the software effects that cover the whole picture, and I intervene spot by spot as I deem necessary. This may require much time and much patience. Here under, some low resolution and small size examples of the best results that I obtained. More restored pictures of aeronautical subject can be found here: http://www.cesarebrizio.it/AAFC/AAFC_SELECTION.htm.

Picture (click to enlarge) Subject Shooting Technique Main interventions

Rhynchites auratus Focus stacking (see here for details) White balancing, lint and dust removal, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”, antenna tip replacement
Stilbum cyanurum Focus stacking (see here for details) White balancing, lint and dust removal, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”, complete reconstruction of one leg, complete reconstruction of five feet, removal of paper and glue from the head, mitigation of the reflection on dorsum via cut & paste from a second set of pictures

Chrysis ignita Focus stacking (see here for details) White balancing, lint and dust removal, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”, antenna tip replacement
An old picture Flatbed hi-res scan of deteriorated small-size photographic print White balancing, color removal, crack mitigation or removal, scratch mitigation, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”

Cockpit of the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin Received as a high-resolution digital image, courtesy of Ray Schoch White balancing, color removal, lint and dust removal, scratch mitigation, Gaussian blurring by area, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”

Cockpit of the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin (detail) Received as a high-resolution digital image, courtesy of Ray Schoch White balancing, color removal, lint and dust removal, scratch mitigation, Gaussian blurring by area, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”

Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster undergoing structural tests on Jan 5, 1955 Received as a high-resolution digital image, cortesy of The Glenn L. Martin Maryland aviation Museum Color removal, lint and dust removal, scratch mitigation, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”



LES PLANCHES INÉDITES DE FORAMINIFÈRES D’ALCIDE D'ORBIGNY Marie-Thérèse Vénec-Peyré Watercoloured lithographs, downloaded as a set of JPEG images Color removal, lint and dust removal, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, handwriting enhancement, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”


Iconografia della fauna italica : per le quattro classi degli animali vertebrati (Bonaparte, Charles-Lucien, 1803-1857) Watercoloured lithographs, downloaded as a set of JPEG 2000 images Color removal, lint and dust removal, selective contrast and brightness adjustments, removal of small blotches, handwriting enhancement, one-pixel resolution “spot healing”