Excuses Required

[Geoff F]

On of my tasks with the local history group is a bit of image renovation.

So I have just been sent this, as an e mail, with a question about what could I do with it?



If I had the original, possibly I could crop out the worst bits. But this is 960 pixels wide!

And worst of all - my magic wand is broken!

Just file it under pending and hope it fades away I suppose.

Pity about the image because there must be a really interesting reason why these circus elephants were taking a dip in the sea here. At one time a circus regularly visited a nearby town (7 miles away) but I've never heard of them being at this location.

[Colin Southern]

If one had a full resolution version it's quite "doable", but at the end of the day, it's going to have a LOT of "computer generated" content in the non-critical areas (eg sky & water).

[Shadowman]

Is that a double exposure and what is the second image? It looks like a mattress.

[Colin Southern]

what is the second image? It looks like a mattress.

Huh?

You lost me!

[Shadowman]

Huh?

You lost me!

The tan overlay. The first image is of the elephants with a small mountain in the background.

[Colin Southern]

The tan overlay. The first image is of the elephants with a small mountain in the background.

I'm only seeing one image ???

[Colin Southern]

Silly question - you're not mistaking all the sellotape used to repair the image as some kind of "overlay" are you?

[Shadowman]

Silly question - you're not mistaking all the sellotape used to repair the image as some kind of "overlay" are you?

That's what it is! I showed this to five other people and they all thought it was a double exposure also.

[Colin Southern]

That's what it is! I showed this to five other people and they all thought it was a double exposure also.

Ha - nope - it's just a VERY damaged photo!

[Geoff F]

Yes, difficult to tell exactly what is there.

With a crop of the sky and sides I might get away with something just about usable but only somewhere around 600 pixels if I expand what is left.

Or paste in a replacement sky etc. There isn't much firm texture to start with whatever I do; as you said Colin.

Still, I will have a little play around and see what happens. It will make a change from the various local guide books etc which I am scanning and recomposing at the moment.

And with scanning the text and photos at different settings, plus a screen on some photos which has to be dealt with, I'm already well stocked up with various jobs.

[IzzieK]

It was nice of you to accept it as a job if indeed you did, but there is only so much you can do to this image.

[pnodrog]

For those of you a bit mystified by it I have done a very quick edit. I do not know the location but if I could I would be tempted to take a shot with the perspective matched as closely as possible (with nice clouds in the sky) and then use a mix of cloning/merging and repairing.

I would be reluctant to ever call it a restored image but rather an interpretation

[Geoff F]

Yes, I think something like that is all that can be done. As long as the land in the background is clear as a reference point and they are obviously elephants.

I haven't tried this one yet, but I was initially thinking along similar lines.

[benm]

I actually like the image as it is; it's very artful. (really!) I would only straighten out the horizon.

[Nancy Moran G]

Hey, I think I paid alot of money for a pp product to give me this kind of effect.
I love when there is a story behind these types of photos, hopefully you will find put more and tell us.
Can't help otherwise, I am the newbie on the block.
Nancy

[Shadowman]

Hey, I think I paid alot of money for a pp product to give me this kind of effect.
I love when there is a story behind these types of photos, hopefully you will find put more and tell us.
Can't help otherwise, I am the newbie on the block.
Nancy

And to think all you needed was time and a roll of tape.

[Geoff F]

The question which I was asked, was 'Can you do anything with this image'?

Well my first thoughts were 'Yes try this'!



But I eventually had a go at some sort of improvement.

However, when you get down to that actual image there are a lot of false colour problems as well as the creases and tape.

So this is what I eventually did. A lot more could be done but how much time to spend? This quick edit took me nearly an hour.



Possibly changing to full monochrome might be worth trying.

I'm not sure about the actual subject. For many years, a circus visited a nearby town (7 miles away) and they originally arrived by train. Latterly by lorry.

It appears that a circus once came that much further and set up on fields near this beach. Probably in the 1930's. So they probably walked the 7 miles from the station.

This site is around a mile from the town but there would have been small ferries etc for transport. Very few local people had cars then.