• Duplicate the layer
  
• Colors>Desaturate>Luminosity
  
• Colors>Invert
  
• Open the Channels list, drag any of the RGB channels to the general list to make a copy of it
  
• Right-click the copied channel and Channel to selection.  You now have a progressive selection on the image where the dark pixels are more selected than the light ones, so tools will apply more to them and leave the light ones almost untouched.
  
• Open the Layers list, delete/hide the black and white layer, select the image layer
  
• Use Colors>Brightness/Contrast to bring out the kid's face, you will see that the light parts of the image are mostly unchanged.
  
• Select>Invert to have a progressive selection mostly on the "light" parts of the image (the raincoat)
  
• Use Colors>Hue/Saturation to add some saturation to the raincoat.
  

(02-08-2018, 05:58 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: With a crude luminosity mask:

• Duplicate the layer
  
• Colors>Desaturate>Luminosity
  
• Colors>Invert
  
• Open the Channels list, drag any of the RGB channels to the general list to make a copy of it
  
• Right-click the copied channel and Channel to selection.  You now have a progressive selection on the image where the dark pixels are more selected than the light ones, so tools will apply more to them and leave the light ones almost untouched.
  
• Open the Layers list, delete/hide the black and white layer, select the image layer
  
• Use Colors>Brightness/Contrast to bring out the kid's face, you will see that the light parts of the image are mostly unchanged.
  
• Select>Invert to have a progressive selection mostly on the "light" parts of the image (the raincoat)
  
• Use Colors>Hue/Saturation to add some saturation to the raincoat.
  

(02-08-2018, 07:56 PM)SolidSnake2003 Wrote:

(02-08-2018, 05:58 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: With a crude luminosity mask:

• Duplicate the layer
  
• Colors>Desaturate>Luminosity
  
• Colors>Invert
  
• Open the Channels list, drag any of the RGB channels to the general list to make a copy of it
  
• Right-click the copied channel and Channel to selection.  You now have a progressive selection on the image where the dark pixels are more selected than the light ones, so tools will apply more to them and leave the light ones almost untouched.
  
• Open the Layers list, delete/hide the black and white layer, select the image layer
  
• Use Colors>Brightness/Contrast to bring out the kid's face, you will see that the light parts of the image are mostly unchanged.
  
• Select>Invert to have a progressive selection mostly on the "light" parts of the image (the raincoat)
  
• Use Colors>Hue/Saturation to add some saturation to the raincoat.
  

That's not the image I was wanting to improve, the stuff explained before helped with that pic, this is the scene Im wanting to improve now



This is the closest to how I want it to look

• some Curves to lighten the darkness a bit,
  
• the "quickmask" to paint a selection over the eyes,
  
• Select>Feather the selection a bit (20px)
  
• another shot of curves to lighten that area some more:
  

(02-09-2018, 11:36 PM)SolidSnake2003 Wrote: The screencaps used were made from the DVD version of movie.  I hate it on Blu-Ray, but had to use the DVD to get the screencaps.  My PC doesn't have a blu-ray player.  The only way I can maybe get better screencaps is to watch the Digital version, and printscreen caps that way I guess, but I don't know if that works.

(02-10-2018, 09:18 AM)rich2005 Wrote:

(02-09-2018, 11:36 PM)SolidSnake2003 Wrote: The screencaps used were made from the DVD version of movie.  I hate it on Blu-Ray, but had to use the DVD to get the screencaps.  My PC doesn't have a blu-ray player.  The only way I can maybe get better screencaps is to watch the Digital version, and printscreen caps that way I guess, but I don't know if that works.

Depending on the viewing application there might be provision to tweak the output before the screencapture. Have a look through the application menus.

This example using the freeware player VLC which will play a DVD on your computer.

1. VLC will export a frame as a png. Better than using the computer screencapture.
This example from VLC before any adjustments: https://i.imgur.com/uusdxWd.jpg

2. Tucked away is a filters section, all sorts in there: https://i.imgur.com/Vkwn4xb.jpg

3. Which gives an exported frame like this: https://i.imgur.com/5pg6EBu.jpg

Still not great. What is the difference? Analysis shows about 1600 colours before and 2600 colours after.
Still a low base for editing but a better low base.

Caveat: I am firmly embedded in old technology. No blueray here. 
Using a blueray disk? Still possible with VLC. Do a search for the keys and how to set up.