Seeking for an easy way retouching old color photos

[Stephen Liu]

Hi all,

Please advise an easy way to touch old color photos.

I have old color hardcopy photos converted to digital copies using an android phone connected via an USB cable to Ubuntu 24.04 desktop PC with remote desktop.  This setup works for me without problem.  Copies of 3 digitized photos are attached here as example.

I expect to retouch them adding colors on the fade colored photos as well as making the photos more sharp .  Please advice.  I expect finding an easy way because I have abundon hard copies of fading color photos to treate.

I'll not print the edited photos but using them building digital slideshow only.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

[PixLab]

For a simple quick easy to do:
First I would neutralize that pinkish color cast to get back what is white and gray as white and gray.

1) Colors > Levels..., take the pipette and select that white on the awning (1)
2) Then on the histogram move those two cursors (2) to "straighten" the blacks and light them a bit
3) Then on the "output level", move the white cursor inward (3) to get back the lights on the top and facade of the different buildings at the back, or your lights will be a bit blown out.

Now what is should be gray like the first wall on the left is gray, and white a more real white.
   

Then duplicate your image, and go to Filters > Enhance > High Pass... with settings in the screenshot below and put then that layer in "Overlay" mode

Now it's more sharp (once this layer is in "Overlay" mode, you can duplicate that layer (the High Pass) as many times as you want to get sharper and sharper and sharper)
   

Now Select back the bottom layer in the layer stack and go to Colors > Hue-Saturation..., saturate as you wish
Use the Master first, then use selected color like red, blue, yellow to fine tune to your liking
   

Result Before/After with 3 High Pass layers, which is too much for my taste, but it's just to show how it can sharpen
   

The other pictures can follow the same process (with not so different settings)

[sallyanne]

   

Have you tried colour > levels > auto input layers, a little contrast then sharpen. Doesn't really need much. Cant do much with the sky. 

Part of the roof with this pic is blown out or you could try and select the sky with the magic wand and colour to alpha then add a sky gradient
Normally a little contrast will get rid of a small haze and also brighten colours up

---

    With this one I went a little different

Gimp's Auto input levels,

GMIC's Local contrast Enhancement (default),

GMIC's Equalize local Histograms (default) similar to levels

and GMIC's Mighty details (default) does your sharpening, I like this one to bring out bricks and other finer details

[denzjos]

I tried the restore plugin from an earlier post :
https://www.gimp-forum.net/Thread-Add-gr...ore+plugin
   
Some shadow recovery (plugin: Filters / Eg / Shadow Recovery) and some contrast (Colours / Brightness_Contrast)
   

[denzjos]

Well, I've tried several things, but an easy way to get the job done is hard to find. I just have some time to get a reasonable result with various gimp blending and other tools on a photo.

   
   
   

[Stephen Liu]

(Today, 03:46 AM)PixLab Wrote: For a simple quick easy to do:
First I would neutralize that pinkish color cast to get back what is white and gray as white and gray.

1) Colors > Levels..., take the pipette and select that white on the awning (1)
2) Then on the histogram move those two cursors (2) to "straighten" the blacks and light them a bit
3) Then on the "output level", move the white cursor inward (3) to get back the lights on the top and facade of the different buildings at the back, or your lights will be a bit blown out.

Now what is should be gray like the first wall on the left is gray, and white a more real white.


Then duplicate your image, and go to Filters > Enhance > High Pass... with settings in the screenshot below and put then that layer in "Overlay" mode

Now it's more sharp (once this layer is in "Overlay" mode, you can duplicate that layer (the High Pass) as many times as you want to get sharper and sharper and sharper)


Now Select back the bottom layer in the layer stack and go to Colors > Hue-Saturation..., saturate as you wish
Use the Master first, then use selected color like red, blue, yellow to fine tune to your liking


Result Before/After with 3 High Pass layers, which is too much for my taste, but it's just to show how it can sharpen


The other pictures can follow the same process (with not so different settings)

Hi PixLab,

Thanks for your advice.

In re your point 1)
Please explain "take the pipette and select that white on the awning (1) ..."

The screenshot of the popup window of Curves -> Levels is attached

Regards

---

(Today, 06:17 AM)sallyanne Wrote:

Have you tried colour > levels > auto input layers, a little contrast then sharpen. Doesn't really need much. Cant do much with the sky. 

Part of the roof with this pic is blown out or you could try and select the sky with the magic wand and colour to alpha then add a sky gradient
Normally a little contrast will get rid of a small haze and also brighten colours up

---

With this one I went a little different

Gimp's Auto input levels,

GMIC's Local contrast Enhancement (default),

GMIC's Equalize local Histograms (default) similar to levels

and GMIC's Mighty details (default) does your sharpening, I like this one to bring out bricks and other finer details

Hi sallvanne,

Thanks for your advice.

Just tried colour > levels > auto input layers
It doesn't improve the sharpness of the image.  Nothing can be done on the sky.

Regards

---

(6 hours ago)denzjos Wrote: Well, I've tried several things, but an easy way to get the job done is hard to find. I just have some time to get a reasonable result with various gimp blending and other tools on a photo.

Hi denzjos,

Thanks for your advice.

It is difficult to improve the sharpness of poor digitized photos on GIMP.

Regards

[PixLab]

This button in your screenshot is a pipette to sample white

   

once selected you click on the awning
This is the part of the awning you click with the pipette

   

[denzjos]

Easy to lighten the lower area of the photos : 
   

[PixLab]

(4 hours ago)denzjos Wrote: Easy to lighten the lower area of the photos : 

Screening with black leaves the color unchanged, Ok, but dark can get darker like the cyclist and the columns (especially stylobates)