Old photo question...

[Tahoe]

I was in Michigan a week and half ago, and I visited my uncle. He said I still have those old pictures from when your mom died and you asked me to hold onto them (25 years ago).

So I have these pics from 1890-1922 ish. I've scanned them, and run them through a couple of different free software programs to enhance them. They are much better.

Basiclly I've adjusted the Brightness, Contrast, digital photo, saturation, soften edges.

The free software programs don't have one tool I would like. There are some old wedding pics and there are spots that show up on really dark and really light areas. Isn't there a tool that where you can copy a little circle of a pic and copy over a place in the pic where a spot is? Sounds kind of basic but I can't find in any of my software.

Just thought of something, could I just crop a small area on a part of the pic that has good color and past it over the top of the bad spot?

Should I buy photoshop? Corel? I've used HP's digital stuff and Microsofts Office Picture Mgr.

Any suggestions?

[Matt]

try this free imaging program:

http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5131

[Tahoe]

Thank you Matt!

My degree is in Computer Science, my expertise was data (SQL), but I have a lot to learn taking spots off of tuxedos and wedding dresses. But enhancing pics is something you could/would always use.

[Anthony]

Its the (now that you asked I forgot the name of it) clone tool.
If you use photoshop, find the clone tool, hold the alt button select an area close to the spot then then click over the circle. Tedious, but it works.

[Tahoe]

Thanx. The software I just downloaded you make a little square and then pull it over. But you have to be next to the spot you want to cover...at least thats how I think it works in the short time I've worked with it. And it did cover the spot but I can see the shade differences a little. I'll get it.

I thought there might be a paint brush option where you could copy from a good area and paint over the top. It seems with a paint brush I could hide the edges a little better. It might have that option but I haven't found it yet.

If I would invest in Photoshop, there must be different levels of capabilities of the software... would a cheap version get me by?

[Anthony]

just download it from a bit torrent, or PM me the pics, i'll fix them up for you.

[Anthony]

but yes, a cheap version would get you by

[Tahoe]

Clone stamp? Just found it. I really wouldn't mind seeing someone who works with pics could do with a couple of these. It is so weird to see these old pics, no one smiles. A photographer I talked to said that there are 2 reasons they weren't smilling. 1 they weren't quite aware that they were being reproduced, and 2, sometimes the exposure would last 2 minutes and if they smiled and didn't hold the smile, it would be blurred.