Robert Correll - Photo Restoration: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Robert Correll

Photo Restoration: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Robert Correll

Peachpit Press
www.peachpit.com

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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education
Copyright 2015 by Peachpit Press
All images copyright 2015 by Robert Correll

Project Editor: Valerie Witte
Senior Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal
Development and Copy Editor: Emily K. Wolman
Proofreader: Steffi Drewes
Composition: WolfsonDesign
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover Image: Robert Correll
Cover Design: Aren Straiger
Interior Design: Mimi Heft

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademarks

From Snapshots to Great Shots is a trademark, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13: 9780134120119
ISBN-10: 0134120116

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

To my family.

Although this page is shown at the beginning of things, it is actually among the last things I will write. For me, it is a time of celebration and rejoicing. Finishing a book is like winning a battle at the end of a long war. I get to hand out medals and express my thanks to those who have been at my side during the hard work.

Let me share how wonderful it was to work with everyone at Peachpit. I was given the freedom and support to write the book I thought should be written to help you transform your old raggedy snapshots into great shots using Adobe Photoshop.

I want to thank Valerie Witte (Project Editor), Lisa Brazieal (Senior Production Editor), Emily K. Wolman (Development and Copy Editor), Steffi Drewes (Proofreader), and WolfsonDesign (Composition) by name. Thank you all for your hard work, expertise, and camaraderie as we put this book together.

It is always a pleasure to thank my agent and friend, David Fugate, of LaunchBooks Literary Agency. David, thank you for all of your work and support.

My family continually encourages me, strengthens me, puts up with me, and helps me through every project. Special thanks to the love of my life, Anne, for sitting in the office looking at photos and reading chapters with me.

I love introductions. They let us sit down and have a quick chat about the book youre considering purchasing. You get your first taste of who I am and how I think.

In writing Photo Restoration: From Snapshots to Great Shots, my goal was to create a user-friendly guidebook that shows you how to select, handle, scan, and restore aged or damaged photos using Adobe Photoshop (and, to a lesser extent, Photoshop Elements). I organized the material according to my own general restoration workflow. After selecting and scanning photos, I clean their surface and repair any damage. I then make color corrections and enhance the brightness and contrast. I conclude by putting my finishing touches on the photos.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of technical bits and pieces along the way. To keep things manageable, I focused on distilling and concentrating my knowledge and expertise for you. I winnowed out anything that was not absolutely necessary and prioritized what was left. I also tried to impart as much about the touch and feel of restoring photos as I could.

I hope this book is fun, friendly, detailed, and practical for you. Bon apptit!

Q: Who is this book for?

A: Anyone who wants to learn more about restoring old or damaged photos using Adobe Photoshop. Although there are occasional differences, you will be able to follow along if you plan on using Photoshop Elements.

Q: Do I need to be a Photoshop expert?

A: No, but it will help if youve used Photoshop before. If you know nothing about Photoshop, you have to be willing to learn the basics of the program on your own. I did not have the space to show you how to use Photoshop from the ground up and then teach you how to restore photos. I had to choose what to focus on.

Q: Should I start at the beginning of the book?

A: Yes and no. I introduce topics in the book according to a very specific workflow. You will benefit most from this design if you start at the beginning and continue fairly linearly. However, you can (and should) skip to subjects that interest you. Either way, by the time youve finished, youll have learned that each small part of photo restoration is joined to a larger whole. Learning how these pieces fit together will help you restore photos in the long run.

Q: I dont get your sense of humor. Do you have one?

A: Yes. I love irony and absurdity. My humor can be dry and wet at the same time. I have tried to be friendly and funny but not slap you in the face with it. Mostly.

Q: Are the assignments important?

A: Yes, but not because they offer new information. I designed the assignments to help you review the important points in each chapter. By giving you something concrete to accomplish, I hope to focus your attention and lock the details into your memory. It would be a shame if you skipped them.

Q: How did you get started restoring photos?

A: Some time ago, my wife was going through her family photos and organizing them with her mom. When I looked through the photos with her, I realized that I could help by scanning and restoring some of them. I fell in love with it right away. Ive learned far more about our families than I would have otherwise. It has been both rewarding and therapeutic.