Photoshop - colour tints

[AHarvey]

Hi all,

Someone on another forum has posted up 2 old photos that need reconditioning and I felt like having a try. I did the easier of the 2 first, and it looks pretty good however the second is going to be an issue.

Basically, it looks like someone has put sellotape over the top of it for the last 40 years and it has now gone yellowish as old tape does. there were some bubbled areas that have gone whiter too.

Now, I was wondering if it would be possible to select only the areas of the tape that have gone yellow and then somehow play with the colouring to try and get it look like the colour it should be. Basically, I want to remove that colour completely and see what is left.

I hope you get what I mean and can maybe say if its possible or not?

 

[simisker]

It's almost certainly possible; the only issue is how much time you want to throw at it.

Without seeing the source image it's difficult to give a more accurate answer, but theoretically all you'd need is careful selection and the Levels [or Curves] tool, followed by clone stamping to remove tape edges, bubbles etc.

It also depends upon whether the final image needs to be monochrome or full colour, and if the original image is one of those pesky photographs from the Sixties/Seventies that was printed on textured paper.

 

[Adrianr]

Here's a starting point for you to try. Should help remove the yellow cast but will only neutralise it, it won't bring any colour back because the colour obviously isn't there, it can only manipulate what it's working with.

Make a new curves adjustment layer. In the top left of the Curves box (next to the RGB drop down menu) you will see a hand with a pointed finger, and a bi-directional arrow next to it. Click this to select the tool. Now from the RGB drop down menu select the blue channel (As it's where the yellow information is. Red/Cyan, Green/Magenta, Blue/Yellow). Now with the tool we previously selected hover over the area of yellow tape you want to correct. If you look at the curves you will see a point hovering over the tone line which corresponds with where that bit of tape lies in the range of the image. Click and drag to adjust the curve for that specific point, up to add more blue (and reduce yellow) and down for the opposite.

If you only want this to apply to certain areas you can then just mask it in/out as you require.