## Instructions - Handle originals with cotton gloves, clean scanner glass with microfiber, scan emulsion side down, no auto-feeder. - Scan at 600dpi TIFF 16-bit (1200dpi for wallet/small prints), flatbed with lid weight to flatten curl without cracking. - Save masters as TIFF + checksum (`photo_smith_1962_master.tif`), work on PSD copy, never overwrite master scan. - Dust/scratch removal: Spot Healing at 100-200% zoom, Clone Stamp Current & Below at 30-60% opacity for texture. - Rebuild tears: align fragments on separate layers, Clone + Content-Aware Fill for missing paper, recreate grain with noise. - Fix exposure: Levels black/white eyedroppers on neutral, Curves lift faded blacks to 12-18 RGB, not crushed 0. - Correct color cast: Auto Color + manual Temp/Tint on skin neutrals, reference gray card or known white clothing. - Restore skin: Frequency Separation (blur 8px low / texture high), heal texture only, dodge/burn 5% for volume. - Colorize with discipline: research era palette, paint on Soft Light 30% layers per element, keep skin desaturated. - Rebuild grain: Add Noise 1-2% monochromatic + 0.5px Gaussian to patched areas to match original silver grain. - Sharpen last: Unsharp 80/1.5/4 for print, High-Pass 2px Soft Light 30% for screen, mask out skies to avoid noise. - Export archival: Master TIFF + working PSD + delivery JPG 100% sRGB + print TIFF AdobeRGB, embed IPTC caption data. ## Examples - Torn portrait: 600dpi TIFF, align 3 pieces, Content-Aware tear gap, Clone texture, grain match 1.5%. - Faded 70s color: Levels + Auto Color, Temp -800K green-magenta fix, vibrance +25, skin frequency heal. - B&W colorize: Research 1940s dress blue-gray, Soft Light washes, skin 15% saturation, archival note `colorized`. ## Workflows ### 1. Scan to clean repair 1. Gloves + glass clean, 600dpi 16-bit TIFF master + backup. 2. Duplicate to PSD, rotate/straighten, crop with 5mm border. 3. Dust pass (healing), tear rebuild (clone + fill), grain match. 4. Tone/color correction, sharpen masked, export proofs. ### 2. Colorize + archive 1. Neutral B&W restoration approved first before color. 2. Reference palette sign-off, paint washes per element. 3. Client review JPG, final TIFF/JPG + IPTC + checksum. ## Templates ```text Scan spec: 600dpi (1200dpi if <4x6in) | 16-bit | TIFF uncompressed | No auto-color/sharpen in scanner driver Layer stack: BG-master-copy / Align-frags / Dust-heal / Tear-clone / Tone-curves / Color-balance / Skin-FS / Grain / Sharpen File set: smith_1962_master.tif | smith_1962_work.psd | smith_1962_print-adobeRGB.tif | smith_1962_web-sRGB.jpg QC checklist: [ ] No clone repeats [ ] Grain matched [ ] Skin texture kept [ ] No halo sharpen [ ] IPTC captioned [ ] Checksum logged IPTC: Title / Date c.1962 / People / Place / Restored by + date / Colorized note if applicable ``` ## Tools - Epson V600/V850 flatbed, VueScan/SilverFast, Photoshop (Heal/Clone/Frequency), GIMP fallback. - Calibration: IT8 target, gray card reference, monitor calibrated sRGB/AdobeRGB. - Archival: TIFF + checksums, M-DISC/SSD + cloud, acid-free sleeves for originals. ## Advanced - Split-tone B&W: warm highlights 5% + cool shadows 5% for silver-gelatin feel without colorizing. - Rebuild faces: sample donor eyes from same-era family photos at matched angle/lighting, blend 20% opacity. - Fix silver mirroring: polarizer on camera re-shoot if scanner blows out, blend scan + photo in Luminosity mode. - Batch archive: script Levels + border + IPTC + JPG export via Photoshop Actions for 100+ family albums. ## Documentation - Scanning guides: dpi vs print size math, TIFF vs JPG longevity, handling fragile emulsions. - Restoration ethics: reversibility, colorize disclosure, AIC photo conservation notes. - Internal: intake form (owner/permission), condition report, before/after proof sheet. ### QA checklist - [ ] Master 600dpi 16-bit TIFF untouched, work on PSD copy with checksum. - [ ] Dust/tears at 100-200% healed, no clone repeats, grain 1-2% matched. - [ ] Blacks 12-18 RGB (not crushed), cast neutral on skin/whites, skin texture kept. - [ ] Sharpen masked (no sky halos), colorize washes labeled + disclosed. - [ ] Exports TIFF master + PSD + sRGB JPG + AdobeRGB print + IPTC captioned. ### Archive snippet ```text Scan: 600dpi (1200dpi wallet) 16-bit TIFF flatbed, lid weight, no auto-color. Layers: master-copy / align / heal / clone / curves / balance / skin-FS / grain / sharpen. Deliver: master.tif + work.psd + print-adobeRGB.tif + web-sRGB.jpg + checksum .md5. IPTC: title / c.1962 date / people / place / restored-by date / colorized yes-no. ``` - Pairs photoshop / gimp-bitmap healing and lightroom-classic tone correction. - Complements print-preflight for 300dpi CMYK family-book press exports.