Suggestions for photo enhancing

[hyperdog]

First of all, is it possible to enhance the photo on the left so that it will look as sharp and detailed as the photo on the right? And if so, how much is a proper price to pay for a professional to do it for you? No, I'm not willing to learn how to do it myself, since I only want it done for just one digital photo that I have (not to mention paying hundreds of dollars for a top notch computer program that could do it). I only want the face enhanced. The hair is not really important to me.

 

[explorerzip]

Not sure why, but I can't open the link. Seems to be a problem with any tinypic links. Not sure if anyone else here has the same problem. You may want to open this photo on your smartphone since they usually come with rudimentary photo editing software, which (depending on what you want changed) might do in a pinch. The cost wold be free, but you would need to play around for a bit to get the effect you want. Not an ideal solution (since you don't want to learn how to do it) but it is a 100% free one.

 

[Titalian]

First of all, is it possible to enhance the photo on the left so that it will look as sharp and detailed as the photo on the right? And if so, how much is a proper price to pay for a professional to do it for you? No, I'm not willing to learn how to do it myself, since I only want it done for just one digital photo that I have (not to mention paying hundreds of dollars for a top notch computer program that could do it). I only want the face enhanced. The hair is not really important to me.

She is actually beautiful in both pictures. My preference is the the first one.

 

[hyperdog]

She is actually beautiful in both pictures. My preference is the the first one.

But my goal is to increase the resolution, not her prettiness.

 

[geeky]

The short answer is no.

You can sharpen for sure, and you could certainly make it look more crisp, but there are just a boat load more pixels in the second picture, and no software will be able to get you to that point.

source: 15 years of working with Photoshop in a non-professional capacity.

 

[Titalian]

The hair is not really important to me.

Have you ever buried your head, in a mountain of long hair ? I'm only going by experience here. LOL

Your living in a digital world as many of us do. The most enhanced picture, is the one you conceive in your mind.
Call me old fashion, it still works for me.

 

[glamphotographer]

The short answer is no.

You can sharpen for sure, and you could certainly make it look more crisp, but there are just a boat load more pixels in the second picture, and no software will be able to get you to that point.

source: 15 years of working with Photoshop in a non-professional capacity.

What geeky said. The image has lost so much detail that it is impossible to improve the image quality. Unless you came across the original RAW file of that image then your in processing heaven and do what you want with the image.

 

[hyperdog]

The short answer is no.

You can sharpen for sure, and you could certainly make it look more crisp, but there are just a boat load more pixels in the second picture, and no software will be able to get you to that point.

source: 15 years of working with Photoshop in a non-professional capacity.

But perhaps with a software that is even more advanced than Adobe Photoshop? I'm sure a million dollar movie scene could use some serious CG to get close to that effect. So could we humble civilians get a professional to do this for, say, hundreds of dollars?

 

[TESLAMotors]

 

[TESLAMotors]

 

[Titalian]

F/U TES, I never saw this whole picture, NOW i'm in LOVE !!!

 

[hyperdog]

Ok, I lowered my expectations in the opening post. Let's start off with a slightly better picture than before, and let's end up with not so high resolution as the previous goal. Is it possible now? And if so, what should be the cost.

 

[Titalian]

Ok, I lowered my expectations in the opening post. Let's start off with a slightly better picture than before, and let's end up with not so high resolution as the previous goal. Is it possible now? And if so, what should be the cost.

For a forty year old, the first pic of her looks absolutely gorgeous. But then, that's only my perception.

 

[RLTF]

Anything is possible, but you are stuck with the old computer maxim of GIGO. Garbage In Garbage Out. Detail cannot be put back into a photo without a lot of work - by basically reconstructing the image. It would involve finding photos with similar hair and other details and painting them back into your original image. You are better off to either squint when looking at the photo, or to use Google Image Search to see if you can't track down a higher resolution version of the image on the left - assuming that is the image you are obsessed with.

 

[RLTF]

But perhaps with a software that is even more advanced than Adobe Photoshop? I'm sure a million dollar movie scene could use some serious CG to get close to that effect. So could we humble civilians get a professional to do this for, say, hundreds of dollars?

No. Not for $100. Photoshop is one of the best graphic tools available for digital paint.

 

[hyperdog]

Anything is possible, but you are stuck with the old computer maxim of GIGO. Garbage In Garbage Out. Detail cannot be put back into a photo without a lot of work - by basically reconstructing the image. It would involve finding photos with similar hair and other details and painting them back into your original image. You are better off to either squint when looking at the photo, or to use Google Image Search to see if you can't track down a higher resolution version of the image on the left - assuming that is the image you are obsessed with.

These celebrities I'm show are only examples. The picture I have in mind is of someone whom I have to better quality picture of. I am willing to have a computer program make guesses and approximations for information that is not present in the original picture in order to make the enhancements.

 

[Chloë.]

Hiring a professional retoucher is another option if you're not trying to learn the wonders of Lightroom and Photoshop.

Everything is done online including payment, usually through PayPal or E-Transfer. Depending on how great of a job they do, some charge between $5-25 per photo. Google is your friend or create an account on Model Mayhem and find a retoucher that you like and contact them.

Some specialize in different types but what you want seems like basic work. You tell them what you need done and that should do it.

You never have to leave your chair to get something like that done.

 

[RLTF]

What I posted still applies. You are better off to have an illustrator draw an image based on the photo you have. They can add as much detail as you like. Still, not an inexpensive proposition.

 

[geeky]

Once again - if the pixels aren't there, they aren't there. There is really nothing you can do.

In terms of "is there a better program than Photoshop?"..... the short answer is no. It is literally the gold standard in industry for photographic processing, enhancement, etc.

The only way to enhance it would be to hire a professional artist to essentially paint in the detail that has been lost.... but that isn't restoring the photograph - it is simply commissioning a highly realistic, detailed digital painting.

 

[hyperdog]

Once again - if the pixels aren't there, they aren't there. There is really nothing you can do.

In terms of "is there a better program than Photoshop?"..... the short answer is no. It is literally the gold standard in industry for photographic processing, enhancement, etc.

The only way to enhance it would be to hire a professional artist to essentially paint in the detail that has been lost.... but that isn't restoring the photograph - it is simply commissioning a highly realistic, detailed digital painting.

Then hiring a digital painter seems to be my only option then, with impending damage in the hundreds of dollars.