Trying to take the word proof off a wedding picture - don't worry its nearly 60 years old!

[sam4027]

Hi guys - I am new to paint.net so I probably sound really thick!

 

I have a picture of my parents on their wedding day nearly 60 years ago and would like to take the word proof off - I have tried using the magic wand, cutting it out which kind of works fine, but then I am struggling to fill in my mums wedding dress....I really wanted to get this done today for Christmas so any help would be really appreciated - I could attach the picture if I'm allowed to (sorry not really up on all the rules). thanks in advance, Sarah

[Red ochre]

Hello Sarah - welcome to the forum!

A picture would certainly help. If it is reasonably small (less than 800 pixels width) you can attach it directly to your post.
A better way is to upload it to a free image hosting site (eg. Imgur or Photobucket) and insert the link in your post.
There are some instructions here if you have problems.http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/12193-how-to-use-images-in-your-posts-signatures-and-avatars/

As for removing the word 'Proof' from the image - without seeing the image I would select with the magic wand as before but instead of deleting the selection try using the Brightness/Contrast Adjustment. If that doesn't work there is a plugin called 'Fill gaps' that can fill transparent areas reasonably well here:
http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?showtopic=13595

Good luck!

[Eli]

Hello Sarah, Did you try working with the Clone Stamp tool? If you post the picture other users may give you some help.

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

Hello.

Method One.
For the simple answer, I would suggest you try the Clone Stamp tool  .
1) Optional step, add a new layer. (You don't have to use a new layer for clone stamping, but this lets you have versatility like moving the cloned area around, duplicating it, or smoothing it's edges if needed.) (If you don't want to clone onto a new layer, then at least duplicate your image so that you don't cause harm to the original. And just clone stamp on that layer)
2) After you have made a new layer, click back on your original image layer. Choose the clone stamp tool. Hold ctrl on your keyboard and click on the area of the picture that you want to copy from (this is called setting your anchor point).
3) Once you have your anchor point set, click back on your new layer. Then start to draw over-top of the “proof” word. The anchor point moves as you draw, so you will need to re-set the point often. Also, the clone stamp tool has a hardness/softness adjustment up in it's tool settings, just below the menu bar, for smoother edges and better blending, you can lower it's softness.

Method Two.
This answer isn't hard, but it is a little harder to explain, and might be considered a more tedious method.
1) Use the Lasso Select tool   to select a small area of the picture.
2) Copy/paste the small area onto it's own layer.
3) Move the piece using the Move Selected Pixels Tool to cover up the unwanted "proof" word.
4) Then use the feather plugin, or alpha blur plugin, or a transparent gradient to fade the edges of your piece, to help it blend better (how to install plugins).
5) Repeat steps 1 - 4 selecting small areas and copying/pasting them onto their own layers until the word is covered. (each piece should be on it's own layer for the sake of blending it's edges, but you can merge layers down after their edges are blended.) Alternatively, if you don't want to copy/paste a new piece every time, you can duplicate some pieces, or paste the same copy of a piece multiple times (on their own layers), and move those to build up over top of the unwanted area.

As mentioned, this way is a little more tedious because you are manually building up little pieces, blending their edges, and moving them over top of the unwanted area to make it disappear. But if you struggle to control the clone stamp tool (as it can sometimes be confusing), or you know a good exact area to copy and use as camouflage, and it's easier to copy/paste it rather than clone it, then sometimes this method can work well.

 

 

Extra Tips :
To save the picture, go to Menu Bar > File > Save As.
To save in layers save as a pdn. format.
To save as a normal picture, I suggest saving as a png, HOWEVER, be sure you change the name of the save so that you do not overwrite the original.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Cc4FuzzyHuggles

[sam4027]

Oh my word - thank you soooooo much for your replies!

 

I (think) I have saved the 3 pictures that need sorting to http://sam4027.imgur.com .... although to be truthful Im not 100% sure. When I try it says the album is empty but there are definitely 3 pictures in there.  I'm very very hopful as these need to be printed tomorrow so thank you again. 

Edited December 22, 2014 by sam4027

[sam4027]

Sorry - I did forget to say that whilst I'm hoping that some Christmas magic will happen     I am now trying to follow the advice and do it myself.... I just hope I prove to be more computer literate than I think!

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

I hope it works out for you. And sorry, but I will not be around for the rest of today and the next following days. So if you end up needing more help hopfully the others will be able to. 

[MJW]

I'm not sure the exact steps to do this with Paint.NET, but I'll describe a method I've used with PaintShopPro.

 

Duplicate the image into another layer.

 

Select and erase the area to be removed in the upper layer. Sometimes it's better to use the magic wand to select the exact area to be replaced. Usually it's better to just use the lasso tool to select the general area (especially since Paint.NET doesn't seem to have the very useful ability to expand a selection by a few pixels).

 

Feather the edge alpha around the selection.

 

Set the lower layer as the active layer (but keep both layers visible).

 

Move the lower layer around to find a region that best fills in the missing area.

 

Adjust the brightness, contrast, etc. of the filled-in region to better match at the edge.

 

Merge the layers.

 

This method seems to me to often work better than using the clone tool, or pasting over small regions.

Edited December 22, 2014 by MJW

[MJW]

Here's what I believe to be a pretty good strategy.

 

Make a duplicate layer.

Uncheck the checkbox for the lower layer so it's invisible.

Use the erase tool to remove part of the unwanted area in the upper layer.

Re-enable the visibility of the lower layer.

Select the lower layer.

Use the "Move Selected Pixels" tool to move the lower layer. Find an area that properly fills in the erased section.

If needed, adjust the brightness and contrast of the lower layer for a better match.

Flatten the image (so there's only one layer).

 

Some advice:

For large images, it's sometimes a good idea to copy the general area to be edited, making it a separate image. The section can be re-merged into the original image once editing is complete.

Most of the time, it's easier to erase first, then make a duplicate lower layer. The lower layer will contain the erasure, but that seldom matters.

Once the lower layer has been moved to a reasonably good position, it's often necessary or desirable to switch back to the upper layer and erase some more pixels. When re-erasing, it's better to make a series of small erasures, so that mistakes, such as erasing to much, can be undone without undoing everything.

Reducing the hardness of the erase tool can be used to make the edge softer.

The larger the erased area, the fewer iterations required, but the harder it is to find a matching region to fill it in. However, if most of the erased section can be matched, then the mismatch can be fixed in the next iteration.

 

If the erasure is done first, the steps are:

 

Use the erase tool to remove part of the unwanted area in the image.

Make a duplicate layer.

Select the lower layer.

Use the "Move Selected Pixels" tool to move the lower layer. Find an area that properly fills in the erased section.

If needed, adjust the brightness and contrast of the lower layer for a better match.

Flatten the image (so there's only one layer).

 

I did a fairly quick edit of the first photo: http://imgur.com/ZK0MG6u

 

It isn't perfect, but it isn't too bad.

Edited December 24, 2014 by MJW

[anderpainter]

MJW: Nice job! You've "proved" yourself as a master image manipulator.

[sam4027]

Oh MJW ! ! That is unbelievable! I've been trying for days and it hasn't ended up that good...Thank you so much. It looks fantastic to me. Do you think ill be able to have it printed to an A3 size?

Thanks so much x

[MJW]

Thank you, Sam4027. A3 size (about 12"x17") is pretty large. When I blew it up to that size on my screen, I noticed an anomaly in an area that I wish I'd done more carefully. Maybe I'll try to fix that tomorrow. The method I described is pretty easy to use, I think. It's better than cloning, because with cloning you basically have to decide ahead of time what area to substitute for the replaced area. Erasing and moving a copy in another layer allows easy experimentation to find the best region. Paint.NET also potentially allows skewing the replacement area, which might be very useful, though I haven't tried it yet.

Edited December 24, 2014 by MJW

[MJW]

I uploaded a slightly improved version: http://imgur.com/5j3OjeL

 

What is it with the Ingur photos? Do they expire after a while? Do they just remain for the rest of time? I uploaded the photos without even setting up an account, which seems strange to me. (In fact, I accidentally uploaded the first photo to Ingur. I intended to upload it to my Flickr page.)

Edited December 24, 2014 by MJW

[MJW]

Too late for Christmas, but the the second picture is here: http://imgur.com/7kaFsbU

 

I should probably have despeckled the groom's coat better. Also, I couldn't quite figure out was was going on, lighting-wise, in the inside of the bride's hat, so I had to make it a more or less solid color. (Despeckling can be done with the clone brush, but it's time-consuming. None of the noise filters I tried worked.)

Edited December 25, 2014 by MJW

[sam4027]

I can't believe how awsome you are MJW. ..thank you!! It's not too late as my dad has a great printer so it can be printed today!! I can't believe how kind you have been to do this-a really lovely way of helping people with your knowledge. ...Thank you again and Merry Christmas x

[MJW]

You're very welcome. I was happy I could help. Hope you had a merry Christmas.