Any photographers, photoshoppers or artists who can help please?

[Olympiathequeen]

I have an etsy shop and do photoshopping, digital painting and so on.

I've got a commission from America to convert a 100 year old photo into black and white and then to digitally painting it in a semi impressionistic painting to be made into a poster and/or canvas of 20x30".

The scanned photo sent to me had a pixel count of about 230x150. I need a minimum of 4000x4000 to convert to colour and to paint and a printer will need this plus 300dpi to make into a poster. So as it stands it's mission impossible. I explained this and he has taken the image to a photo lab who've said they can't do much better but can provide a better scan of the photo and sharpen it a little.

I have suggested I use high pixel count images for the background using composite photos, like a patchwork and work in the main figures somehow. I've done a small section of the trees, which if you enlarge will see it has an impressionist effect, but the foliage is too vibrant for an impressionist painting. I've tried desaturating but this makes it look greyish whiten I need light and airiness.

Any suggestions on how I can achieve a lightness in this image? In fact any suggestions at all!

From black and white to colour! Doh

I'm afraid you can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. No amount of pixel extrapolation will work. If you are good at painting, why not just start from scratch and produce your own version of the image?

The customer is in America so all images are sent digitally. He is considering asking an artist to paint it, but he will lose the actual photo image which he wants to keep.

I can paint watercolours physically but find it not successful using my graphics tablet. I guess I don't practice enough.

Is there any way I can make the above painting less vibrant? My brain is a bit frazzled trying to square this circle.

I will have a play at painting though.

fiddled around in PS for a bit. some unsharp mask and reduced the vibrance. Still looks pretty ropey!

That image is printed out using text and pic on a very average printer just so I've something to ponder on.....! so it's a very crappy print out and not the actual digital image in photoshop, which does look nice but I like what you ve done as it looks more of what I want.

Could you tell me what you've done on the unsharp mask, as they're not my favourite think. I'll go up now and switch on the computer!!

I just played around with the Amount, Radius and Threshold, with preview on, with unsharp mask. As there's not much info there in the first place, its easy to over do it.

Amount: 47
Radius: 5
threshold: 0

But as you have a higher definition image, these could well be meaningless. Lowered vibrancy to -31. I'm on an old version of PS (12.1) as I refused to pay a monthly fee

you can desaturate areas using the sponge tool and set it to say 10%

I use the dodge tool to lighten areas again you can control the % amount

I've got CC so pay the monthly fee, also have a Wacom tablet but not the all singing all dancing one

It's looking really good, but will throw in a few more sunny highlights. Great idea. Don't think I've ever used the unsharp mask before!

Will try that Gretchen. Thanks, dodge tool may save me more painting.

Dodge is bringing back my highlights

Hi OP, did you finish this project? Just curious how it turned out.