"faking" hi res?

[pas_non]

i'm trying to take a small, image - about 2" x 2" and make into a 150 dpi, 7" x 7" image. it's low quality (i want to get rid of the dots and make it more solid)- but 300 dpi.
i remember a few years ago talking to someone who'd worked in printing, and he said you can actually get reasonable hi res images by doing something like sizing to hi res, then back down to lo res, then back up to hi res and so on... can anybody help me do this? i'm not sure what the process was.

THANK YOU!!!

this is the exact size and quality of the image i have to work with. it doesnt have to be perfect because i am posterizing it in ps, but it does need to look better before i can do that.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/2363852485_ef3ab0fb2b.jpg

[HappyFriday]

You can't fake what is not there. Hence upsampling is considered last resort that only yield so-so or poor results.

Above image looks like a bad image from a bad scan. The moires is a dead give away. Sorry to say, I doubt anyone can save this image.

[jimking]

I've heard something similar before but I remain skeptical. What I was told is you can take a lores image and scale it up in 10% increments and get decent results. :cool: You could add a blur to the photo to reduce the rosette pattern in the photo.

[Virgo Nightingale]

I'm afraid upsampling will do nothing for such a poor quality photo. If you're going to posterize it anyway, try a gaussian blur to help eliminate some of the dot pattern.

[pas_non]

You can't fake what is not there. Hence upsampling is considered last resort that only yield so-so or poor results.

well i know its not foolproof, but in the end i am going to make another layer that is the same image posterized with some transparency, so you have the stylized effect, but also see some detail of the orig image below.

can you tell me about the unsampling though?? i'd like to try it.. as i dont really have another option at this point. i'd like to do the live color in illustrator as it would yield a similar-ish result, but i am working in cs unfortunately.

in the end, it really only has to look similar to this image:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2363879013_10e951c856.jpg

but it has to be almost 8" high, and 150 dpi. is there any easy (fast) way to do this?

[hewligan]

Honestly, none of those tricks work.

Just try upsampling it in photoshop. There are a few different upsampling algorithms available. Give them all a try and see what works best. If you want to spend some money, then there are also upsampling plugins available. They will generally give better results on some images and worse on others. It's really more about luck, and the content of the image, than any particular technique.

[Broacher]

Run it through Camera Raw a couple time with lumninance noise reduction at max. From there... well, how big is the original file?

[Riya]

If you are going to posterize it to that extent, why not just throw it in Illy and run livetrace? Then you can make any size you want.

[pas_non]

Honestly, none of those tricks work.

Just try upsampling it in photoshop. There are a few different upsampling algorithms available. Give them all a try and see what works best. If you want to spend some money, then there are also upsampling plugins available. They will generally give better results on some images and worse on others. It's really more about luck, and the content of the image, than any particular technique.

upsampling...algo..rithms? i would love to try one. but i honestly dont know what that is. sorry - i'm new at this

[pas_non]

If you are going to posterize it to that extent, why not just throw it in Illy and run livetrace? Then you can make any size you want.

i know - i agree. but like i said i am on cs at work. = no live trace yet! i have it at home but have to do it today.

[budafist]

Just find a lady that looks the same as the sample and take a photo of her :) No one will notice.

[pas_non]

Run it through Camera Raw a couple time with lumninance noise reduction at max. From there... well, how big is the original file?

what is camera raw? i'm working in cs. is this some kind of plugin or is it an effect only available in the newest versions of cs?

[DesignVHL]

I would just do an illustration in illustrator then - if my client was willing to pay for it! :)

I had a client that wanted to use their building in a print piece - but the photos taken were in the winter - during a snow storm - and there were trees blocking most of the building. So I suggested that I do a nice illustration of the building instead. They agreed. It came out really nice. SOOOO if your client is willing to spend the time and the quality and importance of this image is enough, they'll be willing to pay for it!

*Keep in mind that trace option in illy may give you mixed results you may not like.

I would also try using the cutout filter maybe? I have to say that I am not a fan of the posterized look - its become a bit cliche imho..tho if thats what the client demands, then thats what you gotta do! :)

[DesignVHL]

what is camera raw? i'm working in cs. is this some kind of plugin or is it an effect only available in the newest versions of cs?

hmm an old plugin i guess

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/software/camera-raw.shtml

[pas_non]

I would just do an illustration in illustrator then - if my client was willing to pay for it! :)

*Keep in mind that trace option in illy may give you mixed results you may not like.

I would also try using the cutout filter maybe?


actually i am using the cutout - i miswrote.

and - i am working for a nonprofit. funds are very tight, and that is why i have so little to work with! and i am always trying to find the easiest and fastest way to get something done. a lot of times it does mean sacrificing quality and creative aspirations.

i agree about livetrace/paint - i have only really used it on cs2, and i've heard they made some improvements to it in cs3?? it does give limited results but for a quick vector silhouette - that function is next to none!!

[pas_non]

Just find a lady that looks the same as the sample and take a photo of her :) No one will notice.

lol
no! i can't do that haha
people would know! she is a specific person in the group hehe

[DesignVHL]

understandable. :)

That photo looks like it was scanned in from a book. Too bad you couldn't just have that lady send in a new picture of herself, lol even one taken at home against a blank wall would be better! Good luck!

[Virgo Nightingale]

If she's a specific person in the group, they can't take a better picture of her? Even with a cell phone? Anything would be better than a scan of a small printed photo.

[pas_non]

understandable. :)

That photo looks like it was scanned in from a book. Too bad you couldn't just have that lady send in a new picture of herself, lol even one taken at home against a blank wall would be better! Good luck!
If she's a specific person in the group, they can't take a better picture of her? Even with a cell phone? Anything would be better than a scan of a small printed photo.

ok - i'm having her come in at 7 tonite and i'm just going to take her photo lol.
they have to be ready for printing tomorrow morning
aarhghrgh this industry!!!

[DesignVHL]

That is the best solution! Glad she's able to do that for you. :D

[D-Frag]

get the alien skin free trial of "Blow up"

you can add grain to take away some of the aliasing, its a nice program that kinda redraws your photo, should be perfect for what you are trying to accomplish

[Mynock]

I've never been accused of faking it, but I have been accused of falling asleep.

[budafist]

Oh, taking a photo of the actual lady is much better than my solution!

You can tell her about my suggestion. Maybe she will find it hilarious :)

[DesignVHL]

I've never been accused of faking it, but I have been accused of falling asleep.


awweee your poor lova!

[PrintDriver]

Broacher, does your trick work to reduce line screen dot patterns?

Blow Up, Genuine Fractals, or the new Bicubic Options in Photoshop CS2 or CS3 all work the same. Photoshop, IMO, is better than the other two now. The 10% increments is a myth and a time waster.

However, nothing is gonna help much with a photo with a line screen. The dots will just get bigger. You should try a wall mural from a printed postcard sometime. :eek:

Edit: and I just realized you are doing a photoshoot. Good choice. :D

[Broacher]

PD, the Luminance noise reduction adjustment in RAW can help. Depends on a lot of factors, of course.

For those unfamiliar with the RAW plugin in PShp CS3.... don't wait! It's a powerhouse of picture tuning that can be used on non-RAW images (jpgs, tifs, etc.) as well. You just use the 'Open As' command and select the RAW filter from the drop down, and then go find your image. I use it almost every day now.

If you're working with a scanned file submitted by someone else, you have fewer recourses. If you have the printed original though, you do your scan at the highest optical res you have from your scanner. Let's say 1200 ppi. Then you probably want to run a median filter over those dots to get rid of them before downsampling (but NOT with Bicubic Sharp!) again.

There are some sharpening tricks you can do to regain edges, or bring out surface detail. I have a nice plugin that handles most of that now automatically.

I still use Genuine Fractals for blowup work. I've tested it against the best CS3 upsampling, and for my money, when it comes to preserving (or FINDING) edge detail, GF still has an edge (no pun intended, I think). A lot depends on the source photo subject.

[Riya]

RAW is cool, but I didn't know you could use it on non-RAW images. Thanks for the tip!

[urstwile]

Second that!