All Cracked Up!A Real Challenge!

[ndpaton]

Hi, I am new to this page and am asking if anyone can help with a photo that is badly cracked. He is my grandfather's brother and the closest I have come to knowing my grandfather who died on the Somme. David, of the cracked photo was born in 1800 and is aged 17 in the photo when he enlisted in WW1 in the Royal Navy. He was a gunner and had his eardrums blown out.. He was on the Archangel Run which I believe may have been around the Arctic Sea amongst the German U-boats. I tried to restore using photostudio bur I simply cannot do faces.I have also attached a photo of David aged 45 yrs for reference. Many thanks in advance ,Dell

[ndpaton]

Can someone help with this picture of a 17 yr old Royal Navy marine.from WW1. He survived the war and married. He is my Grand Uncle David. I tried repeatedly to clean his face but it always ended up like a very bad painting done by a child and I am very far from that.Hoping some kind person can help. I do many pictures with cracks or tears but this is the worst of my lot. I have attached another good photo of David aged 47 for reference.Thanks Dell

[PrueM]

Hi Dell,
It's pretty bad isn't it...and I know what all the restorers are going to be saying so I'll get in first:  we need a bigger scan!!! 

Is it possible for you to scan it at a higher resolution?  300 or higher.  It will make the file size bigger but you can post up to 500kb on the board - the little pic you have posted is only 40kb or so, just for comparison.
 
Prue

[kizmiaz]

Also, if you have access to the photo and can do a larger scan, would it be possible to rotate the photo through 90 degrees and scan it at that angle.

May sound wierd, but sometimes this can significantly reduce the number and severity of small cracks like these.

(Something to do with the way the light from the scanner hits the cracks and reflects, as far as I can work out!)

Glen

[dennford]

And please make it 600ppi/dpi if you can
                         Denn

[ndpaton]

I don't have access to the original photo so I have to be content with the email attachment. Have I managed to get the picture larger. i don't know how to make it any larger as some of it disappears from the frame. I am not ignorant in general just on this issue.I do appreciate the help that is available and any attempt to improve David. I am told that he was a gentle and loving man.The family should have kept his toenail clippings and sent them off to the university for cloning. I reaLLY WANT TO MAKE HIM WHOLE AS A 17 YEAR-OLD BOY EMBARKING ON ADVENTURE. r Regards   Norma Dell

[Shaztoni]

This is all I could do, it was very cracked.

Sharon

[ndpaton]

Many thanks , Sharon, It is more than I could achieve without David looking like a wax dummy. I could duplicate the eye but the skin tone eludes me. Thanks again. i is a real challenge. Dell

[tomkin]

Hi '
    Can you ask whoever has the original to rescan it
to 300-600dpi.  I don't know if you are on broadband but I
used to get attachments of  up to 1mb when i was on
dial up and didn't have any problems.
  Hoping,
Tomkin