Forgotten Hope Public Forum

Off-Topic => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Josh094 on 20-02-2015, 03:02:05

Title: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 20-02-2015, 03:02:05
So I recently found out that I really enjoy colourising old photographs.

Railways are one of my key interests as some people on here may know and when someone on a facebook group I'm a member of started to post some of his old black and white photographs from the 60s I asked him whether he'd be kind enough to let me attempt colourising them.

He gave me the go ahead and here are some of the results:

(https://40.media.tumblr.com/085b5e200f7a1f94e46152dea3754222/tumblr_nk1snulfqw1tesiqpo1_540.jpg)

(https://40.media.tumblr.com/a812cbe467ce845503127096db5eddba/tumblr_nk1snulfqw1tesiqpo3_1280.jpg)

(https://40.media.tumblr.com/6dd5af578625f3a3535073de22e7b5b9/tumblr_nk1snulfqw1tesiqpo2_1280.jpg)

Anyway, some of you may have guessed where this is going..

I'm going to give recolouring some Second World War photographs now, balance out the Tank to Train ratio.

 
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Ts4EVER on 20-02-2015, 03:02:20
That sloped area to the left of the train in the first picture looks like bare earth to me, not grass.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Hjaldrgud on 20-02-2015, 03:02:33
OOH! Great! I love looking at recoloured pictures! Keep us up to date!
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 20-02-2015, 03:02:44
That sloped area to the left of the train in the first picture looks like bare earth to me, not grass.

I'll give you that, but from the references I was working from It is almost certainly just short grass.

You rarely got bare earth embankments but short grass was common in the Summer months as a result of line side fires.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Korsakov829 on 20-02-2015, 04:02:44
Ah I used to do this. Once, I took a 1920s Mugshot of a English man charged of indecent exposure and changed him into a criminal mastermind.

Obligated to start looking for that now...
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Roughbeak on 20-02-2015, 04:02:43
Looks great Josh!
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 20-02-2015, 04:02:54
Okay, here is my first Second World War recoloured image. Admittedly it isn't a particularly colourful scene but it was the first image on my hard drive.

Vehicles of the 10th Armoured Division advance near Trier, Germany, 1945.

(https://36.media.tumblr.com/2510704611a8aee96512147db7b0656c/tumblr_nk1wrjaekP1tesiqpo1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Korsakov829 on 20-02-2015, 06:02:19
Looks ok, but I think you should try to remove some artifacts as well, like grains and overexposure in some areas, as well as signs of age on the physical print of the photo.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Matthew_Baker on 20-02-2015, 06:02:06
This is awesome man :D colorizing photos is no easy task.

I've sometimes thought about doing this too.

If you want some feedback, the tank in the above photo looks a bit too... green. idk a better way to put it but the dirt/mud etc should be contrasted more from the olive drab. Looks awesome overall tho
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 21-02-2015, 18:02:11
British Sherman IC Hybrid Firefly, Namur, Belgium 1944/45
(https://41.media.tumblr.com/596ca54f36287390bdf1a1ce42d21a9f/tumblr_nk4tludMGj1tesiqpo2_r1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 22-02-2015, 23:02:02
Panzer IV of the 12th SS Panzer Division HJ, somewhere on the western front.

(https://40.media.tumblr.com/fb74a607cddc6b60d6fa5d4433c4c002/tumblr_nk8shm9CXQ1tesiqpo2_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Ivancic1941 on 23-02-2015, 09:02:09
Nice!
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: kummitus on 23-02-2015, 09:02:09
Your pics look great!

Though the last one is little odd, with the very bright elements with apparently overcast weather.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: AfterDune on 23-02-2015, 12:02:14
I love that! Please share more when you have 'em ;).
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 23-02-2015, 21:02:18
Your pics look great!

Though the last one is little odd, with the very bright elements with apparently overcast weather.
Good call, i've toned it down.

Panzer IV Ausf. H of 12th Panzer Division, Eastern Front, 1944.
(https://41.media.tumblr.com/958a3b28db90004cf3dbc221827d0597/tumblr_nk8shm9CXQ1tesiqpo1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Ivancic1941 on 23-02-2015, 22:02:49
WOW!Continoue please!
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Ts4EVER on 23-02-2015, 22:02:25
The black and white version of that pic is on the dukla or arad load screen picture IIRC. That being said, in 1944 german vehicles had yellow base colour, they only started using green like that in 1945.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 23-02-2015, 23:02:11
The Yellow is the base colour. Its just the green camo was rather liberally applied in this instance as can be seen in the original b/w image,

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-088-3734A-19A,_Russland,_Panzer_IV.jpg)

unless you mean the green should be red?
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 24-02-2015, 00:02:12
New Zealander from Light Aid Detachment welding pipe at the El Alamein front, Egypt, 16 July 1943.

(https://41.media.tumblr.com/f76dd56772c04ce23ea65586bf6c8ccc/tumblr_nk8zlgNrR11tesiqpo1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Dukat on 24-02-2015, 02:02:38
Were the New Zealanders really that white when being in africa? With that tan, he'll have a severe sunburn after 30 minutes.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: LuckyOne on 24-02-2015, 16:02:53
^ maybe he's a "replacement" :P

Anyway great job Josh, that's some nice skills you have there. It's crazy how the color brings out all the details of a picture... It brings the whole history behind the photos a lot closer to the present...
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: sn00x on 24-02-2015, 17:02:27
How do you even..? I dont even.. I like this.

But could you color this?!  :D And possibly remove those filthy watermarkings in the corners.

(http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk93/Daedra08/nqgJnwX.jpg) (http://s278.photobucket.com/user/Daedra08/media/nqgJnwX.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 24-02-2015, 21:02:41
I could do,

Do you have any idea of the original colours?
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: sn00x on 24-02-2015, 22:02:45
No idea to be honest, for some reason i suspect the charriot in the front has some gold and red on it. Only the imagination sets limits here!  :D
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 25-02-2015, 02:02:09
Hawker Typhoons 1b at Gloster Factory, Gloucestershire, April 1943.

(https://41.media.tumblr.com/db2574404fd3f70db6daf654f3c7cb95/tumblr_nkaznalxYT1tesiqpo1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 01-03-2015, 23:03:47
For those of you interested, I will continue posting colourised images on my facebook page as it takes too much time to update the various different places in which I am currently sharing my work:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Painting-The-Past/891949734182777
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: sn00x on 04-03-2015, 00:03:09
where is my motorcycle picture :(
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Dukat on 04-03-2015, 01:03:56
where is my motorcycle picture :(
Do you have any idea of the original colours?


...while I consider
I could do,
to be rather subjunctively.


And possibly remove those filthy watermarkings in the corners.

And why would you want your watermarks to be removed from your picture?
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 04-03-2015, 13:03:11
I have done some work on it, and I will send it to you when it is done but it's not an image which interests me greatly so It is harder to work on it for prolonged periods of time, also i'm not going to remove the water marks - they were put there for a reason.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Kubador on 04-03-2015, 13:03:56
Josh, do you use a tablet or is it all made with a mouse?
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 04-03-2015, 14:03:30
Josh, do you use a tablet or is it all made with a mouse?

I actually use a mouse most of the time - only because I lack a decent and conveniently sized tablet. I have contemplated using one for an upcoming commission though as it just provides much finer and accurate control - especially since my mouse is only a cheap, low-resolution one.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: th_battleaxe on 04-03-2015, 14:03:14
Say, Josh, I was wondering if you could help me with a camouflage pattern I've been struggling with.

http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productdetail?productid=3109&cat=1 (http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productdetail?productid=3109&cat=1)

Its the top row, fourth picture.

It's camouflaged in two colours, pale blue on the underside of the fuselage, and brownish or olive green glaze on the top, with the bottom wings and inner sections of the top wings doped white.

I'd like to know if the outer top wing parts would be glazed brown or green, or left pale blue.
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: Josh094 on 04-03-2015, 21:03:03
That's a really tricky one - to be honest - I'm not 100% convinced that the top and half are necessarily different colours. There could be part of the frame work that runs the length of the aircraft beneath the canvas which is causing a visible seam. The only thing that seems to ruin this theory is that the top half would logically be lighter as it is where the light would hit.

If it is two colours - tonally they are very similar. There is not much difference in it at all. So that means if the top half is a green colour - it is a very light green.

Possibly a grey-green for the top half? Either way - when there isn't any available reference it comes down to a best guess and so I'd say that the wing tips would be the same colour as the top half of the fuselage.

Something like this:

Left: Underside. Right: Topside
(https://40.media.tumblr.com/1239c915291cfd9f5f5c2dbab3f1a3a5/tumblr_nkpg97BWu51tesiqpo1_250.jpg)
Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: th_battleaxe on 05-03-2015, 08:03:07
Well, the Roland's fuselage was constructed by forming strips of plywood over a wooden buck, with a canvas covering. Any framework would be hidden. Earlier pictures of this aircraft don't show any sort of line on the fuselage, so there must have been 2 colours.

If you look at the third paint scheme, that's one with a similar paintjob, but on the archive photo, the brown/green looks darker.

Anyway, thanks for your effort.

Title: Re: Colourising History
Post by: sn00x on 05-03-2015, 14:03:20
I have done some work on it, and I will send it to you when it is done but it's not an image which interests me greatly so It is harder to work on it for prolonged periods of time, also i'm not going to remove the water marks - they were put there for a reason.

Weee  ;D

Nah they wernt allways, obviously mr NAC dont own nor take this pitcture from the 1930's, the watermark is just as legit as the watersmarks on pictures from ww2. its just really annoying and screwing it up :p But hey, youre the boss man (y)