How to enlarge a photograph for wall size?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic' started by Navigator, May 26, 2017.

  1. Navigator

    Navigator Registered

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    Hi guys,

    Here in the hope we have a "fifties corner" with an authentic diner set, jukebox and self restored gombal machine.
    We would love to finish it with a wall filling poster; 2,30 x 1,40 meter.
    So we found a nice picture, but it is an old photograph........

    For the company that is going to print it on a pvc sheet, there are some things needed:
    - it has to be in cmyk (?)
    - it has to have at least 150 dpi

    I have some things I want myself too:
    - the picture is tilted to the left, I would like to get it straight
    - the side is going to fall away as I intent to fold it over a wooden frame; I want the picture to have an extra (grey? white?) border around it as I can't spare to much of the original picture
    - maybe the picture would be nice in black and white? I tried, but as the sky is blue, that turns darker grey and alters the picture to much; it looks like the weather was not that nice

    Now after 3 days of playing around with photoshop, watching way to much tuts on youtube and still getting nowhere; I thought I'd ask.
    I altered a lot, but the end result is always worse than the original picture.
    I mean; its an old picture and should be a bit rough.........one is allowed to see it IS old, but my work on it......pffff; its crap.

    The original picture I'm talking about is this one: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nsnt8nak88cil2i/downtowntrafficisland.jpg?dl=0

    Is there someone here who knows this stuff? And is willing to help with this?
    I would be very grateful.
    Thanks for reading!
     
  2. Skan

    Skan Registered

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    I would suggest a multipage printout. This is usually done by selecting that exact setting in the panel that opens when accessing the printer's menu in Photoshop or any other software that can print. Cut the printouts but do not cut them perfectly straight. You want wavy lines so when it is taped together from behind, the lines almost disappear. Then frame it as you wish.

    Alternatively You can go to a place with a large format color copier and tell them you want an enlargement. This will probably cost you more than the first option I mentioned.
     
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  3. DJCruicky

    DJCruicky Registered

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    I have only an old version of Photoshop, CS2, but hope you have same options with yours.

    - It has to be in cmyk (?)
    'Image' menu, Mode, then click 'cmyk'

    I have some things I want myself too:
    - the side is going to fall away as I intent to fold it over a wooden frame; I want the picture to have an extra (grey? white?) border around it as I can't spare to much of the original picture

    To make borders bigger. Press Alt-Ctrl-C. Try enter 110 percent for both height and width.

    - The picture is tilted to the left, I would like to get it straight
    Press Ctrl-T, then hover your mouse top left of the picture until mouse pointer turns into a curved shape, then drag and rotate the picture straight. When you are happy, you need to press the tick button at the top area of the photoshop screen.
    You will now have to trim the edges straight. Do this by pressing Shift-M then highlight the parts of the picture you want to trim. Hitting the delete key each time.

    - Maybe the picture would be nice in black and white? I tried, but as the sky is blue, that turns darker grey and alters the picture too much; it looks like the weather was not that nice.

    For a lighter sky, Click the Dodge Tool (Shift-O). Make the brush very very big, then click it a few times in the middle of the sky near end of street.

    - It has to have at least 150 dpi
    Press Alt-Ctrl-I

    The result --> http://www.mediafire.com/file/18wdkt77d50t5tj/Nav-Picture.png
     
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  4. Navigator

    Navigator Registered

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    @Skan,
    Thanks for your reply.
    I do not follow completely what you mean (I am the biggest n00b there is, my bad) but I don't think several pieces are "allowed". They need it in one piece. I can't glue them perfectly together the way I am going to hang this thing and that might be a problem also.

    @DJCruicky,
    Wow, thanks mate!
    I'm going to try and reproduce because I want to learn this stuff also, but yours is the one thats going to be submitted; that looks very nice.
    Cant thank you enough; I'm so happy with this!
     
  5. Max Dralle

    Max Dralle Registered

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    Hi, Nav.

    If you could wait until monday, I'll have a go at it, because I have the proper tools for this task at work ... :)
     
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  6. Navigator

    Navigator Registered

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    @Max Dralle,

    Thanks for replying.
    I do have a nice one from DJCruicky already so its not really necessary anymore, but I'm always curious what someone else comes up with.
    I'm in no hurry indeed.

    Thanks!
     
  7. Max Dralle

    Max Dralle Registered

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    I surely do not want to make this a competition, but I'm working in a video and movies post production for more than twenty years now and that's gotta be good for something ... :D

    For example, I have some special tools for de-noising and de-graining, that might help to clean up the base picture before scaling up.
    Especially those printing patterns can look nasty when being scaled up.

    DJCruicky's result looks already quite nice, though. I hope, I can put it up one more notch.

    ;)

    I'm wondering, if you're sticking with a black and white picture, because usually there's no need to convert a greyscale image into CMYK and to be honest, if the printing company asks you to deliver a CMYK image, I would somewhat question their credibility, because they should know how to convert it, to properly suit their pipeline of reproduction best.

    Anyways, I'll have a shot on monday (CEST) and will post back then.

    Cheers!
    Max
     
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  8. Navigator

    Navigator Registered

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    No no, no competition!
    To be honest; I didn't know what to say.
    Put yourself in my place; if I say "please try that" it could come across as: "I think it can be done better, the one I got is crap".
    Or if I were to say no: "why do you think you can do better?"
    I'm afraid I would come across all wrong and I seem to be very good at that ;)

    Anyway, if you have some extra special tools; that would be great. One never knows how it comes out.
    Thanks mate!
     
  9. Seven Smiles

    Seven Smiles Registered

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    downtowntrafficislandR.jpg I definitely do not do this for a living but if you're going to blow up a poor quality picture that big I suggest using The Rasterbator and making the pixellation a deliberate feature.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
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  10. Navigator

    Navigator Registered

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    @Seven Smiles,

    Thanks for the tip; I will look into that one too!
     
  11. Max Dralle

    Max Dralle Registered

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    Good Morning, Navigator.

    Here are my two versions as a preview in 4k JPEG format.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    :)

    I slighty zoomed into the picture, to get rid of some ugly artefacts at the image's borders.

    I have both of them also in TIFF & PNG format with 16bpc (bits per channel) color depth, for the printing service available. Just let me know, if I should upload them.

    Btw. 230cm x 140cm @ 150dpi would result in ~321MB filesize in 8bpc color depth and ~642MB in 16bpc, that's in pixels: 13583x 8268 ...

    Please ask your printing service, if they really want such a large image.
    IMHO, 4k should be sufficient, considering the source.

    I hope you like my work ... :D

    Cheers,
    Max
     
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  12. Max Dralle

    Max Dralle Registered

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    Darn. I knew, I had forgotten something.

    Version 2. Now tilt corrected:
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    :D
     
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  13. DJCruicky

    DJCruicky Registered

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    Looks like you spoilt for choice now Nav.
     

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