Adjusting Clarity of Scanned Glass Plate Negatives

[mdarnton]

Just for fun, here's another version: https://flic.kr/p/23pSn46
The location of the original is: https://www.loc.gov/item/det1994017934/PP/

I don't think you can even attempt to project what the original photographer intended, and further, I bet that since he was just a staff photog on the road, shooting for a large company where drones at home printed his picture in the most expedient possible, I don't think anyone at the time cared what he thought about it. It's almost certain that he didn't develop the neg, didn't see it, didn't print it, and didn't care, himself, as long as the check cleared.

[paulbarden]

PaulBarden, thank you very much for taking the time to edit the file yourself. I think your result was different than both mine and Shorpy's but I like the look and would be interested to know how you achieved it. One thing I neglected to state was that while I downloaded the TIFF I was converting it to RGB mode and then making my adjustments, and I'm beginning to think now that making the adjustments while the file is in TIFF would be better. Hall's results seem to be better simply because he is bringing out that detail that tends to get muddy when you adjust the contrast in RGB. Later tonight I'll try editing it in TIFF.

I did a second version of the photo, because I didn't like the sharp feel of the first one, once it was uploaded to Flickr (It looks better when viewed in Lightroom).
If you want to converse with me about my technique for editing in Lightroom, feel free to PM me and we can take it to email (or messenger).

[VanGorder]

mdarnton, that's true. In this case, this photographer probably wasn't fussy about how the image looked. I own a number of original movie stills from the 1930s, and I'm always amazed at how super sharp they are ( on photo paper ). However, once they are scanned they lose that sharp look and yet Shorpy's images manage to transfer that stunning sharpness to digital form. That's what I'm trying to achieve, too.