Image enhancement and colourisation from a low resolution source. Subject is Thomas Alfred Shafto (1864-1930), circa 1905, after whom Shafto Lane in Perth is named. First photo by Denis Dease (1869-1959) of Dease Studio, which operated from 117 Barrack Street in Perth between 1898 and 1929. Images are low resolution copies of microfilm backups of historical newspaper articles, found online via Trove. Very much a "worst case scenario" in terms of image quality. As the original images may be lost to time, the objective of this project was to recover as much information as possible and present them as if they had been photographed yesterday. Fortunately, it was possible to digitally retouch or remove most of the noise and preserve the major details of the face. Other photos of Shafto were referenced to retain the likeness. Some sections, such as the background, clothing and areas of shadow, had to be teased out or completely recreated. AI tools were used to generate photorealistic fine details of the face and elements of clothing, then carefully added in a unique process designed to maintain the underlying accuracy and integrity of the original image. Colours applied are temporary and adaptable, pending research into areas such as a specific subject's eye or clothing colour. Hopefully, these results demonstrate the type of image recovery that is possible to achieve in the right hands.
Left: Low resolution image from historical newspaper article found online. Right: Image enhancement, restoration and colorization.