Can I restore a very dark picture?

Question: Can I restore a very dark picture!?

I have access to Adobe Photoshop and other Adobe Products, and whatever is downloadable on the internet!. I've tried Google Picasa!. Any Ideas!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Sam and others are correct!. It's just not possible!. This is the best I could do - http://home!.comcast!.net/~capillata/Hallo!.!.!. You can use the histogram too, which does the same thing, and I adjusted the colour balance as well!. You can see slightly more and there's better contrast, but it's just way too dark!. It lacks detail to bring out!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Are you talking a printed picture or a digital image!?

With a digital image you can use your channels to control brightness and gamma in Photoshop!.

Addendum 10:25pm 11-1-08

Ooh, that isn't much to work with!. Nothing can be recovered from the print!. You might try scanning the negative and see if a little more detail can be eeked out!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sorry!. There is simply NO detail in the guy's face at all!. I was writing an answer to tell you how to try, but it's not gonna happen with your sample!. I tried!.

See this example: http://www!.flickr!.com/photos/samfeinstei!.!.!.

And before:
http://www!.flickr!.com/photos/samfeinstei!.!.!.
After:
http://www!.flickr!.com/photos/samfeinstei!.!.!.

Crummy results, but there is at least SOMETHING there in the shadows!. WIth your sample, there is nothing there!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Upload your pic to flickr and then try the "auto" image, that's worked for me before when my pics have been too dark, picasa's free and has the same thing!. also, brighten it as much as you can!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

depends how dark it is!. You can definitely do it in Photoshop!.!.!.just adjust the "levels" and probably play with brightness/contrastWww@QuestionHome@Com

The picture you linked is too far gone to recover!. There might be a little more detail on some of the negatives, but I wouldn't be too hopeful!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It's virtually impossible to create detail from something that has none!.

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