Corbin's TS Porn Restoration Project

[corbindallas]

I've been here quite a while so I figure it's time for a high effort post. This sprung out of my love for the porn of my heyday and wanting to see it refreshed so it can live on and be rediscovered.

This thread will consist of me periodically unloading some cleaned up and resized versions of low-quality porn, to bring them up to modern standards. This is a tricky process because it's not so simple bumping up the resolution on a blurry or pixelated file. Common apps and "filters" that bastardize images just won't do. They are unsatisfactory and leave images grainy or milky, losing the integrity of the image altogether. AKA I'm tired of seeing poor Photoshop and Snapchat filter nonsense. If you respect high quality porn, then this thread is for you!

The goal here is to revamp vintage and retro pics in a tasteful way while maintaining the original look that was intended. The purpose isnt to "shop" or morph these images into oblivion, just preserve the original image in the highest possible quality and archive it here so it has a place.

Think of me as a TS porn curator.

If you're curious about the process then I've provided some details below on how I'm able to do this. Otherwise, ignore the next portion and just enjoy the pics as they come out!



The Process:

It's a difficult task bringing these images back to life. For instance, the first hurdle is the sizing. Images that are too small are difficult to bring up to a 960x1440 resolution without enlarging the problem, so to speak. One way I'm able to handle this is the software I'm using, as well as my own experience in implementing it effectively. So not only am I enlarging these images, I'm also fixing the original data so you get more detail on a larger scale.

To overcome resizing I need to blow up the image to the desired size, or even larger than that, so I can address problems clearly. This is where grain and "milk" comes in. There's plenty of apps and simple software to "sharpen" images, but it takes a balancing act over the whole file to keep it intact without pixelating it further. This involves me going into high detail areas and refining shadows and color separation on my own. These are judgement calls I'm making based on my understanding of the form. In certain instances I'm adjusting single pixels or clusters of them. Generally speaking there's enough information in the file that I don't need to go in and address every single pixel there is, but certain photos do require the tedium to be done right.

I've included an example of an original (low res) 660 x 1000 file, compared to what I can accomplish with a 960 x 1440 picture. My results are a file with 4 times the data. A 400kb low res file is now a 1.6MB file with much richer detail. The results will never be perfect HD as there's simply no way to retake pictures from decades ago. We are left with the data therein, but at least now they are leagues better than they were and hold up to modern standards.

There's plenty more involved such as blemishes, edges, tonal corrections and color balancing but without going too far into it my approach in all areas is always maintaining the overall mood and integrity of the original image. I'm not adding my own spin, though I could. It's more about preserving them as they are. Anyway, that's it.

If you have any vintage or classic pics you want revamped then send them my way and I can take a look.

Cheers!

Corbin

[corbindallas]

1st one

[Slipppy]

Great work Corbin, and a great opening effort

[corbindallas]

Original vs. photo editing app vs. mine (to demonstrate the comparison on a closer level)

[corbindallas]

Great work Corbin, and a great opening effort

Thanks! Here's number 2

[corbindallas]

[corbindallas]

An update on Yasmin Lee (original vs new)

[setterman]

Very impressive, I look forward to seeing more results! Out of interest, how long does it take to process each image? I imagine you've got several lifetimes of work ahead of you!

[corbindallas]

Very impressive, I look forward to seeing more results! Out of interest, how long does it take to process each image? I imagine you've got several lifetimes of work ahead of you!

Thanks there def is more to come!

And it depends. I actually refined a couple approaches today and the results are even better! Some files really sing from this (the Mariana Cordoba ones below are a great example of what I can accomplish here IMO). If it's 10-15 years old, let's say 10 mins a piece. It would probably take five times as long if I wasn't able to speed run certain things. So hopefully not a lifetime lol.

I'm manually adjusting which is why it's not instantaneous, unlike running a preset. What's interesting is to do this everything is basically complicated beyond what it is then simplified back down into a better whole. My new refinement is the image is actually tripled, then each blown up, detail embedded, then all pared down into one master file. I use three because I'm able to get slightly different results in one area vs another, depending on slightly different approaches, then I can "average" the best bits together into one Uber bitchin file. Then I go in and do touch ups and grind down some pesky pixels.

I like honing my editing and mastering different softwares so it's just useful practice for me anyway. But I'm glad youre on board. Enjoy these new ones!

[corbindallas]

Carmen Cruz