Years ago, when they were colorizing old black-and-white movies, there were a lot of detractors to the idea; over time, I’ve come to the opinion that sometimes, it is a good thing.
Sometimes, the original version is best, and the best way to go is to have both versions available. The technology exists to allow both colorized, touched-up, and originals to co-exist.
I feel the same way about sequels; some are great, most are awful, but if I don’t like a set of sequels, I never have to watch them again. Sometimes, it was a possibility of creating something great that didn’t turn out as such. Take the shot.
I’ve been working in Photoshop for many years, touching up photos. Some of them, I’ve spent hours on.
Now, with A.I., so much of that hard work is no longer necessary. And I’ve realized that so many of the untouched, original photos have flaws that I never really noticed. Yet, one has to be really careful with A.I. because it will change things, sometimes very little details, that are absurd or unnecessary.
I try to compare the original to the new version to make sure it is as close as possible. I don’t always know if a shirt was really yellow or light green. Do those details really matter? There is no way to know. Sometimes, though, a photo comes out of the A.I. and really hits home. Becomes a favorite. Like this one of my grandparents with my mother.
I am so glad that I can do this, to improve and preserve a photo that someone back in the day took the time and money to capture. Curating things like this is an excellent use of one’s time.
