help!! color correction problems

[kendrawalter]

my boyfriend took this awful picture that is backlit and through a dirty windshield, but I would like to use it on one of my pages. I've tried so many different image adjustments in PS and just cant get the picture to a point that it is good/readable for the page. Do you have any tips?

 

[strawberryredhead]

I played with the color a bit in RadLab. If you spent some time cloning out the spots on the windshield it has potential...

 

[AnneofAlamo]

I am assuming you want to read the sign. Perhaps you could find another clear photo of that sign on Google? Then blend it into the photo? I had to that for now entering California page lol you keep you by perspective but then can read the sign?

 

[Karen]

That's kinda what i was thinking too Anne... just find a pic and smoosh them together?

Or you could just work with what you have (or better yet Jaimie's fixed version WOW!) and put a fun arrow with the text on it that is supposed to be visible on the sign?

 

[Dalis]

Yeah, I don't think you will be able to read the sign, but I love Jamie's take.

 

[cfile]

This is as good as I could get it, using exposure and adjusting gamma then duplicating the layer and using high pass and blend mode color dodge and then duplicating the high pass layer and this time making it blend mode of pin light. I merged all together and then used the burn tool over the letters... still not so clear but I also tried a defog action to help. What did the sign say? You can put in text over it to fix.. it looks like it says Entering Mountain elev 2000 ft?

 

[nfenchak]

Jamie - that looks cool...off to go look at your gallery to see what majic you've created. Kendra - love that you still see potential in a picture that most people would have just immediatly deleted!! AFter Jamie's playing around with it - it looks almost like a black and white video still from the 70s. very cool!!

 

[kendrawalter]

thank you all for your help! Jaimie and Cara, you both did better than I could do! I will try to find a similar picture on google and see if i can get any better results that way! Thank you!!