Hi Sally.

Your eye image clearly shows you are a very talented artist. I'm genuinely in awe of anyone who can create such work. What a lot of newbies that post on some of the graphics forums fail to understand is that Photoshop and Paint etc, are just tools. Whilst they can sometimes work minor miracles by just knowing which buttons to press, often the images they see posted on the web and wish to emulate, are the result of artistic ability that goes beyond simply applying the right combination of filters etc. Like you, most digital artists of any merit could produce similarly impressive work using traditional media. Digital technology alone is no substitute for talent, or hard work.

As to some of the images you have had to rescue, my own interest is geared more towards photography and I'm very grateful I do not have to apply commercial considerations to the time spent at my PC. I have done a few rebuilds on family photos that have suffered from being exposed to direct sunlight, but these were mainly just re-colouring/tinting and a few adjustments. Those I've been asked to repair for friends/neighbours are usually older B&W prints that are scratched, torn etc. Quite straightforward really. They rarely assume that really bad images can be saved.

As to the original poster's problem image, it seems to have been blurred from being shot out of focus, or by movement during exposure. Just as a cheap lens produces poor resolution/detail, a poorly focused image will suffer from an even greater drop in image detail. Even Photoshop cannot enhance detail that isn't there. Having said that, it would still have been interesting to see the image, just to see exactly how bad it was and if it could have been improved without a complete work over.

Finally, a question. I'm guessing you use a tablet? I purchased a cheap 12" X 8" pad, but it was not quite as sensitive as I would have liked. It was also too large. I only used an active area that was about 6" X 4". I quickly sold it and purchased a Graphire 3 (5" X 4"). I really haven't got on with this. Whilst it's sensitivity is better it's much too small. It is not so much the active area, but the physical size that is too small. The plastic clip on cover is also horrible, I preferred the acetate sheet method of the cheaper unit. Just wondering what you use and might recommend. I mainly work with Draw and PS. I'll probably only use it for selections and path work.

Thanks

Sark