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The Keith Berry Photo Archive

Morturn

Morturn

Super Moderator
Staff member

Methodology for Processing the Keith Berry Image Collection​

This document outlines the process used to prepare the images from the Keith Berry PDF collection for online presentation on the Birmingham History Forum. The primary goals were to preserve the historical integrity of the images while ensuring a consistent and high-quality viewing experience within the forum's technical constraints.

1. Source Material & Historical Context
The images were extracted from 15 PDF files, which were created from the personal website of the late local historian, Keith Berry. Research indicates that Mr. Berry was a film photographer, and these images are scans of physical photographs that were subsequently shared online. As such, they are derivative copies, not original digital files. The processing aimed to enhance these existing digital files for web display.

2. Extraction and Archiving

  • The images were extracted from the PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  • The extraction format was TIFF to create a high-quality, lossless master archive for long-term preservation.
3. Image Processing and Sizing
A tiered approach was used based on the condition of each extracted image:

  • A. Standard Sizing (majority of images): Images that were already close to the target size were resized in a single step to 799 pixels on the longest side using Photoshop's "Preserve Details 2.0" algorithm.
  • B. Non-Destructive Upscaling (for smaller, lower-resolution images): Images requiring significant enlargement (more than a 10-pixel adjustment or with a resolution below 150 PPI) were processed using a non-destructive workflow:
    1. The image layer was duplicated.
    2. The top layer was converted into a Smart Object.
    3. The Smart Object was resized to 799 pixels on the longest side using the "Preserve Details 2.0" algorithm.
    4. The upscaled result was compared directly to the original by toggling the layer visibility to ensure quality was maintained or improved.
4. Final Sharpening and Optimization

  • A subtle application of the Unsharp Mask filter was applied to the resized images to enhance clarity for web viewing. Typical settings were:
    • Amount: 85%
    • Radius: 1 pixel
    • Threshold: 4 levels
  • This filter was applied as a Smart Filter wherever possible, allowing for future adjustments without quality loss.
  • Final images were saved as JPEG format, with compression levels adjusted to meet the forum's 250KB file size limit while maximizing visual quality.
5. Descriptive Text
All descriptive text accompanying the images in the original PDFs was preserved and will be paired with the corresponding images upon upload to provide essential historical context.

This methodology prioritizes transparency, preservation, and thoughtful enhancement to make this valuable collection accessible to the community.
 
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