(Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
Post Reply
OrthoFan
Victor V
Posts: 2476
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:12 pm

(Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by OrthoFan »

I was going to post this in "The Parlor," but that seems to get so few hits, and this is useful for posting phono images, especially those taken from online videos as screen captures.

I was experimenting with a number of the new (free, online) AI based photo tools, and found this one -- https://unblurimage.ai/ -- which worked the best. It can be used to sharpen any image.

Here's a before and after shot of a screen capture I made from an online movie, "It's a Great Life" (1929 Technicolor finale) --
BEFORE--Screenshot   It's a Great Life --  1929 -- musical scene.png
AFTER--Screenshot   It's a Great Life --  1929 -- musical scene.jpg

User avatar
travisgreyfox
Victor IV
Posts: 1262
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 9:25 pm

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by travisgreyfox »

This is a cool tool. Thanks for sharing

User avatar
TinfoilPhono
Victor V
Posts: 2043
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:48 pm
Location: SF Bay Area, Calif.

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by TinfoilPhono »

An interesting tool, but it has its limitations. Here's an image I ran through it out of curiosity. It's certainly sharper that the original, but the people look like they stepped out of a horror movie, especially the baby and the woman to its right, and Rosemary's baby sitting on the floor. The photo of Edison on the wall turned into a drawing by Picasso, who apparently also painted over the decal on the lid. And those hands! (Click to enlarge for full effect.)
Attachments
unblurimageai_1897-edison.png
1897-edison.jpg

VanEpsFan1914
Victor VI
Posts: 3386
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:39 am
Personal Text: I've got both kinds of music--classical & rag-time.
Location: South Carolina

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Please watermark anything upscaled with AI, I'd like to be able to tell the difference

CarlosV
Victor V
Posts: 2163
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:18 am
Location: Luxembourg

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by CarlosV »

TinfoilPhono wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 2:08 pm An interesting tool, but it has its limitations. Here's an image I ran through it out of curiosity. It's certainly sharper that the original, but the people look like they stepped out of a horror movie, especially the baby and the woman to its right, and Rosemary's baby sitting on the floor. The photo of Edison on the wall turned into a drawing by Picasso, who apparently also painted over the decal on the lid. And those hands! (Click to enlarge for full effect.)
Scary! I would try it on a photo of my dear-departed mother-in-law, but unfortunately all her photos suffered from spontaneous combustion when she left this world and departed to a hotter place.

OrthoFan
Victor V
Posts: 2476
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 7:12 pm

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by OrthoFan »

TinfoilPhono wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 2:08 pm An interesting tool, but it has its limitations. Here's an image I ran through it out of curiosity. It's certainly sharper that the original, but the people look like they stepped out of a horror movie, especially the baby and the woman to its right, and Rosemary's baby sitting on the floor. The photo of Edison on the wall turned into a drawing by Picasso, who apparently also painted over the decal on the lid. And those hands! (Click to enlarge for full effect.)
I discovered that too with a few images I tried. Here's another online free tool -- https://remaker.ai/features/unblur-image/ that seems to work even better. Here are the results from your original image:
2t63zzz1chrmr0cvfchagyfs14.png
The little girl still looks like Wednesday Addams, but she did in the original photo too. :D

There are many more free online AI based photo/image deblurers, upscalers, colorizers, etc. now, so it pays to do some Googling to see what works best.

OrthoFan

User avatar
Inigo
Victor Monarch
Posts: 4643
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
Location: Madrid, Spain
Contact:

Re: (Slightly OT) Useful Tool for Enhanced Phono Scans, etc.

Post by Inigo »

:D :D
And the baby in the original already looked like Edison's granny!! :D :D :D
Inigo

Post Reply