Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen
Voting period ends on 3 Feb 2013 at 02:22:23 (UTC)
 * Reason:Good photo of person of historical significance. Captures Ibsen's earnestness.
 * Articles in which this image appears:Henrik_Ibsen
 * FP category for this image:Featured pictures/People/Others
 * Creator:Gustav Borgen


 * Support as nominator --Iselilja (talk) 02:22, 25 January 2013 (UTC) Withdrawn, as per valid opposition. Iselilja (talk) 20:48, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment I don't suppose we can find out the source? It's a pretty good picture, but it has a few minor issues I would like to check against the original. Adam Cuerden (talk) 05:00, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The photo is posted at Norwegian Digitalt Museum, and I would assume they have posted the original. It says the photo is owned by Norsk folkemuseum. We have wikipedians affiliated with that museum if you have any particular requests. With regards, Iselilja (talk) 05:11, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Well, the version we have is very, very similar to the version there, so the slight streakiness at full-res is almost certainly original. As such, Support - a very good photo of a notable playwright, with its issues primarily caused by its age. Adam Cuerden (talk) 05:25, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

I've uploaded a restored version. Oppose both.
 * Support H. W. Calhoun (talk) 14:05, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support Oppose per Adam - I can see little lines at full res, but I think they're insignificant detractions. Obvious EV.  ceran  thor 17:19, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support Oppose per Adam Certainly. Automatic Strikeout  ( T  •  C ) 17:39, 25 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support Oppose Per Adam's findings. — ΛΧΣ  21  01:25, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. Good picture of notable figure. Decent quality, especially considering the age. --jjron (talk) 03:29, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment—the image certainly seems to fill the criteria for an FP, but shouldn't it be retouched first? There are many small marks and blemishes. —Ynhockey (Talk) 15:15, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

Yes, really: When doing the restoration, I discovered some things that, while I did try to reduce some of them in the restoration, make this unsuitable for FP:
 * 1) The image appears to be made up, not of filmgrain, but of JPEG artefacts.
 * 2) The image had lots and lots of blurry bits in the "background". I added some texture to these, but that's not at all normal. It may, however, be a consequence of point 1. Or it might be a badly failed restoration attempt by the museum or original uploader. It's hard to tell sometimes.
 * 3) A long, black streak over the image. See image notes at commons:File:Henrik_Ibsen_by_Gustav_Borgen_NFB-19778.jpg. Though, to be fair, this was pretty fixable when I sat down and forced myself to do the best, ignoring the other problems.
 * 4) Sleeve blends into background. That's a mushiness of colour I've never seen in a well-scanned photo of this period, and doesn't seem to be an issue with any of the creator's other images.

I think the first two are the most problematic. Since we do have Wikipedians at the museum, I think it's worth contacting them, and seeing what can be done. I'll gladly restore whatever high-quality scan they can offer - They may consult my recent David Dixon Porter featured picture as an example of my work. - and we could (indeed, should) improve the file information page so that they get the appropriate, clear credit for their release. But I don't think settling, when we have people in the museum, is really an appropriate option. Adam Cuerden (talk) 12:12, 27 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your serious evaluation work, Adam. I fully trust your findings and reasoning. Please consider the nomination as withdrawn. With regards, Iselilja (talk) 20:48, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

--Armbrust The Homunculus 10:53, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Nomination withdrawn Armbrust The Homunculus 10:53, 28 January 2013 (UTC)