Re: gum curve testing
Hi Laura, Remember, a curve you apply in the digital neg process isn't intended to make your image look "better" on screen. It's designed to prepare your negative with the proper contrast for the printing process of your choice. In fact, by definition the curve will make your image look "bad" since you're starting with a perfect image on screen before you warp it with a digital neg curve. Now about your "no difference between 90% and 100%" issue. That is indeed a curve issue. Assuming you have a D-max at 100% (and as you imply that D-max would also be holding in 95% and 90%), you need to RAISE those 90 and 95 points on the curve. That should give you separation in those tones. It is important that you are exposing long enough to get a good maximum black (D-Max) in the 100% (clear film) tone. Usually you have to nudge other adjacent curve points to spread the changes gently over the curve. Curves can be strong but you want to avoid dog legs or plateaus in your curve shape. Make sense? Nice set of tests. If you're this careful and methodical, you're going to have good control in no time. Keep us posted on your progress. I've never done gum so I'm not qualified to make specific suggestions but you've got lots of expertise on this list for that! Best, Dan Laura Valentino wrote on 1/31/07, 5:21 PM: > The thing that baffles me the most about curves is how when applied they > make a perfectly good image look really awful on screen...! -- www.DanBurkholder.com www.TinyTutorials.com
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