> But a much bigger hurdle: I have done computer graphics, am adept at
> Pagemaker, and spent many hours using Adobe photo shop. Yet I feel I
> couldn't go through the processes described without MUCH more work and
> study and brain loss. This may be somewhat generational -- perhaps young
> folks all take to that stuff just like they can program VCR's...
>
> Or not. But I can teach anyone who has had basic photo (developer here, fixer
> there) to make a pretty good enlarged negative for contact printing using
> either $2- $3 contone film or 32 cents worth of lith film in a morning.
> Many of my students are painting majors (yes, PAINTERS!), and some of
> them scarcely speak English. Some, not all, need from half an
> hour to an hour extra handholding each, then they, too, are up and
> running. All in one room. And the enlarger would cost about $200 today...
>
> Judy
I am currently in the middle of lot's of testing and calibration using
the methods outlined in Dan's book. The initial results are
encouraging. First, to reference another current thread in this mailing
list, I can print all my negs (digital negs) on my standard paper without
the use of any chlorate or dichromate AND get whatever contrast I want.
Second, I don't have to do any darkroom work to make the enlarged
negative. Third, the sharpening tools, when used with a skilled hand,
can make the final enlarged output look better than if it were just
optically enlarged. Fourth, I can scan a neg and view it as a positive
on the computer - this saves a lot of wasted time and paper.
The only thing which is taking some getting used to is working with the
image on the computer. It's hard for me to pinpoint the difference, but
it seems as though I am making bigger and bolder changes to the image on
the computer whereas before I would zero in on some of the finer details.
Perhaps it is because there are now many more options as too how my final
print will look. I don't want to lose that attention to detail, but it's
easy to overlook some of the more subtle options - but that should come
with time.
David
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