Re: Unsharp masking with litho film?

Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 09/22/01-11:39:10 AM Z


On Fri, 21 Sep 2001, Sandy King wrote:

> It is a well-known fact that virtually everyone on this list masks
> perfect negatives that print, regardless of process, with no need for

Actually Sandy, that's almost a perfect "Freudian slip" -- I suppose you
meant "makes perfect negatives" not "masks perfect negatives"?

The "master photographers" in the old Photo Techniques magazine (when it
had that unrememberable name) did contrast masks on lith film. In fact I
did myself, for 35 mm if you could believe -- tho it never worked -- I
couldn't get them out of focus enough in the enlarger, so the edge always
showed. Sorry I can't remember the developer, but I would assume diluted
Dektol would be good as any... you don't want definition, but mostly just
tone -- that is, assuming you want to add density.

That will of course ONE DAY be the beauty of the digital printer.... you
dash to your computer & run off just the intermediate neg you need. (As
soon as we get good at it & find the perfect paper, etc. & so on.)

PS. I'm happy to report that as I write I hear what I take for a VILE
parrot in someone's rear window. It, and our raucous city blue jays,
doves & other unidentified (by me) tweeties which kept up daylong racket
back there had been silent (Silent Autumn?) since the attack. They began
to return midweek, minus this creature & the mourning doves. Maybe not
parrot, but what else could sound like knife over gravel in an echo
chamber? (Husband says "cormorant" but he's being fanciful.) The doves
call in the morning, sounding like owls, but I'm told spelled "mourning."
They look like improved-design pigeons. I may have to go to bed later to
hear them (around 6 AM).

Judy

> print controls such as dodging and burning. I wonder, however, if
> anyone on the list has any experience in using litho film for making
> unsharp masks for contact printing. I was thinking that perhaps Dave
> Soemark's LC-1 and LC-1B low contrast developers could be used with
> APH film for this purpose. If anyone has any actual experience with
> this kind of work or would like to offer theoretical advice I would
> be most interested in hearing from you.
>
> Purely theoretical question of course, since I of course always make
> perfect negatives!!
>
> Sandy King
>
>


Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 10/01/01-01:41:32 PM Z CST