Re: digital question (flaunt expertise, please...)

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From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 09/20/02-09:21:14 PM Z


On Fri, 20 Sep 2002 FDanB@aol.com wrote:

> Hi Judy,
>
> You need to adjust and apply a curve that compensates for those jumps. It
> matters not that YOU can't see the jumps in your negative with your eye;
> the print shows that IT sees the jumps. The role of the curve is to tame
> those jumps so you get evenly spaced steps.
>
> Are you using ANY curve applied to the step tablet? Very few workers have
> success without some kind of contrast adjustment curve. I have NEVER made
> a neg (and I'm making them today on desktop) without a curve applied.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> Dan>

This has all been, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit, extremely helpful.
Embarrassed because -- oops, why didn't I think of that !? After the
advice received earlier today, I put the 21 steps in the 4 materials I'd
been testing through the densitometer and discovered exactly what you say
-- jumps I did NOT see with the naked eye. Then I dug out my old
curve-chart paper and -- NOT my idea of a good time! -- am going to chart
these as is, uncurved, to get the basis. I also have two more materials
(OHP) to test.

I know I need to apply a curve, and did do a couple -- applied by eye in
the curves window until image on the monitor looked like it would work.
I printed out just strips of these as negatives (to save material) -- and
tried them in gum -- a couple actually printed fairly well, tho would need
more taming of highest highlight. But I find gum so extremely variable &
flexible when printed in several coats (what you miss in one, you pick up
in the next), I'm not certain about needing curve beyond closing the gap
between hottest highlight and high midtone -- tho maybe that's what yr
curves do.

For what it's worth, my 1160 Epson black ink printed up to 2.4 on the
Pictorico, another OHP film printed to 3.0, a heavy vellum printed to 2.1
and my flattest material, a thin vellum, went to 1.74. (For comparison,
the Stouffer densest was about 3.5.) I assume therefore I have no need to
colorize? Thus no "color management" in printer dialog? In fact, my
limited early experience with this printer (when granted I knew even less)
was that using color made an inferior neg.)

As for the AVC files on Dan's CD -- I'd like very much to try, or at least
look at them, but they wouldn't drag to the desktop. Am I supposed to be
able to open them in Photoshop while they're still on the CD?

And Garry, since you insist, the thingy is called an eye dropper. Gross,
don't you think? Isn't thingy better?

Whichever,
all expertise very much appreciated. Very many thanks.

cheers,

Judy


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