Re: Inkjet negatives and Van Dyke Brownprints

>>> Ender100@aol.com 11/19/04 12:57 AM >>>
<<<...
This could be a difference in media settings. It wasn't clear
which
media setting you are using....>>>

The setting is for "Watercolor-Radiant White."

<<<On the other end of the Curve Output Values, you show a really
strong
increase in density in the (225,133) point on your curve, which may
indicate
that your Standard Exposure Value for VDB is too high as this would
indicate
trying to compensate for blocked up shadows. It would also lead to
Posterization in the shadows, since the curve is so steep around that
point. Also,
when I entered your values, I got a "dip" in the line of the
curve,
between this point and the next point, which would also cause an
odd
"banding" around those values in the image.>>>

Mark, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "Standard Exposure Value for
VDB" but I'm assuming you are referring to the exposure required to
print the entire VDB scale. With my setup I'm printing so that the
first step on the Stouffer wedge just begins to bronze. At this
exposure I'll end up with distinct printed steps from step 1 through
about 17 with the remainder blocked. The slight bronzing at step 1
disappears after processing and drying. Any further exposure results in
the shadow areas blocking and a shift of the entire scale towards higher
step values. Therefore, I'm assuming I'm giving the minimum exposure to
produce the maximum density my VDB mix is capable of without the loss of
steps due to over- or underexposure and processing/bleaching/drydown.
I'm also printing the Stouffer wedge through the Pictorico sheet.

You are correct in that I'm getting banding hence what I'm calling a
"digital" look.

I'm assuming I could correct the curve to be less severe, but I'd have
to severly reduce the print exposure in order to avoid the shadows
blocking. I suspect that doing so would result in a print lacking the
maximum possible print density and having blocked highlights. That's
kind of where I started.

The negative using Nored's curve just spat out of the 2200 so I'll go
expose a print and compare the results.

Thanks for the comments and any further suggestions.

Joe
Received on Fri Nov 19 10:16:50 2004