Re: How to apply curves in PS for digital negatives...

George,

One thing that could help you or not, I don't know. When you look at an
image on the screen you have to understand that this is most probably not a
"true" representation of the actual numbers in the digital file, it's an
interpretation. When you print it on your electronic printer, again you get
another interpretation of these same numbers. Say this print is your
negative, then if you use it to make a paper print it is kind of using some
other "machine" that gives yet another interpretation of these numbers
again.

You may see the curve you use as kind of distorting the screen
interpretation you see such that your negative "should" produce a print that
ressembles more closely what you see on screen. You must not forget that
your eyes are also interpretting these "number" in there own way.

All this is because the "number" are never precicely translated or
interpreted in what is called a linear transformation. I would agree with
anyone saying that electronic interpretations can be very close to a
"perfect" linear transformation but I would say not "absolutely perfect" but
very very close.

A possible reason why you don't get "an acceptable digital negative" could
be that the curve you use was design to be applied to the negative or
positive and your using it the other way around???

In the end, if you have at minimum a mean to read back the output of the
process, (screen->neg->paper print) you could find out the "exact" or should
I say one of the most useful transformation to use (a curve or other means)
for printing your negatives such that they give you the result "you want".
The most important aspect here is that you will get a reliable and
consistant mean to produce your negatives and or prints. All this stuff,
however presicely it can be achieved, wont be the determining factor in
producing a "masterpieces" or just a plain image, sorry.

Yves

>
> I guess where my misunderstanding lies is that the curve for Van Dyke
removes
> some of the contrast of the image. I definitetly need to increase the
contrast
> to make a proper Van Dyke image. I have yet to get an acceptable digital
> negative, but continue trying.
>
> Cheers -
>
> george
>
Received on Sun Nov 27 09:32:44 2005