Monday, June 21, 2010

Playing with Digital Negatives

 As I contemplate a return to Alternative Processes, especially to continue with the Family Project,
I'm working with digital negatives to use for contact printing cyanotypes and van dykes.


In a week or so I hope to show you some new alternative prints.

to see just how far you can go with this, visit Don Anderson's website.

4 comments:

  1. ...ànd a short description of the process?

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  2. Basic How too's

    1) First you start with a digital file (scan or taken with a digital camera).

    2) If it is B&W simply use photoshop or some other software to invert the image to a negative.

    3) Starting with color, transform to B&W using your editing software.

    4) Next add up to 500% or more to contrast levels. Depending on the density of your negative this step could vary widely.

    You'll have to be willing to make a few test prints to zero in on what you need.

    There are some 'GIMP' directions here:

    http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/negatives/digital-negatives-gimp

    For Photo shop they use color saturation. I haven't tried that method, but it is worth considering.

    On another subject, your team sems to be doing well at the World Cup ;=)

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  3. Very interesting. I'm so used to processes like this in a darkroom that I'm still trying to wrap my mind around doing it on a computer.

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  4. I originally learned a darkroom process for making 'sun print' negatives using Lith film. I've been trying to get the same quality in digital negative off and on for a couple of years. I actually find that it is easier to get good results in the darkroom than digitally. Maybe I'll post an article about the whole thing.

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