Can selenium toner increase black-and-white negative contrast?
Asked 7/25/2010
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I use selenium as a final step in black-and-white negative processing for archival permanence, and I’ve heard it can also increase negative contrast. In my tests I haven’t seen much change.
Has anyone used selenium toner specifically to raise contrast or highlight density in negatives? If so, how is it typically applied during processing, and what kind of effect should I expect?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
7
Haven't used it myself but have you seen Ansel Adams mention of it in 'The Negative'?
The method he used was:
- Soak neg thoroughly in water
- Re-fix in plain hypo solution for "several minutes"
- 5-10 mins in Selenium/Kodak HCA solution mixed 1:2 (constant agitation)
- HCA
- Wash
This produced about a one zone density increase in the highlights.
Originally by user71. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user71
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—selenium toning can increase contrast in black-and-white negatives, but the effect may be subtle and is mainly seen as increased highlight density rather than a dramatic overall change.
Based on the community answer and standard darkroom practice, one commonly cited method is:
- soak the negative thoroughly in water
- re-fix in plain hypo for several minutes
- tone for about 5–10 minutes in a selenium/Kodak HCA mixture at 1:2, with constant agitation
- place in HCA again
- wash thoroughly
This approach has been described as producing roughly a one-zone increase in highlight density.
If you’re not seeing much effect, that’s not unusual—selenium is not primarily a strong contrast-control tool for negatives. It’s more often used for archival benefits, with any contrast increase being secondary. Thorough washing after toning is still important.
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