How can I get more contrast in a darkroom print when I'm already using a grade 5 filter?
Asked 6/26/2020
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I'm printing in the darkroom and the result is still too flat, even though I'm already using the highest contrast setting I have.
Current setup:
- Ilford Multigrade IV RC glossy paper
- Grade 5 filter
- Ilford Warmtone developer at 20°C for 120 seconds
- Enlarger set to f/8
Aside from re-shooting the negative, what options are there to increase print contrast beyond what a grade 5 filter gives?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
3
There are several ways to go beyond a Grade 5 contrast, but they're all well beyond ordinary printing.
First, you can gain up to about a half grade, in some cases, by switching print developers -- unfortunately, the most common developers, like Dektol, are already the higher contrast sort.
Second, you could make a copy negative. Using either ortho lith film (can be handled under red safelight) or slow camera film (there are ortho films in this category, too), you can make a contact print positive, and from that a contact print negative, and control development in the process to get more contrast than the original. This method carries some cost, as you'll have to buy sheet film of the chosen type and probably expend several sheets on tests of exposure and development to get the correct final contrast.
Another option would be to intensify the original negative (I don't recommend altering the original in any way, but it's an option) -- this can be done either by bleaching and redveloping with a contrast-enhancing process, or using a process like mercury intensifier (warning! toxic chemistry!), or bleaching and toning the negative to produce increased density compared to the original silver image. There's also cost involved here, buying specialty chemicals and hazard mitigation (and possibly hazmat disposal of leftover chemicals), and you risk damage to your original negative.
A hybrid workflow option would be to scan the negative, enhance contrast in software, and then print the result (as a negative) to a transparency that you can then contact print. This last method is very commonly used to produce alt-process (cyanotype, Van Dyke Brown, kallitype, platinum/palladium, etc.) prints from small negatives originally processed at "normal" contrast for silver gelatin printing, but is also a valid method to obtain a desired contrast level for silver gelatin. Note that you should plan to contact print digital negatives, as otherwise pixels from the printing process will be visible in the enlarged print.
Originally by user89902. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user89902
6y ago
0
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If you’re already at grade 5, you’re basically at the normal limit of variable-contrast paper. Beyond that, the remaining options are more specialized.
A small extra increase may be possible by changing print developer. Some paper developers produce slightly higher contrast than others, but the gain is limited—roughly about half a grade at most.
If that still isn’t enough, the more substantial solution is to make a copy negative (or internegative). You would first make a positive copy from the original negative, then make a new negative from that positive, controlling exposure and development to build in more contrast. This is typically done with ortho lith film or very slow sheet film. It works, but it takes extra materials, testing, and time.
So, in practice:
- Try a higher-contrast paper developer if you haven’t already.
- For a bigger change, make a copy negative/internegative.
- Otherwise, the real limitation is in the original negative, and re-shooting or improving the negative is the simpler long-term fix.
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