John Riches at TruNeg has a method using mathematics to fix the failure of the inverted image to make a workable negative. If nothing else, a great lesson in how digital negative works. Writer and photography / John Riches at TruNeg Disclaimer: Please note this product is for sale. We do not get any kickback from this article, and we have not tested the spreadsheet. The article contains enough information … Read more
Removing the spikes in development is important, in order to work with better data and get more precise correction curves for the best linearization of our photographs. Paolo Saccheri has tested this below on cyanotypes, though it is the same on other alternative processes. Writer and photography / Paolo Saccheri What are spikes? Spikes are sudden bumps in values, reading a step tablet test print used to calibrate a printing … Read more
Paolo Saccheri shares settings used for making digital negatives and highlights the difference the software can make. Writer and graphics / Paolo Saccheri What printer settings should be used for creating digital negatives? Many print makers ask what are the correct printer settings to use to print their digital negatives. The real answer is that there is no fixed true answer. It all depends on your process, i.e. the sum … Read more
Scott Wittenburg shares his experience of working with large format x-ray film photography and how he uses them as an inexpensive and fun way to create large-format negatives. Writer and photography / Scott Wittenburg I began my X-ray film experience after building a homemade 11×14 view camera from scratch several years ago. Having finished construction, I started looking for traditional 11×14 black and white sheet film online so I could … Read more
Writer and photography / Gerard Smeets Gerard Smeets shares with us a table with f-stop related exposure times between 1 and 64 minutes plus the manual for this table. The table is also available to download. Finding the standard exposure time In many manuals of alternative processes, there is a text like this: ‘make a test strip with 8 times at an interval of 4 minutes, starting with 4 minutes’. … Read more
Looking for texture in negatives Jose Garcia Fuertes finds out that tracing paper does the job.
A simple, but effective OHP negative registration technique for gum printing. The method can be used for multiple pass single negative prints as well as CMYK negative prints.
Regardless of the workflow you use to make digital negatives, consistency is the key to achieving repeatable results. It’s worth questioning whether or not the original step wedge was made in gray gamma 1.8 or gray gamma 2.2.
A three step method for making digital negatives by Ron Reeder and Christina Z. Anderson, an excerpt from Gum Printing and Other Amazing Contact Printing Processes.
Elizabeth Graves remarks on the perils of digital reproduction of analog media in a un-color-calibrated age.
The chapter called “Desktop negatives” of Sarah Van Keuren’s book “A Non-Silver Manual: Cyanotype, Vandyke Brown, Palladium & Gum Bichromate with instructions for making light-resists including pinhole photography”, written by Sandra C. Davis.
The chapter called “Enlarged negatives” of Sarah Van Keuren’s book “A Non-Silver Manual: Cyanotype, Vandyke Brown, Palladium & Gum Bichromate with instructions for making light-resists including pinhole photography”.
The chapter called “Light-Resists without camera or computer” of Sarah Van Keuren’s book “A Non-Silver Manual: Cyanotype, Vandyke Brown, Palladium & Gum Bichromate with instructions for making light-resists including pinhole photography”.
Melissa Jolley tells us how she combines digital artwork with historic photographic processes.
Starting out with making digital negatives you may come across some terms you’ve never seen before, like "gamut", "ppi" and "random dots". This glossary may make a little more sense of it all.
There are several different ways of making a digital negative, but all seem to involve a Photoshop curve at some point. In this article geologist Clay Harmon applies his skills to photography and has developed his own curve for a Pyro-like digital negative – to be used with an Epson 2200, but, it can also be tweaked for other printers. All free to download here.
Excerpt from The Experimental Photography Workbook, 4th Edition.
Christina Z. Anderson describes four ways to creatively destroy your negatives, giving them a little extra bite.
A curve could be described as the representation of all the tones in an image, from highlights to shadows. Photoshop curves are a great tool for creating a balanced digital negative. They help you control the tonal values and contrast of an image or a negative. Now you can download ready-made curves here – or upload yours to share with others.
There are many different routes to the final negative. Here, Lloyd Godman gives an overview of the different techniques.
You have a photographic negative on paper, from, let’s say a pinhole camera. You want to use it to make cyanotype or other alt. procs, so it needs to be made more transparent… how do you do this?